This summer has us wanting to go to muscle beach and check out strong men flexing in tiny shorts and no shirts. For today's Throwback Thursday, we want to throw it back to a hot, famous bodybuilder. #TBT to Hungarian hottie Mickey Hargitay!
Mickey was born Hargitay Miklós in Budapest in 1926. As a child, he and his brothers performed an acrobatic act that became popular throughout Hungary. Mickey was working on his athletic body early on! He fought in WWII as an underground fighter and after the war, he decided to leave Europe behind. When he was 21, he moved to the United States where he began bodybuilding. In 1955 he won Mr. Universe and joined Mae West's troupe of muscular men in New York City where he met his wife Jayne Mansfield (and, yes, they are Mariska's parents - those are some hot parents!).
He and Jayne made four movies together. Their first film was Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? and it was Jayne who requested Mickey be cast. This launched him into the public sphere and allowed the two of them to continue to act together which brought us his shirtless scenes in 1963's Promises! Promises!
Mickey played - no surprise - a muscular babe who flexes and shows off his incredible form. We wanted him to promise to never wear a shirt!
Mickey passed away in 2006 from multiple myeloma. He's since been played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the film The Jayne Mansfield Story which is a pretty good match. Arnold has Mickey to thank for paving the way for bodybuilding beefcakes in the movies. Let's throw it back to the original muscle man and remember him always. #TBT to Mickey Hargitay!
