Hungarian hunk Mickey Hargitay was a bodybuilder who took Hollywad by storm. Armed with brawn, beauty and brains, the Budapest native first worked in an acrobatic troupe with his brothers. He also was a footballer and an underground fighter during World War II. By 1947, the brave babe headed to the States. After winning the title of Mr. Universe in 1955, the ambitious ingénue moved to New York City where he became a Mae West muscleman. Yes, that was a job back then! Mickey next made his movie debut in Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957) starring blonde bombshell Jayne Mansfield. The two fell in love, got married, and made beautiful movies (The Loves of Hercules, L’Amore Primitivo), plus two sons and daughter Mariska Hargitay together. In fact, Mick’s last acting gig was on an episode of Mariska’s hit show Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2003). Before he passed away in 2006, the hottie sizzled on The Wild Wild West (1968). Yet the big screen was a better fit for this larger-than-life guy. Check him out in spaghetti Westerns (Cjamango, Sheriff Won’t Shoot, Stranger in Sacramento, Three Bullets for Ringo) and foreign horror flicks (Black Magic Rites, Bloody Pit of Horror, Lady Frankenstein). Mickey revealed his… sense of humor (among other things) in the American sex comedy Promises! Promises! (1963). Released at the end of the Production Code era, the racy romp showcases Mick’s chiseled chest! Watching Mr. Hargitay flex his biceps makes Mr. Man want to pump more than iron!
