Jayne Mansfield and Mariska Hargitay
I can’t really see Mariska Hargitay having much interest in her mother, Jayne Mansfield’s closet. Mariska, who has won Emmys and Golden Globe Awards in her eleven seasons as Olivia Benson in Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. While her mother did have musical and acting talents, they are not what she was known for. Instead “The Poor Man’s Marilyn Monroe” was better known for outrageous publicity stunts in too-small velvet and fur bikinis and an annual contract with Playboy.
Other than acting, the one thing that Mariska seems to have in common with her mother is the loss of a parent at age three. Jayne’s father died of a massive heart attack when she was three and she was raised by her mother and stepfather. After the car crash that killed Jayne and left Mariska injured, Mariska and her brothers were raised by her father and stepmother.
I expect that if Jayne had lived and been able to overcome her addictions to alcohol and narcotics, she would have been very proud of her youngest daughter. Mariska seized the opportunity to become well educated. She holds a degree from UCLA and speaks three languages. Her talent has made her a critical and ratings success in television, on stage and on the big screen. She is also a wife and mother.
Unlike Mariska, I can’t see Jayne pulling off an acting role of a competent and streetwise police officer. Or Mariska upstaging Jayne Mansfield in a bikini that conveniently falls off at strategic moments when a camera was watching.
Tags: Emmy, Golden Globe Awards, Jayne Mansfield, Marilyn Monroe, Mariska Hargitay