Overview

• Mariska Hargitay, 61, revealed in her documentary 'My Mom Jayne' that entertainer Nelson Sardelli is her biological father, a secret she discovered in her 20s and kept for over 30 years.
• The film, Hargitay's directorial debut, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 17, 2025, and was met with a five-minute standing ovation.
• Hargitay described her decision to share the truth as a way to 'unburden all of us,' acknowledging the emotional complexity of her journey and loyalty to Mickey Hargitay, the man who raised her.
• The documentary explores the legacy of Jayne Mansfield, Hargitay's late mother, who died in a 1967 car crash when Mariska was three years old.
• Featuring interviews with Sardelli, his daughters, and Hargitay's siblings, the film is set to premiere on HBO on June 27, 2025.