She is also known for her philanthropic work and activism. Hargitay was born in Santa Monica, California , and is the daughter of bodybuilder and actor Mickey Hargitay and actress Jayne Mansfield. Hargitay founded the Joyful Heart Foundation, which provides support to people who have been sexually abused , and became a certified rape counselor. She has engaged in initiatives to support domestic violence shelters , raise awareness about untested rape kits , and contributed to other causes.
Her father was the Hungarian-born former Mr. Universe , Mickey Hargitay. Her first and middle names are Hungarian and refer to Mary Magdalene Mariska is a diminutive of Mary. However, after Mansfield realized she was pregnant with Mariska, she and Hargitay reconciled a few months before their daughter's birth in January However, they soon separated again.
Even after the divorce, they remained good friends. On June 29, , Mansfield was in an automobile accident on a stretch of U. Route 90 between New Orleans and Bay St. Louis , Mississippi. The accident ripped off the top of the car, instantly killing Mansfield, [ 15 ] her boyfriend Sam Brody, and the driver.
Asleep in the back of the vehicle, Mariska, then three-and-a-half years old, was left with a zigzag scar on one side of her head. After the death of their mother, the three siblings were raised by their father and his third wife, Ellen Siano.
Universe, so it would be fun for me to be Miss Universe". I will never get over it. I will always be a girl who lost her mom". While a student at her Catholic secondary school, Marymount High School , Hargitay was active in cheerleading, student government, athletics, and the theater program. Hargitay also had a minor role in the film Leaving Las Vegas. Hargitay briefly replaced Gabrielle Fitzpatrick as Dulcea in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie , although her scenes were cut from the film when Fitzpatrick recovered from her surgery and returned to the film.
