Mariska Hargitay Pays Tribute to Her Mother Jayne Mansfield at Cannes 2025
Mariska Hargitay is honoring her late mother, Jayne Mansfield, during her trip to the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.
The 61-year-old actress shared photos on Instagram on Tuesday, May 20, wearing a black shirt that stated “GUCCI JAYNE MANSFIELD.” She styled the T-shirt with a black printed skirt and matching heels. Hargitay flashed a beaming smile while posing for pictures alongside her husband Peter Hermann.
“Greetings from the croisette!” Hargitay wrote in her Instagram post. “@mymomjayne 🎬📽️ I ♥️ France! Merci @gucci pour ce t-shirt magnifique!”
The Gucci shirt is from the luxury brand’s FW22 collection.
Throughout the festival, Hargitay has been documenting her experiences on social media while joined by her family. The Law & Order: SVU star and Hermann, 57, have three children: August, 18, Amaya, 14, and Andrew, 12.
The entire family attended the premiere of Hargitay’s directorial debut, My Mom Jayne, on Saturday, May 17. This documentary serves as Hargitay’s heartfelt tribute to her late mother, reflecting on the life and legacy of the iconic actress.
Tragically, Mansfield lost her life in a car accident at the age of 34 in 1967. Hargitay, then just 3 years old, was in the car with her two siblings at the time.
In addition to honoring her mother’s memory, Hargitay revealed a significant aspect about her family in the documentary. She disclosed that her father, Mickey Hargitay, is not her biological parent. (Mickey passed away in 2006 at the age of 80.)
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Hargitay expressed feeling like she had been “living a lie my entire life,” and confirmed that her biological father is Italian singer and comedian Nelson Sardelli.
“It felt like the floor fell out from underneath me,” Hargitay recalled in My Mom Jayne, recounting the moment she first saw a photo of Sardelli. “It was as if my whole reality dissolved.”
Eventually, they were able to meet in Atlantic City.
“I went full Olivia Benson on him,” she said, referencing her character from SVU. “I made it clear that I didn’t want anything from him; I have a dad. There was this sense of loyalty—I wanted to remain loyal to Mickey.”
Hargitay ultimately came to a profound understanding about her heritage.
“I grew up where I was meant to, and I truly believe everyone made the best choices for me,” she shared. “I am Mickey Hargitay’s daughter—that isn’t a lie. This documentary serves as a love letter to him, as there was no one closer to me on this earth.”
