Mickey Hargitay facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mickey Hargitay
Hargitay in 1964.
Born	Miklós Hargitay (1926-01-06)January 6, 1926 Budapest, Hungary
Died	September 14, 2006(2006-09-14) (aged 80) Los Angeles, California, US
Spouse(s)	Mary Birge (1948–1956) Jayne Mansfield (1958–1964) Ellen Siano (1967–2006) (his death)

Miklós "Mickey" Hargitay (born January 6, 1926 – died September 14, 2006) was a famous actor and a champion bodybuilder. He won the Mr. Universe title in 1955. Mickey was born in Budapest, Hungary. He was married to the well-known actress Jayne Mansfield. He is also the father of actress Mariska Hargitay, who stars in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. During their marriage, Mickey and Jayne made four movies together.

Early life and sports career

Mickey Hargitay grew up in Hungary. When he was young, he was an acrobat with his brothers. He was also good at sports like soccer and speed skating. During World War II, he was an underground fighter, meaning he secretly fought against the enemy.

After the war, Hargitay moved to the United States and settled in Cleveland. He married Mary Birge and they had a daughter named Tina in 1949. Mickey worked as a plumber and carpenter. He started bodybuilding after seeing a picture of another bodybuilder, Steve Reeves, on a magazine cover.

In 1955, Mickey Hargitay won the NABBA Mr. Universe contest, becoming a world champion in bodybuilding. After this, he joined a show with famous performer Mae West in New York City. He married actress Jayne Mansfield in 1958, but they later divorced in 1964. Mickey Hargitay was the first person to receive the Joe Weider Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to bodybuilding. In 2006, he also received the Muscle Beach Hall of Fame Award.

Acting career

Mickey Hargitay got his first movie role because Jayne Mansfield insisted on it. They had met at Mae West's show. Jayne saw Mickey on stage and immediately wanted him in her next movie, Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957).

The movie studio, 20th Century Fox, did not want Mickey in the film at first. But Jayne told them she would not do the movie unless Mickey had a part. So, the studio agreed, and Mickey appeared in a small role.

In 1960, Jayne and Mickey starred together in The Loves of Hercules. This movie was filmed in Italy. They also appeared in Promises! Promises! (1963) and L'Amore Primitivo (1964). In 1965, Mickey had a main role in Bloody Pit of Horror. A part was planned for Jayne, but they had divorced before filming started. Mickey also acted in a movie called Mr. Universe in 1988.

Mickey Hargitay's last acting job was in an episode of his daughter Mariska's TV show, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. In the episode "Control" (2003), he played a man on an escalator who saw something important. Mariska's character, Olivia Benson, later interviewed him.

Personal life

Mickey Hargitay's first marriage was to Mary Birge. They had a daughter named Tina, born in 1949. They divorced in 1956.

Mickey and Jayne Mansfield got married on January 13, 1958. They had three children together: Miklós Jeffrey Palmer Hargitay (born 1958), Zoltán Anthony Hargitay (born 1960), and Mariska Magdolna Hargitay (born 1964).

Mickey was very handy and helped remodel their home in Beverly Hills, which was called "The Pink Palace." He even built its famous heart-shaped swimming pool. Sadly, the house was torn down in 2002.

Mickey and Jayne divorced in 1964. After Jayne Mansfield died in a car crash in 1967, Mickey continued to care for their children.

In September 1967, Mickey Hargitay married Ellen Siano. They stayed married until his death.

Death

Mickey Hargitay passed away in Los Angeles on September 14, 2006. He was 80 years old. He died from a type of cancer called multiple myeloma.

The Los Angeles Times newspaper wrote about him, saying that he helped make bodybuilding popular. Before him, many people thought bodybuilding was strange. But Mickey Hargitay, being a great athlete, helped change that view and brought bodybuilding to the public eye.

List of movies

Images for kids

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  Hargitay on the cover of the November 1955 issue of Strength & Health magazine.

See also

In Spanish: Mickey Hargitay para niños