Mickey Hargitay

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Mickey Hargitay (born January 6, 1926 in Budapest , Hungary , † September 14, 2006 in Los Angeles ; actually Miklós Hargitay ) was a Hungarian bodybuilder and actor .

Life

Mickey (actually Miklos) Hargitay came from a family of artists and performed as an acrobat with his brother . After the Second World War , in which he participated as an underground fighter, he fled to the USA in 1947 to evade conscription. He settled in Cleveland as a locksmith and businessman and married his first wife, Mary Birge, whom he had met at one of his performances - the marriage was the daughter of Tina (1949). Always athletic (he was a soccer player and speed skater ), he was encouraged by a magazine cover from Steve Reeves to take up bodybuilding. In 1955 he was named Mister Universe . His first marriage ended a year later. While working on Mae West's show, he met Jayne Mansfield , whom he married in 1958, and who paved his way into television and film. The marriage resulted in the three children Mickey Jr. (1958), Zoltan (1960) and Mariska Hargitay (1964). Mansfield had already separated from him in 1963, but the divorce did not become final until August 1964. After her death in June 1967 and legal disputes over alimony payments, Hargitay married his third wife, Ellen Siano, in September of the same year - the marriage remained childless.

Career

Hargitay had already performed in nightclubs with his first wife. After he was featured on the cover of Strength and Health Magazine in 1953, Mae West hired him for her stage show. There he fell on Jayne Mansfield, with whom he stood in front of the camera in 1957 for the film Siren in Blond . In 1959 he hosted a fitness show on US television. The Love Nights of Hercules (1960), Promises, Promises (1963) and Primitive Love (1964) were three other productions in which he appeared alongside Mansfield. After separating from the Hollywood star, he shot exclusively in Italy, but was able to get hold of mostly leading roles. In addition to a sandal film , he played in several spaghetti westerns and some rather crude horror films of dubious quality. After 1973 he gave up acting and worked successfully as a real estate agent and building contractor. In 2003 he appeared again in front of the camera for an episode of the television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit , in which his daughter Mariska is part of the regular cast.

After a long illness, Mickey Hargitay died on September 14, 2006 in Los Angeles of a plasmacytoma .

Films (selection)

Web links

Commons : Mickey Hargitay  - Collection of Images
personal data
SURNAME Hargitay, Mickey
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hargitay, Miklós
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Hungarian bodybuilder and actor
DATE OF BIRTH January 6, 1926
PLACE OF BIRTH Budapest
DATE OF DEATH September 14, 2006
Place of death los Angeles