Jayne Mansfield, one of the last blonde bombshells of the Golden Age of Hollywood, welcomed a large family during her fame including five children: Jayne Marie Mansfield, Miklós “Mickey” Hargitay, Jr., Zoltán Hargitay, Mariska Hargitay and Antonio “Tony” Cimber. The actress rose to fame in the 1950s as the heir apparent to Marilyn Monroe’s status as the ultimate silver screen siren, starring in films like The Girl Can’t Help It in 1956 (which won her a Golden Globe), The Wayward Bus in 1957 and Too Hot to Handle in 1960. She married publicist Paul Mansfield in 1950 and they had their daughter Jayne Marie Mansfield the same year. The couple moved to Hollywood in 1954 so Mansfield could pursue her acting career, and they separated shortly after. The Golden Age star married Miklós “Mickey” Hargitay in 1958. They had son Miklós “Mickey” Hargitay, Jr. that same year, followed by son Zoltán Hargitay in 1960. The couple were already in the midst of divorcing when Mansfield discovered she was pregnant again, and they briefly reconciled. Daughter Mariska Hargitay was born in 1964, and they divorced that year. Mansfield married for a third time, to Italian movie director Matt Cimber, in 1964 and they welcomed their son Antonio “Tony” Cimber a year later. The pair were in the middle of divorce proceedings in 1967 when Mansfield died at only 34 years old, in a car accident that permanently changed highway safety standards. Her five children were all young at the time but many of them have shared fond memories of Mansfield. “My mother was this amazing, beautiful, glamor-ous sex symbol — but people didn’t know that she played the violin and had a 160 IQ and had five kids and loved dogs,” Mariska told PEOPLE in 2018. “She was just so ahead of her time. She was an inspiration, she had this appetite for life, and I think I share that with her.” Here is everything to know about Jayne Mansfield’s five children: Jayne Marie Mansfield, Miklós “Mickey” Hargitay, Jr., Zoltán Hargitay, Mariska Hargitay and Antonio “Tony” Cimber. They grew up in a “Pink Palace” Pink was Mansfield’s signature color — she turned heads with her pink wedding gown when she married Mickey Sr. — and she wanted it all around her. After their 1958 wedding, she and Mickey Sr. moved into a home on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles that they remodeled themselves and called the “pink palace,” according to Architectural Digest. The all-pink aesthetic extended to everything from the wall surrounding the compound to the sparkling pink paint they used on the home’s exterior. The maximalist property even had a heart-shaped pool that Mickey Sr. tiled with “I love you, Jaynie” at the bottom. Zoltán was involved in a serious accident at a zoo On Nov. 23, 1966, Mansfield took Zoltán to Jungleland U.S.A., a private zoo in Sherman Oaks, Calif. According to the Associated Press, the actor was posing for photos when a lion attacked Zoltán from behind, biting his neck and head, causing severe enough injuries for the boy to need brain surgery. The then-6-year-old made a full recovery and Jungleland U.S.A. closed shortly after. Three of Mansfield’s kids were in the car accident that killed her Early in the morning on June 29, 1967, Mansfield was traveling from a nightclub show in Biloxi, Miss. to New Orleans, where she was scheduled to make a television appearance that afternoon, according to The New York Times. Ronald Harrison, a driver for the nightclub, was behind the wheel; Mansfield and her attorney, Samuel Brody, were also in the front seat. Mickey Jr., Zoltán and Mariska were all asleep in the back seat. The car collided with the back of a trailer truck, killing the adults instantly. The kids were treated for minor injuries but were relatively unharmed. According to Mansfield’s obituary in the Times, Harrison couldn’t see the truck because it was obscured by a thick cloud of mosquito spray. In the wake of her death, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration called for mandatory underride bars, called “Mansfield bars” to be installed on the back of trailer trucks to prevent similar accidents. Mariska is an accomplished actress Mariska made her first television appearance in 1966, on an episode of The Merv Griffin Show, when she was just 2 years old — but it took many more years before she would land her breakout role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Mariska has now been on the show for over 25 years. “I could have quit a million times, but my dad drilled into me that