{"id":2381947,"date":"2026-04-20T21:31:26","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T21:31:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2381947"},"modified":"2026-04-20T21:31:26","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T21:31:26","slug":"mariska-hargitay-pays-tribute-to-mom-jayne-mansfield-on-what-wouldve-been-her-93rd-birthday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/mariska-hargitay-pays-tribute-to-mom-jayne-mansfield-on-what-wouldve-been-her-93rd-birthday\/","title":{"rendered":"Mariska Hargitay pays tribute to mom Jayne Mansfield on what would&#8217;ve been her 93rd birthday"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\">Key Points<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"mb-4\">\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Mariska Hargitay is wishing her late mom, Jayne Mansfield, a happy heavenly birthday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The <em>Too Hot to Handle <\/em>star died in a car crash in 1967 at age 34 when Hargitay was 3.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The <em>Law &amp; Order <\/em>star has been open about how her mother being viewed as a sex symbol has influenced her career.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/person\/mariska-hargitay\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Mariska Hargitay;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Mariska Hargitay&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Mariska Hargitay<\/a> is remembering her mom <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/person\/jayne-mansfield\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Jayne Mansfield;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Jayne Mansfield&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Jayne Mansfield<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The <em><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/law-and-order-special-victims-unit\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Law &amp; Order: Special Victims Unit;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Law &amp;amp&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Law &amp; Order: Special Victims Unit<\/a> <\/em>star shared a vintage photo of Mansfield on Sunday, April 19, which would have marked the actress&#8217; 93rd birthday. The photo features Mansfield performing a stunt, suspended in midair thanks to wires and a stuntman. &#8220;Happy Heavenly Birthday mama Jayne\u2728\ud83d\udc95\ud83d\udc97\ud83d\udc97\ud83d\udc97\ud83d\udc97\ud83d\udc97\ud83d\udc97\ud83d\udc97\ud83d\udc97\ud83d\udc97\ud83d\udc97\ud83d\udc97\ud83d\udc97\ud83d\udc97\ud83d\udc97\ud83d\udc97,&#8221; she captioned the post.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Hargitay also shared a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DXUh2LGAA6h\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:photo of Mansfield;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;photo of Mansfield&quot;}\" class=\"link \">photo of Mansfield<\/a> smiling in a dress with gloves, holding a guitar.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/who-was-jayne-mansfield-11762656\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Mansfield;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Mansfield&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Mansfield<\/a>, best known for her roles in<em> Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?<\/em>, <em>The Girl Can&#8217;t Help It<\/em>, and <em>The Loves of Hercules<\/em>, died in a car crash in June 1967. She was 34. Hargitay was in the back seat of the car at the time of the crash but only suffered minor injuries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Hargitay has been open about her late mother, who came back into the public&#8217;s interest with the HBO Max documentary <em>My Mom Jayne<\/em>. Speaking with <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/mariska-hargitay-sees-mom-jayne-manfield-compassion-in-svu-olivia-benson-11761520\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Entertainment Weekly in June 2025;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Entertainment Weekly in June 2025&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><em>Entertainment Weekly <\/em>in June 2025<\/a>, Hargitay said that it&#8217;s been &#8220;incredible to see how women were treated and really put into a box. That is something I was personally fighting against in every way. And now, how incredible it is to see women redefining themselves.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong><em>Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/ew-dispatch-newsletter-11812417\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:EW Dispatch newsletter;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;EW Dispatch newsletter&quot;}\" class=\"link \">EW Dispatch newsletter<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In the years that Hargitay has played Olivia Benson on <em>Law &amp; Order: SVU<\/em>, she reframed the way she thought of her character while reflecting on the roles her mother was typecast into as a sex symbol, when Mansfield had more to offer than just her looks. Mansfield knew how to speak five different languages, along with playing the piano and classical violin.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;[Her] career made me want to do it differently,&#8221; Hargitay said of Mansfield in <em>My Mom Jayne. <\/em>&#8220;I disowned the part of myself that was my mother&#8217;s daughter.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Whether or not Hargitay portraying the smart and strong detective as a foil to her mom&#8217;s sex symbol persona was intentional, Hargitay doesn&#8217;t know if she &#8220;thought that on a conscious level.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;But everything about <em>Law &amp; Order<\/em> and the character felt so right. It was what I wanted to do, what I felt I was capable of. I loved this character. I was a thousand percent sure that I wanted to do it. I had never been more sure about anything. When I read it, I was like, &#8216;This is it.&#8217; Playing a woman with this kind of strength was so right to me,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><i>Jayne Mansfield and Mariska Hargitay<br \/>Credit: HBO<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;At the end of the day, I have picked roles and made very specific choices about the kind of career that I wanted to have,&#8221; Hargitay added. &#8220;So, it definitely played a part unconsciously.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">As for what trait she thinks Benson and Mansfield share? &#8220;Compassion,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I know that [my mom] was a deeply, deeply kind, compassionate, and empathetic, loving person. But Olivia is fearless and certainly not afraid of confrontation. She makes up her own rules and lives by a different code.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Read the original article on <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/mariska-hargitay-pays-tribute-to-mom-jayne-mansfield-on-what-would-have-been-her-93rd-birthday-11954276\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Entertainment Weekly;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Entertainment Weekly&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Entertainment Weekly<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Points Mariska Hargitay is wishing her late mom, Jayne Mansfield, a happy heavenly birthday. The Too Hot to Handle star died in a car crash in 1967 at age 34 when Hargitay was 3. The Law &amp; Order star has been open about how her mother being viewed as a sex symbol has influenced [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2381948,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25177],"tags":[415114,400213,318819,342194,319378],"class_list":["post-2381947","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrities","tag-happy-heavenly-birthday","tag-jayne-mansfield","tag-law-order","tag-law-order-special-victims-unit","tag-mariska-hargitay"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Mariska-Hargitay-pays-tribute-to-mom-Jayne-Mansfield-on-what.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2381947","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2381947"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2381947\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2381949,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2381947\/revisions\/2381949"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2381948"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2381947"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2381947"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2381947"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}