Mickey Hargitay (1926-2006)

biography

Born in Budapest, Hungary on January 6, 1926 to parents who were in show business in Europe, Miklos "Mickey" Hargitay came to the US in the early 1950s. An accomplished bodybuilder, Hargitay entered the Mr. America and Mr. World competitions in the early 1950s and won the NABBA Mr. Universe in 1955, five years after Steve Reeves won the title.

Hargitay's show business career heated up when he was discovered by Mae West, who added him to her cast of bodybuilders in the 'Mae West Revue,' a 1950s precursor of male stripper shows, along with Brad Harris, Gordon Mitchell, and Reg Lewis. As rumor has it, Jayne Mansfield was in New York rehearsing for Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? when she first saw Mickey Hargitay in West's revue in 1956. As the story goes, a waiter asked Mansfield what she'd like that evening, and her reply was, "I'll have a steak and the man on the left!" Estranged from her first husband for several years, after Mansfield's divorce they were married in January 1958.

While Hargitay was never strictly a sword and sandal actor, he did make one film as Hercules, in the 1960 classic The Loves of Hercules (aka Hercules vs. the Hydra with Jayne Mansfield. Hargitay makes a exceptionally good Hercules and was one of the only actors to not sport a beard for the part. Mansfield portrays both a good queen (in a black wig) and an evil queen (in a red wig). Mickey brings the beefcake and Jayne brings the camp to this dubbed Italian spectacle. The dubbing, in fact, makes the film unintentionally hilarious to fans of Hargitay and Mansfield. Nevertheless, the action in The Loves of Hercules is very engaging, and the film is a solid entry in the sword and sandal genre. The couple also acted together in Promises! Promises! (1963; with Marie McDonald and Tommy Noonan) and Primitive Love (1964; with Franco Franchi and Ciccio Ingrassia). But around the time of the latter movie's release, after six years of marriage, three children, and several films together, the couple divorced in Mexico in May 1963 but reconciled shortly thereafter, but Mansfield had the divorce declared valid in California in August 1964, just months after the birth of their daughter, actress Mariska Hargitay.

Hargitay continued his acting career throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s. His best-known film is probably Bloody Pit of Horror, an interesting horror film that contains some shockingly gruesome scenes given the period during which it was made. Hargitay portrays Travis Anderson, a reclusive former actor turned sinister murderer who systematically tortures and kills a bevy of dimestore-novel cover models who come to his castle, uninvited, for a photo shoot.

the films of mickey hargitay

Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957)

The Loves of Hercules, aka Hercules Vs. the Hydra (1960)

Promises! Promises! (1963)

Bloody Pit of Horror (1965)

Lady Frankenstein (1971)

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Jayne Mansfield was killed in a car crash in late June 1967. Afterward, Mickey Hargitay raised their three children. He married his third wife, Ellen, in April 1968. By the early 1970s, Hargitay abandoned his acting career for a lucrative career in contracting and landscaping. His last films include the horror pictures Delirium (1972; with Rita Calderoni), Lady Frankenstein (1972; with Joseph Cotten), and The Reincarnation of Isabel (1973; with Rita Calderoni). His final acting job was on his daughter's (Mariska Hargitay) hit series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in November 2003. Sadly, after a long illness Mickey Hargitay passed away on September 14, 2006, at the age of 80. He was survived by his wife, two daughters, two sons, a stepdaughter, and grandchildren.

