Who is Nelson Sardelli, Mariska Hargitay’s biological father? 3 interesting facts about the dad-daughter duo

Mariska Hargitay has been a part of the small screen for nearly 26 years now. Hargitay celebrated a silver jubilee being a part of an elite squad of small-screen shows only last year, and now she is discussing some unheard stories about her life through her documentary, My Mom Jayne. This includes getting to know about her biological father.

US director Mariska Hargitay arrives for the screening of the film “My Mom Jayne: a Film by Mariska Hargitay” (AFP)

Who is Mariska Hargitay’s father?

Mariska has discussed the time when she found out that former Mr. Universe Mickey Hargitay was not her biological father. Instead, it was Las Vegas entertainer Nelson Sardelli.

In Mariska’s documentary My Mom Jayne, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 17, this incident was shown as one of the most significant happenings of her life. This documentary, interestingly, also serves as her feature film directorial debut.

Nelson, 90, was an entertainer who performed on cruise ships and every continent, including shows at the Sydney Opera House or the iconic New York City’s Carnegie Hall. He had also worked with General Motors back in the day, and also went on to serve in the army and work construction jobs. He then landed a music gig and never looked back, building his career as an entertainer.

Here’s a look at three interesting facts about Nelson and Mariska:

Mariska gets to know the truth at 25

Mariska came to know about the reality about her biological father when she was 25 years old, almost 22 years after the passing away of her mother, Jayne Mansfield.  The now 61-year-old Mariska claimed that she felt “like the floor fell out from underneath her” when she came to know about the truth.

Jayne Mansfield with a young Mariska.

 

Understands why she felt so different from the other kids

Mariska also understood back then why she felt so different from Mickey’s other kids Mickey “Miklos” Jr., and Zoltan. She even confronted Mickey about the same, but the former Mr. Universe kept insisting that he was her father, and not anyone else. They did not speak about this thereafter, said an E! Online report.

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Nelson and Mariska went on to form a strong bond

However, when she, out of curiosity and desire for the necessary answers, decided to introduce herself to Nelson, things took a surprising turn. Nelson met Mariska at the Vanity Fair and was reduced to tears upon knowing the truth.

His exact words, according to Mariska, were,”I’ve been waiting 30 years for this moment.” Mariska admitted that later on, she and Nelson went on to form a deep bond, based on the connection that they shared.