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Heard of Jayne Mansfield? That was Miklos Hargitays wife, who at various stages of his early life worked as an acrobat with his family in pre-WW2 Hungary, a champion speed skater, and an underground freedom fighter. After the war, Hargitay fled from the Communists, settling in Cleveland, Ohio. He started working as an acrobat as well as various stints as a plumber and carpenter, until eventually he saw a cover with Steve Reeves on it. Realizing he could earn his bread by bodybuilding, he began lifting avidly, and by 1955 he was NABBA's Mr Universe. Not long after his championship, he was hired by New York socialite Mae West, and he met his wife from 1958-1964, Jayne Mansfield.
Hargitay had roles in the films The Loves of Hercules and Promises! Promises!. But his real legacy was as a bodybuilder; as Water Winchell once said, "What Eisenhower did for gold, Mickey Hargitay did for bodybuilding, because he brought it to the forefront." Even today, he is recognized as a great. |
