Mariska Hargitay Recalls 'Trauma' of Losing Mom Jayne Mansfield at Age 3

Mariska Hargitay

Mariska Hargitay spoke briefly about losing her mother, bombshell movie star Jayne Mansfield, while detailing “various traumas” she’s experienced over the years — and how she’s overcome them.

“I lost my mother when I was 3 years old, and I grew up in a house of people dealing with the tragedy in their own way,” Hargitay, 60, said at the Hope for Depression Research Foundation’s 18th Annual HOPE Luncheon Seminar on Tuesday, November 12. “Because there was so much grief, there wasn’t room to prioritize anyone. We didn’t have the tools that we have now to metabolize and understand trauma.”

Mansfield, a Playboy Playmate and actress, died in a car crash at age 34 in 1967. Hargitay and two of her siblings were in the vehicle at the time of the accident.

Hargitay accepted the 2024 Hope Award for Depression Advocacy at the event, which was hosted at The Plaza Hotel in NYC. This year’s luncheon focused on trauma and recovery, which the actress addressed at length in her speech. Hargitay said it was “much later in life” when she developed the tools to address her past traumas.

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“I also suffered sexual trauma in my 30s, it wasn’t until much later that I found the language to acknowledge it for what it was,” Hargitay continued. The actress also referencing the Joyful Heart Foundation, which she founded 20 years ago as “part of my response to my own experience.”

Jayne Mansfield holding six-weeks old Mariska Hargitay.

Earlier this year, Hargitay revealed her personal experience with sexual assault in an interview.

“I built a whole foundation that responded to trauma and survivors the way that I wanted to be responded to,” the Law and Order: SVU star added. “I had the good fortune to find extraordinary therapists who introduced me to many different healing modalities.”

Hargitay noted that being able to treat how “trauma lives in the body” were an integral part of her healing process. “These modalities give me my life back,” she said.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever find the words to express my gratitude for those who have accompanied me in my journey. For those who mirrored my trauma back to me, who helped me integrate different parts of ourselves and metabolize my own trauma,” Hargitay continued in her speech. “Complex trauma that so many of us carry. We all have a story. We all are carrying so much internally that other people can’t see.”

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Hargitay further discussed her Joyful Heart Foundation on Tuesday, calling it “a response” to anyone who has experienced sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse in their lives.

“One of the most important things — if not the most important things — that I learned is the depth and the singular beauty and far-reaching significance of the word respond,” she added. Concluding her speech, Hargitay left one message to those who might be struggling: “There is hope.”