HBO’s new documentary,My Mom Jayne, offers a new insight into the life and acting career of Hollywood blonde, Jayne Mansfield, and her relationships with her children. Born Vera Jayne Palmer in 1933, Jayne Mansfield achieved international success throughout the 1950s and 1960s as an actress and Playboy model. She gained recognition for her performances in movies such asToo Hot To Handle(1960),Promises! Promises!(1963), andThe Girl Can’t Help It(1957), for which she won the Golden Globe Award for Best New Year. She also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960.
The HBO documentarywas directed by Jayne Mansfield’s youngest daughter, Mariska Hargitay, who explained that she wanted to create the documentary to learn more about her mother’s life and career in the movie industry. Throughout the documentary, Hargitay explores both the positive and negative aspects of Jayne Mansfield’s career and reveals familial secrets that impacted her own life as she grew up. During the making ofMy Mom Jayne,Hargitay received approval and support from her siblings, who all appeared in the documentary.They shared their memories of their mother and revealed how her unexpected death impacted them as they grew up.
Jayne Mansfield Was Married Three Times
As revealed inMy Mom Jayne, Jayne Mansfield received heavy media attention for her tumultuous personal life, alongside her acclaimed movie performances. During her life, Jayne Mansfield was married three times and had children during each marriage. She married her first husband, Paul Mansfield, on June 11, 2025, when she was only 17 and pregnant with her first child;her daughter, Jayne Marie Mansfield, was born on July 06, 2025. Her first marriage was fraught with continuous arguments regarding alleged infidelity and her career plans, and the pair ultimately divorced in 1958, with Jayne Mansfield obtaining custody of their daughter (viaBiography).
Barry Lang (m. 1970, divorced, 1 child)
Dana Hargitay (m. 2002, divorced)
Peter Hermann (m. 2004, 3 children)
Matt Cimber
1 child
On August 08, 2025, Jayne Mansfield married her second husband, Mickey Hargitay; her second marriage took place only a few days after her divorce from Paul Mansfield was finalized. They had two sons, Miklós in 1958, and Zoltán in 1960, before separating after Mansfield had an affair with Italian actor, Enrico Bomba, in 1962 (viaEuropeana). During the divorce proceedings from Hargitay, Mansfield had a brief relationship with Nelson Sardelli, which resulted in the birth of her second daughter, Mariska, in 1964, before the divorce was finalized; as revealed inMy Mom Jayne, Mariska believed that Hargitay was her father, until she learned the truth in her 20s (viaVanity Fair).
Mariska Hargitay is best known for her role as Olivia Benson inLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Mansfield married her third husband, film director, Matt Cimber,on August 17, 2025. Similar to her previous relationships, her third marriage with Cimber was tumultuous, resulting in their separation in 1965, while Mansfield was pregnant with her fifth child (viaThe New York Times). Their son, Antonio, was born on Jun 27, 2025. Although Mansfield and Cimber had separated in 1965, they remained legally married until Mansfield’s death in 1967.
How Old Jayne Mansfield’s Kids Were When She Died
Three Of Her Children Were Injured In Her Fatal Crash
ThroughoutMy Mom Jayne, Mansfield’s children spoke about the relationship that each of them had with their mother. Following her separation from Matt Cimber,Mansfield began a relationship with attorney Sam Brody, who was later revealed to have acted abusively towards herand her eldest daughter, Jayne Marie. Two weeks before her mother’s death, Jayne Marie reported Brody to the police and was placed in the care of her maternal uncle. Jayne Marie was only 16 at the time of her mother’s death and was the only one of her children to attend her funeral (viaAll That’s Interesting).
Mansfield’s three children from her marriage to Paul Hargitay, Miklós, Zoltán, and Mariska, were traveling with Mansfield and Brody on the night of the fatal crash (viaNBC). Miklós and Zoltán, who were eight and six at the time, recalled their memories of the accident in the HBO documentary, withZoltán revealing that he remembers hearing his mother’s scream just before the crash. Mansfield’s youngest daughter, Mariska Hargitay, was only three at the time of the crash and was left with a permanent scar as a result of her injuries.
Tony Cimber, Mansfield’s youngest son, was only 20 months old at the time of Mansfield’s death, and similar to his older half-sister, Mariska Hargitay, has very few memories of his mother. Following Mansfield’s death, Cimber was raised by his father and stepmother, Christy Hanak, who married Matt Cimber in 1967. InMy Mom Jayne,Tony Cimber revealed that his father never spoke about Mansfieldand that he didn’t want to know about the “ugly” details of his parents' marriage.
Where Jayne Mansfield’s Kids Are Today
Her Children Have Led Careers Both In & Out Of The Spotlight
All of Jayne Mansfield’s children have led different lives in the years following their mother’s death. Her eldest daughter, Jayne Marie Mansfield, worked as a model and, in 1976, was featured in Playboy magazine;Jayne Marie Mansfield was the first model featured in Playboy whose mother was a Playmate. She also had a brief acting career, but has stated that she never shared the same passion for showbiz as her mother (viaAll That’s Interesting). Mansfield’s sons have all explored interests outside the entertainment industry, with her eldest son, Miklós, serving as the owner of Mickey Hargitay Plants in California (viaShout Out LA).
In 2013, Mariska Hargitay received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contributions to the entertainment industry, with her star located directly beside her mother’s. Her siblings were in attendance at the ceremony.
Similar to his half-sisters, Zoltán Hartigay had a brief acting career, appearing in movies includingT-Force,andShrunken Heads,but has since moved away from the industry (viaSoap Central).As of 2017, Mansfield’s youngest son, Tony Cimber, works as a real estate agent in Las Vegas, Nevada (viaPeople). As shown throughoutMy Mom Jayne, the siblings have remained supportive of the acting career of their sister,Mariska Hargitay, who celebrated 24 years onLaw and Order: SVU. Hargitay has stated that she wanted the documentary to help viewers learn more about her mother and view the woman behind the Hollywood star.
Sources:Biography,Europeana,Vanity Fair,The New York Times,All That’s Interesting(1),NBC,All That’s Interesting(2),Shout Out LA,Soap Central,People
