Wednesday, June 17, 2026

Mariska Hargitay Directed “SVU” Paid Tribute to Richard Belzer and to Mariska’s Late Mother, Jayne Mansfield

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Tonight’s episode of “Law & Order SVU” was directed by star Mariska Hargitay.

At the end of the show there was a card dedicating the episode to Richard Belzer, who died this week and played Det. John Munch for 15 seasons.

There was another tribute, too. Guest star Bradley Whitford said to Hargitay’s Olivia Benson as she left his hospital room: You have an ass like the devil and a face like Jayne Mansfield.”

 

Screen siren Jayne Mansfield was Hargitay’s mother in real life. She died in a terrible car accident in June 1967 in New Orleans. She was just 33. She would be so proud of Mariska, now in her 23rd season of “SVU” and NBC’s biggest star.

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009, where he covered Michael Jackson, and previously wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine in the mid-1990s, where he covered the O.J. Simpson trial. He also edited Fame magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

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