Mariska Hargitay gets candid about her late mother more than 50 years after her death

Though she had a short career, the iconic actress is remembered even after 50 years of her death.

Mariska Hargitay made a heart-touching confession when she reflected on her famous mother, Jayne Mansfield, and her untimely death, reported Shared.

The Law and Order: SVU star is the daughter of famous parents, actress and model Mansfield, and the Hungarian bodybuilder Mickey Hargitay

The two worked together in movies such as The Loves of Hercules and Promises, Promises.

The marriage did not last long and the couple divorced in 1964, three years before Mansfield’s tragic death in a car accident.

The iconic actress was only 34 at the time of her death and had three children in the car during the fatal crash.

Mansfield was seated in the front with her boyfriend and their driver. The three children, Hargitay and her brothers were sleeping in the backseat of the car.

Though the three adults lost their lives, the children miraculously survived.

Hargitay, who was three years old at the time of the incident, does not remember the crash. However, the scar on the side of her face will always remind her of the fateful day. She said that losing her mother hurts more than the accident ever did.

“Losing my mother at such a young age is the scar of my soul.”

Mariska Hargitay, Closer Weekly, March 29, 2018.

The actress had her own troubles growing up. She did not enjoy the constant references to her mother. She wanted to be known for herself and always desired to grow out of her mother’s shadow. With time, she learned to embrace her mother’s legacy.

It was not easy for Hargitay to live with her mother’s loss so early in her life. She felt a strange darkness around her but re-discovering her mother only brought back the light. She familiarized with many aspects of Mansfield’s life and career that helped her understand the late actress better.

Today, the 53-year-old actress considers her mother an inspiration in her life. She believed that Mansfield was way ahead of her time and had more to her than just the ‘blonde bombshell.’

Few people know that Mansfield had an IQ of 160, played the violin, and had five children.

Hargitay became closer to her mother once she herself became a mother. The actress is married to Peter Hermann and the couple has three children, Amaya, Andrew, and August.