our family doesn’t quit,” she told Parade in 2019. “So if you don’t get it, it means you’re not ready and you have to get up and try again.” The actress has since starred in Chicago P.D. and Law & Order: Organized Crime and received a Golden Globe just like her mother. Mickey Jr. owns a plant store Mickey Jr. opened Mickey Hargitay’s Plants in 1980. “Among all the stars in Hollywood California, at Mickey’s we are all reaching for the Earth!” the plant nursery’s website reads. “Founded in 1980 we have come a long way; from collecting cactus, succulents and handmade macrame; to now an eclectic garden oasis in the heart of Los Angeles.” Mickey Jr. spoke to the Los Angeles Times in 2016 about not following in his mom’s acting footsteps. “[My family] made decisions to reach for the stars and I’ve wanted to keep my feet on the ground,” he explained. “I’ve wanted to do something that seems more grounded and is more real.” For Mickey Jr.’s birthday in December 2023, Mariska posted a photo of the duo on Instagram, and wrote, “I love this guy so much. Best big bother. Soulful. Protective. Nurturing … To watch somebody nurture plants is a thing of beauty.” Mariska credits her father with teaching her to “listen and learn” After Mansfield’s death, Mariska and her siblings lived with Mickey Sr. and his wife Ellen. “I called her Mom,” Mariska told Good Housekeeping in 2012. “We were blessed that she really embraced us and loved us so quickly. And I was very fortunate to have a maternal figure in my life after such a horrific accident.” Mickey Sr. died in 2006, but Mariska has spoken extensively about her upbringing and the valuable lessons she learned from her father. “My dad taught me to listen and to learn,” she told PEOPLE in 2018. “As a young kid, I had my antennas out for who had wisdom and why, and what was I supposed to learn from them, and why were they there? The way I’ve been able to make sense of the cards I was dealt was to follow those signs.” Jayne Marie appeared in Playboy Mansfield appeared in Playboy several times, including being Playmate of the Month in February 1955. Eight years later, the magazine famously published nude photos of her, which was unheard of at the time, and Hugh Hefner was arrested on obscenity charges. In July 1976, Jayne Marie posed for the magazine, making her and Mansfield the first mother and daughter to have appeared in Playboy. Mariska collects memorabilia of her mother In 1985, when Mariska was a student at UCLA, she gave PEOPLE a tour of her apartment, and of her collection of Mansfield memorabilia, including pictures, old movie stills and a toothbrush with her mother’s image on it. But Mariska said she wasn’t interested in books about the actor. “Why should I read those? I lived with an encyclopedia—my dad,” she said. “And my mom [Ellen] calls me up to tell me when one of her movies is on TV. My mother was a young knockout but she was also brilliant. She just gave the public what they wanted.” Zoltán works behind the scenes in the film industry Unlike his famous mother and sister, Zoltán prefers to be behind the scenes. Taking after his father, who was a carpenter and built much of the family’s “pink palace,” Zoltán has worked on sets for films and TV shows, going all the way back to the 1990s. In 2021, he was a set carpenter for The Morning Show. Mariska and Zoltán have a close bond. In August 2021, the actress showered praise on her brother for his birthday. “Happy Birthday to my kind, loving and open and huge hearted brother,” she wrote on Instagram. Tony and Jayne Marie live out of the public eye Both Tony and Jayne Marie have a handful of acting credits to their names, but have both chosen to live quieter lives. Tony is a real estate agent in Las Vegas, according to his LinkedIn. In 2008, Mariska gave Ask Stacy an update about Jayne Marie, saying she was living in L.A. and working as a money manager. Mariska and Mansfield both have stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame In November 2013, Mariska got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, directly next to the star her mother received in 1960. At the unveiling ceremony, Mickey Jr., Zoltán and Jayne Marie all came to support her. “It’s so incredible because my brother Mickey and my sister Jayne Marie were actually here, right here, when my mother got her star, so I can’t imagine what they’re feeling,” she said at the event. “Probably enough with the stars already.” Mariska added, “I love you family, all of you.”
Subscribe
Login
0 Comments
