![Mariska Hargitay | Source: Getty Images](https://cdn.amomama.com/6278c0135f5aa01781092680a5a0c5bc7862efcc7b13b95a8f572cc9fb8c1ede.jpg)
'You Are Her Legacy': Mariska Hargitay's Fans Gush over Her Resemblance to Late Mom Jayne Mansfield
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Mariska Hargitay took to Instagram to honor her mom on her birthday with a throwback picture of the late actress. Hargitay was a little girl when her mother passed away, and she candidly revealed that the trauma of the experience shaped who she is today.
In a recent Instagram post, Hargitay shared a black and white picture of her late mother, Jayne Mansfield, who was also an actress, in honor of her birthday and captioned the post, "Happy birthday, Mama. We live to love you more each day."
In the colorless picture, Hargitay's mom looked stunning in a low-cut dress she paired with statement earrings, and in the comments section, fans gushed over Hargitay's uncanny resemblance to Mansfield.
"YOU are her legacy. You can see her so clearly in you, and I know she'd be proud to call you her daughter," one fan wrote, and another shared, "She really knew how to copy and paste before computers were even a thing. #twins." "You look more and more like her every day," a third fan added, and a fourth typed, "Still can't get over how much you look like ur mama. Happy birthday to her (sic)."
![A fan's reaction to Mariska Hargitay's Instagram post. | Source: instagram.com/therealmariskahargitay](https://cdn.amomama.com/79e67820ef39927277244fda27a26845723316c9704f80e48b82c29c73858f98.png)
A fan's reaction to Mariska Hargitay's Instagram post. | Source: instagram.com/therealmariskahargitay
"A beautifully magnificent woman reflected in you, Mariska. She'd be so proud of you. She is so proud of you, and I know that she's watching down on you every single day, beaming with pride that you're her daughter. She celebrates you wherever she is as much as you do here on Earth. #happyheavenlybirthday," typed a fifth fan.
![A fan's reaction to Mariska Hargitay's Instagram post. | Source: instagram.com/therealmariskahargitay](https://cdn.amomama.com/7726aa43a8bc46b6eb750e74741b3ddbca4caa8e3de8ba4b1158456e30f62e15.png)
A fan's reaction to Mariska Hargitay's Instagram post. | Source: instagram.com/therealmariskahargitay
Hargitay was three years old when her mother passed away, and the "Law & Order: SVU" star revealed that she tried to avoid dealing with the pain of losing her mom. But over time, she learned to "really lean into it" as "the only way out is through."
Hargitay's mother was commonly known as a blonde sex symbol, but her daughter shared that Mansfield was so much more than that. "She was just so ahead of her time. She was an inspiration, she had this appetite for life, and I think I share that with her. Someone once said about [remembering] my mother: 'All you have to do is look in the mirror. She's with me still," Hargitay said.
Jane Mansfield passed away during a car accident while her actress daughter and son were in the backseat. And although her recollection of the accident is vague, Mariska Hargitay revealed that she still carries the trauma with her. "Losing my mother at such an early age is the scar of my soul. But I feel like it ultimately made me into the person I am today," she said.
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