Mariska Hargitay shares how she made peace with biological dad Nelson Sardelli after paternity bombshell

Daily Mail​

19-07-2025

Mariska Hargitay revealed she recently had a sweet conversation with her biological father Nelson Sardelli.
In her acclaimed documentary My Mom Jayne, the 61-year-old actress revealed the decades-old family secret that the man who raised her, Mickey Hargitay, was not her real dad.
During a documentary screening at HamptonsFilm's SummerDocs on Thursday, she hosted a Q&A session in which she detailed a special Father's Day exchange she had with Sardelli, 90.
She described the experience as 'magical,' telling the audience, 'He apologized and he said, "Thank you for forgiving me." And I said, "Thank you for making the choice that you made."'
Mariska spoke candidly about coming to terms with her family's secret about who her biological father is.
According to an account from Just Jared, she reflected, 'I spent my life feeling unworthy, not wanted, not claimed, not good enough, abandoned.
'And then I realized, "Oh, no, sweetie, you were chosen six ways from Sunday."'
In the riveting documentary, Sardelli explained that he believed leaving Mariska to be raised by Hungarian bodybuilder Mickey was in her best interest.
As an adult, Mariska has made peace with her family dynamic.
Her siblings include sisters Tina Hargitay, 76, Jayne Marie Mansfield, 74, Mickey Hargitay Jr., 66, Zoltan Hargitay, 64, and Tony Cimber, 59.
After his final split from Mansfield, Hargitay married Ellen Siano in 1967.
'Now I feel like I have two mothers, I have two fathers,' Mariska said at the screening.
'I think the reason I made this movie now is because I was ready to make it now,' the Law & Order: SVU star told Stephen Colbert of her decision to produce the documentary 58 years after her mom's tragic death.
Appearing on the now-cancelled late night show in June, she said, 'In a way I feel like I've been preparing my entire life to make it.'
In June Hargitay paid tribute to her late mother, who died in a car accident in 1967, by wearing a similar look worn by the movie star at the Cannes Film Festival in 1958. In her acclaimed documentary My Mom Jayne, the 61-year-old actress revealed the decades-old family secret that the man who raised her, Mickey Hargitay, was not her real dad
She went on to say that she discovered boxes of fan letters pertaining to her mom during the covid-19 pandemic.
'I had the time to sit with each letter and people had sent me things that were truly a gift,' Hargitay said of finding the trove of personal stories and playbills.
'So, I said, "I think I wanna dig in here,"' she added about feeling inspired to create the film.
Mariska had previously spoken about her mom during her own appearance at the Cannes Film Festival this year, telling Deadline: 'The photos of her, in Cannes in particular, were always so meaningful to me because of how free and happy and in love she was with my father.'
She said the striking black and white images 'seared this emotional place' in her mind.