The Great Read: Mariska Hargitay Comes to Terms With a Lifetime of Family Secrets
In a new documentary made by the “Law & Order: SVU” star, she examines her own clouded origins and the mother she barely knew: Jayne Mansfield.
The New York Times
The Great Read

June 19, 2025, 2:01 p.m. Eastern time

On weekdays and Sundays, we recommend one piece of exceptional writing from The Times — a narrative or essay that takes you someplace you might not expect to go.

In a portrait set in a blank room, a woman in a dark outfit cups her face in her hands and looks down at the camera.

Kobe Wagstaff for The New York Times

Mariska Hargitay Comes to Terms With a Lifetime of Family Secrets

In a new documentary made by the “Law & Order: SVU” star, she examines her own clouded origins and the mother she barely knew: Jayne Mansfield.

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