HBO’s ‘My Mom Jayne’ revisits Hollywood star Jayne Mansfield’s life, tragic 1967 Gulf Coast crash
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- HBO's 'My Mom Jayne' explores Jayne Mansfield's legacy through rare footage.
- Mariska Hargitay reflects on her mother's life and death in personal interviews.
- Mansfield's 1967 crash led to creation of federal truck safety bar regulations.
Nearly six decades after Hollywood beauty Jayne Mansfield was killed in a tragic crash near Slidell, Louisiana, her daughter, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” star Mariska Hargitay, explores the legacy of Mansfield through the upcoming documentary “My Mom Jayne.”
The film, set to be released June 27 on HBO Max, investigates Mansfield’s life beyond the glitz and glamour through never-before-seen footage, intimate interviews and Hargitay’s journey to reconnect with the mother she lost at just 3 years old.
Celebrities including Cher, Jamie Lee Curtis and Liam Neeson attended the North American premiere of “My Mom Jayne” Friday night at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York. The documentary previously screened for a national audience in May at the Cannes Film Festival and is set for theatrical release on June 20.
“I’m so excited to share this story and share my gorgeous family, these hearts and souls, with the world,” Hargitay said in an interview with USA Today. “My family is coming in and I can’t wait to hold them. Because we have been through something together.”
A catastrophic ending
Just hours after performing at Biloxi’s famed Gus Stevens Seafood Restaurant & Buccaneer Lounge on June 29, 1967, Mansfield was killed in a tragic crash on U.S. 90 between Biloxi and New Orleans.
Mansfield, along with 19-year-old driver Ronnie Harrison and her attorney and companion, Samuel Brody, died when their vehicle collided with the rear of a tractor-trailer. The truck was reportedly obscured by a dense cloud of insecticide fog from a mosquito-spraying vehicle operating nearby.
Mansfield’s three children, who were sleeping in the back seat, survived the crash. Among them was 3-year-old Hargitay, 6-year-old Zoltan Hargitay and 8-year-old Mickey Hargitay Jr.
“I don’t remember the accident. I don’t even remember being told that my mother had died,” Hargitay said in an interview with Vanity Fair.
The crash shocked the entertainment industry and ultimately led to the federal implementation of the Mansfield bar, a safety feature on semi-trucks designed to prevent smaller vehicles from sliding underneath the trailer during a collision.
Who was Jayne Mansfield?
Born Vera Jayne Palmer in Pennsylvania, Mansfield rose to fame after portraying fictional actress Rita Marlowe in the Broadway hit “Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?” and its 1957 film adaptation.
Recognized as the first major American actress to perform a nude scene in a mainstream film after the silent era, Mansfield starred in a handful of high-profile roles including “The Girl Can’t Help It”, “The Wayward Bus”, “Too Hot to Handle” and “Promises! Promises!” before her untimely death at age 34.
Married and divorced three times, Mansfield had five children, all of whom have worked in the entertainment industry — including Hargitay.
Often cast as the stereotypical “dumb blonde,” Mansfield’s public persona masked a sharp intellect. She studied dramatics at Southern Methodist University, the University of Texas and later the University of California, Los Angeles. Fluent in five languages and a skilled violinist, she was widely regarded by those close to her as highly intelligent.
Despite her hidden genius, Mansfield played into the off-brand Marilyn Monroe aesthetic that Hollywood had cast upon her, likely by her own design.
“I just wanted my mom to be like the other moms! Like, Why are you always in a bathing suit? Why so much breast? I just wanted a maternal mother image,” Hargitay said in an interview with Vanity Fair. “I was embarrassed by the choices that she made.”
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Hargitay steps into the limelight
Hargitay is the longest-running character on the longest-running American primetime drama in television history. Her portrayal of detective Olivia Benson on “Law & Order: SVU” and her work on countless other productions earned her two Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
While “Law and Order: SVU” brought her widespread acclaim, Hargitay’s acting credits extend beyond the series. She appeared in Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood” music video, the classic sitcom “Seinfeld” and served as co-producer on the HBO documentary “I Am Evidence”.
In 2004, Hargitay founded the Joyful Heart Foundation, an organization dedicated to supporting survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse. A certified rape crisis counselor, she has been a tireless advocate for victim support services, domestic violence shelters and efforts to end the national backlog of untested rape kits.
According to a Vanity Fair article, Hargitay is working to create a balance between her role as Benson on “Law and Order: SVU” and her newfound love for directing.
“I’m not done with Olivia Benson yet,” Hargitay said in an interview with Vanity Fair. “She’s got more work to do.”
This story was originally published June 18, 2025 at 10:02 AM.
