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Actor
Mickey Hargitay Dies at Age 80 By
SANDY COHEN LOS
ANGELES -- Mickey Hargitay, the actor and world champion bodybuilder who was
married to 1950s sex siren Jayne Mansfield and whose daughter is
Emmy-winning actress Mariska Hargitay, has died. He was 80. "Words
cannot express how saddened we are by the loss of Mickey," the
statement said. "At the same time, we are so grateful for who he was
and is to all of us, and for the love he gave us in our lives. He will
continue to be our source of inspiration and strength." Born
Miklos Hargitay in 1926, he emigrated from his native "My
dad's a bit of a superhero," Mariska Hargitay told the National Public
Radio show "Fresh Air" last year. He
parlayed his perfect physique into a performing career when Mae West tapped
him to be one of the musclemen in her stage show. It
was there that Hargitay met Mansfield, whom he married in 1957. That same
year, he made his big-screen debut in "Slaughter on The
couple had three children together, including Mariska, before divorcing in
1964. Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, who played Hargitay in the 1982 TV movie "The
Jayne Mansfield Story," offered his condolences and called Hargitay
"a magnificent individual." "Mickey
was such an inspiration and always had such a positive attitude,"
Schwarzenegger said in a statement. "He was a role model of mine for
being a successful immigrant who came to this country and pursued his
dreams." Hargitay's
career continued after his divorce with appearances in a half-dozen Italian
films and horror flicks. He even guest-starred in a 2003 episode of
"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," the show in which his
daughter Mariska plays a leading role. When
she won an Emmy for her work last month, Mariska tearfully thanked her
father, "because he is the reason I'm standing here today." Besides Mariska, survivors include his wife, Ellen, sons Mickey Jr. and Zoltan, and another daughter, Tina.
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