Mariska Hargitay, 62, Opens Up About Her Parents’ Lasting Legacy: ‘He Was My North Star’ (Exclusive)
From Broadway to a cancer campaign, see how the 'Law & Order: SVU' star is honoring her famous mom and dad
Key Takeaways
AI-generated summary reviewed by our editorial team.- Mariska Hargitay says her father Mickey Hargitay was her "north star."
- The actress honored her mother Jayne Mansfield's legacy through her documentary.
- Hargitay hopes new multiple myeloma research offers families hope.
Mariska Hargitay is opening up about the beautiful way she’s honoring her late parents, Jayne Mansfield and Mickey Hargitay. In an exclusive conversation with Woman’s World to promote her partnership with Bristol Myers Squibb, the Law & Order: SVU star shared heartfelt reflections on her parents and the lasting impact they’ve had on her life. For all the details on what she had to say, keep reading.
Mariska Hargitay opens up about her father Mickey Hargitay
Growing up, Mariska, was incredibly close with her father and his battle with multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer that took Mickey’s life in September 2006, changed her forever.
“I love my father. He was my north star,” the actress tells Woman’s World. “His cancer diagnosis was rough. He was diagnosed right around the time of my wedding, and so I noticed that he was much more tired than usual, and then we found out he had bone pain. It was hard, and we couldn’t really process it. I would say we didn’t really accept it. We didn’t know what to do with it, and so we were a little bit in denial for a long time, and he was too.”
“Then the inevitable came upon us, but the beauty was during those two years we got even closer than we already were, and I got to say goodbye to my dad, and that meant everything,” Mariska continues. “I still carry him with me everywhere I go, and he’s always with me.”
Now, almost 20 years after her father’s passing, Mariska is honoring him by teaming up with Bristol Myers Squibb to help promote their new educational campaign, “Investigating Myeloma,” which shines a light on the importance of research, including CELMoD (Cereblon E3 Ligase Modulation Modulators) research, which focuses on trying to stimulate the immune system to enhance killing of myeloma cancer cells.
“This Investigating Myeloma campaign is full of hope. I wanted to give people the hope that 20 years ago wasn’t there, even though my dad acted like there was,” Mariska says. “The CELMoD research provides so much hope that people didn’t have before. Multiple myeloma is an incurable disease, but the landscape is changing and I really wanted to amplify that message.”
Mariska Hargitay reveals how she’s honoring her mother Jayne Mansfield
Last year, Mariska directed the documentary My Mom Jayne, exploring her mother’s lasting impact on the film industry. Jayne died in a car crash when Mariska was just 3 years old, and Mariska has found many ways to honor her legacy—including starring on Broadway in Every Brilliant Thing, about a woman who makes a list of things worth living for as she tries to help her mother through depression.
“This happened right after I made the movie, and so it feels like it’s not an accident,” the actress says. “I started in high school doing plays, and then I obviously did television most of my career, and then I made this movie about my mom, which was the kind of movie that we would want to make together and that we got to tell a story together. And then right after that, I got a Broadway play, which is where she started. It just can’t be an accident, right?”
Also not an accident? Her friendship with Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe, who also stars in the Broadway production.
“He’s extraordinary. He is so kind and supportive, and loving and funny, and has such a big heart and is so generous,” Mariska raves. “I cannot say enough about him. Daniel is a special human.”
You can see Mariska Hargitay in Every Brilliant Thing at the Hudson Theatre in New York City now.
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