Mariska Hargitay to explore the life of her late mother Jayne Mansfield in new documentary

By Mason Leib

Actress Mariska Hargitay is set to explore the life and death of her famous late mother in a new documentary.

The "Law & Order" actress announced on Tuesday the forthcoming documentary, "My Mom Jayne," coming to HBO and Max, which will explore the legacy of her mother, actress Jayne Mansfield, who died in a car accident in 1967.

"This movie is a labor of love and longing. It's a search for the mother I never knew, an integration of a part of myself I'd never owned, and a reclaiming of my mother's story and my own truth," said Hargitay in a statement included in the release. "I've always believed there is strength in vulnerability, and the process of making this film has confirmed that belief like never before."

Courtesy HBO

Mariska Hargitay to debut her film "My Mom Jayne" this summer.

According to the synopsis, the documentary will track Hargitay "as she seeks to know, understand, and embrace her mother for the first time."

"Through intimate interviews and a collection of never-before-seen photos and home movies, she grapples with her mother's public and private legacy and discovers the layers and depth of who Jayne was, not only to her audience but to those who were closest to her," the synopsis continued.

Hargitay directed and produced the project, alongside producer Trish Adlesic and executive producer Lauran Bromley.

Mansfield was an acclaimed actress of film and stage before her death in an automobile accident when Hargitay was 3 years old. Mansfield, who has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, is described as "one of the leading blonde sex symbols of the 1950s."

Hargitay is best known for her role as Olivia Benson on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," a role she's held since 1999. Hargitay has won both an Emmy and a Golden Globe Award for her decades-spanning role.

Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Town & Country, FILE

In this Oct. 29, 2024, file photo, Mariska Hargitay attends an event in New York.

The actress took to Instagram to further comment on the upcoming project writing, "I feel grateful, fulfilled and so proud to share this film. I never got to make a movie with my mom, and she never got to make the kind of movies she wanted to make."

Hargitay continued, "#MyMomJayne is a place of meeting for us, and words fail me to describe how meaningful it is to tell her story, my own, and ours together."

The documentary will debut this June on HBO and will be available to stream on Max.