Could you give me some information on Mariska Hargitay of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Is she related to Mickey Hargitay?
—Anita C., Florida
Mariska Hargitay is indeed the daughter of movie icon Jayne Mansfield and bodybuilder-turned-actor Mickey Hargitay, who appeared in an episode of his daughter's TV series last year. The Los Angeles-born Mariska survived the 1967 car crash that killed Mansfield. Just 3 years old at the time, she has only vague memories of her famous mother. She's remained close to her dad, who took her around the world, including to his native Hungary, when she was growing up. "He was so not Hollywood. Yeah, he was an actor, but he took jobs in spaghetti Westerns just so we could spend summers in Italy," she says. Hargitay recently married Peter Hermann, who plays Trevor Langan on Law & Order: SVU.