mickey hargitay films available from movies unlimited

The Wild Wild West: The Fourth Season [DVD](1968) DVD
All 24 episodes from season four--including "The Night of the Big Blackmail," "The Night of the Kraken," "The Night of Fire and Brimstone," "The Night of the Pistoleros," and "The Night of the Plague"--are collected in a six-disc set. 20 1/4 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
Box Of Blood [DVD] DVD
Three-disc set includes "Blood Thirst," "The Bloodsuckers," "Bloody Pit of Horror," "Carnival of Blood" and "Curse of the Headless Horseman" (Trust us, there's blood in that last one!).
Jayne Mansfield Collection [DVD] DVD
Sex, gangsters and rock 'n' roll blend in "The Girl Can't Help It" (1956), one of the '50s best comedies and the film that made Jayne Mansfield a star. Mob boss Edmond O'Brien coerces agent Tom Ewell into making his talentless girlfriend (Jayne) a singing star. With performances by Little Richard, Gene Vincent, and Fats Domino. Next, "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?" (1957). Find out in a wildly funny spoof of Hollywood and Madison Avenue. Struggling New York ad man Tony Randall saves his company by convincing sexpot Mansfield to endorse a line of lipstick, only to become a celebrity himself when he's mistaken for her new beau. With Betsy Drake, Mickey Hargitay, and a cameo by Groucho Marx. Finally, a prim English gentleman (Kenneth More) befriends an unruly saloon girl (Mansfield) in the Old West and reluctantly becomes "The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw" (1958). Comedic western also stars Henry Hull, Bruce Cabot, William Campbell. 4 3/4 hrs. total on three discs. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English; newsreel footage; "Biography" episode.
Promises! Promises! [DVD](1963) DVD
The luscious Jayne Mansfield dares and bares all in this outrageous sex comedy set on an ocean liner where a sea cruise becomes a bed-hopping mix-up for Jayne, real-life spouse Mickey Hargitay, Tommy Noonan and Marie McDonald. See Imogene Coca as herself! See Jayne in totally superfluous nude scenes! See why this film was (honest!) banned in Cleveland! Uncut, uncensored European version; 75 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; biographies; theatrical trailers; photo gallery.
Revenge Of The Gladiators [DVD](1964) DVD
Set in A.D. 454, this epic adventure follows a Roman soldier who falls madly in love with the emperor's daughter. There's just one problem: Her hand has been promised to the son of a Vandal king whose hordes have been advancing on Rome. When our hero hides his would-be love and is subsequently caught and tortured, his gal must come out of hiding to save the day. Mickey Hargitay, Jose Greci, Andrea Checchi star. Soundtrack: English (dubbed). Dubbed in English.
Bloody Pit Of Horror [DVD](1965) DVD
Mickey Hargitay made this gruesome delight during a layover in Italy, where wife Jayne Mansfield was filming. The owner of a creepy castle is possessed by the spirit of a crimson-tighted ancestor and terrorizes a photographer and his models in the dungeon. 74 min. Widescreen; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; deleted scenes; bonus shorts; theatrical trailer; radio spots; deleted scenes; art gallery.
Cjamango [DVD](1967) DVD
Cjamango (Ivan Rassimov) won that gold fair and square, so he's fit to be tied when the cache is stolen by his associates. He gets it back, but that paints a big bull's-eye on the laconic hero's head. For a few dollars more, you can find out what happens at the action-packed climax of this spaghetti western. Mickey Hargitay, Piero Lulli, Livio Lorenzon also star. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English (dubbed); photo gallery; theatrical trailers. Dubbed in English.
The Wild, Wild World Of Jayne Mansfield (1968)/The Labyrinth Of Sex [DVD](1970) DVD
It's mondo mania! First, lots of bare-breasted beauties (including Jayne herself) populate this must-see look at the legendary sex goddess. Includes footage of Mansfield and hubby Mickey Hargitay on location in Europe, visiting nude beaches and strip joints and so much more! Then, a shocking film that looks at the roots of sexual deviance by focusing on a number of kinky people and how they got that way. 175 min. total. Widescreen; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; art gallery; bonus shorts; theatrical trailers; more.
Lady Frankenstein [DVD](1971) DVD
If you thought Dr. Frankenstein was a madman, wait `til you see the distaff side of the family! She's a real operator who's building a man to satisfy her sinister cravings. Joseph Cotten, Sarah Bay and Mickey Hargitay star; directed and co-written by Mel Welles ("The Little Shop of Horrors"). 83 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English mono. Plays All Regions.
Delirium [DVD](1972) DVD
One of the most infamous and sexually charged examples of '70s Italian "giallo" cinema, director Rento Polselli's graphic shocker stars Mickey Hargitay as a respected criminal psychologist who, along with wife Rita Calderoni, descends into a depraved secret life of sexual torture and murder. Included on this disc are both the uncut, uncensored European version and the American release version, with alternate scenes and ending. 102 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtracks: Italian Dolby Digital mono, English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English; featurette.
The Reincarnation Of Isabel [DVD](1973) DVD
A Satanic cult, as part of an ancient rite to revive a witch who died 400 years earlier, must sacrifice a group of seven virgins. Trouble erupts when one of the prospective victim's lovers interrupts the rituals, and the witches turn into vampires and wreak havoc on the town. Rita Calderon and Mickey Hargitay star. 100 min. Widescreen; Soundtrack: Italian Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English.

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filmography

FILMS
Mr. Universe (1988) with Mariska Hargitay
The Reincarnation of Isabel (1973) with Rita Calderoni
Delirium (1972) with Rita Calderoni
Cool Million (1972) with James Farentino, Jackie Coogan, and Barbara Bouchet
Lady Frankenstein (1971) with Joseph Cotten and Rosalba Neri
Wanted: Ringo (1970)
The Wild, Wild World of Jayne Mansfield (1968) with Jayne Mansfield
Cjamango (1967) with Ivan Rassimov and Helene Chanel
Spree (1967) [aka Las Vegas by Night] with Jayne Mansfield, Juliet Prowse, and Vic Damone
Sette donne d'oro contro due 07 (1966) with Maria Vincent
The Sheriff Won't Shoot (1965)
3 Bullets for Ringo (1965) with Gordon Mitchell
Bloody Pit of Horror (1965) with Walter Brandi
Stranger in Sacramento (1965) with Barbara Frey
Revenge of the Gladiators (1964)
Primitive Love (1964) with Jayne Mansfield and Franco and Ciccio
Promises! Promises! (1963) with Jayne Mansfield, Marie McDonald, and Tommy Noonan
Hercules Vs. the Hydra (1960) with Jayne Mansfield, Massimo Serato, and Moira Orfei
Slaughter on Tenth Avenue (1957) with Richard Egan, Jan Sterling, and Julie Adams
Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957) with Jayne Mansfield and Tony Randall

TELEVISION GUEST APPEARANCES
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, episode Control, originally aired November 18, 2003
The Wild Wild West, episode The Night of the Fugitives, originally aired November 8, 1968
This Is Your Life, episode Jayne Mansfield, originally aired December 18, 1960
The Steve Allen Show, episode The Movie Premiere of 'Can-Can', originally aired March 14, 1960

links

Go to the Other Hercules Heroes page, featuring Peter and David Paul, Paul Wynter, Richard Lloyd, and Pierre Brice.

Mickey Hargitay Plants
One of Los Angeles' premiere nurseries, Mickey Hargitay Plants has a 1,500-square-foot greenhouse, which is home to a wide selection of indoor and outdoor tropical plants, big and small. With more than twenty five years' experience, owner, Mickey Hargitay and manager, Keith Ikemoto, will help you find exactly what you're looking for. Or ask friendly Javier for help. They're all happy to give tips on caring for your plants so you can enjoy them for years to come.

mickey hargitay film now showing

Watch Mickey Hargitay's 1965 horror flick Bloody Pit of Horror