Entertainer. Born Miklós Hargitay in Budapest, Hungary, he became a performer early on, appearing in an acrobatic act with his family performing in opera houses throughout Hungary. A notable athlete, he also played soccer and was a champion speed skater. He fled Hungary in 1947 to escape Soviet conscription. He settled in Cleveland, Ohio, where he met and married his first wife, Mary Birge, with whom he one daughter. Apparently inspired to start bodybuilding after seeing a magazine cover of Steve Reeves, he started a regimen that landed him a modeling job. Mae West noticed him on the October 1953 cover of Strength and Health Magazine and enlisted him as a member of her muscleman night-club act where he was in turn spotted by Jayne Mansfield. He then entered and won the Mr. Universe competition in 1955. After a divorce in 1956, he worked as a plumber and carpenter between appearances in such films as 1957’s “Slaughter on Tenth Avenue”, and “Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?” with Jayne Mansfield. He married Mansfield on January 13, 1958 and he personally remodeled much of her Beverly Hills mansion, The Pink Palace. They had three children together Miklós, Zoltán Anthony, and Mariska Magdolina. He appeared with his wife in several more films including; “Hercules vs. the Hydra” in 1960; “Promises! Promises!” in 1963; and “Primitive Love” in 1964. Mansfield initially filed for divorce from Hargitay on May 1, 1963; but the couple reconciled only to have the divorce finalized after the birth of their daughter. After Mansfield’s death in a car accident in 1967, Hargitay was forced to sue her estate for child support. He appeared in over a dozen more films including “Cjamango” in 1967; “Lady Frankenstein” in 1971; and “Mr. Universe” in 1988 appearing with his daughter, but he was far more successful as a real estate investor and contractor. He was the first recipient of the Joe Weider Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999. His final film appearance was in an episode of his daughter Mariska’s television series, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” in 2003. He received the Muscle Beach Hall of Fame Award from the Muscle Beach Historical Committee in May 2006. He succumbed to Kahler’s disease at the age of 80. (bio by: Iola)  Family links:  Spouses:  Jayne Mansfield (1933 – 1967)*  Jayne Mansfield (1938 – 1967)* *Calculated relationship