Nelson Sardelli

Nelson Sardelli (born September 20, 1934) is a Brazilian-born singer-comedian of Italian descent who was an entertainer in Las Vegas. On June 28, 2008, he was awarded the Golden Pillow Award from the International Entertainer School of Las Vegas. He also acted in films including ''Myra Breckinridge'' and '' The Professionals''. His fund-raiser event for mentally disabled children "Starshine" became an annual spectacle in Atlantic City.

Early life

Sardelli is originally a Brazilian-Italian who came from São Paulo, Brazil. In 1956, Sardelli, who was already employed by General Motors, migrated from Brazil to Pontiac, Michigan, due to the city having numerous job openings due to massive layoffs. For much of the time between 1956 and 1958, Sardelli served in the U.S. Army, where he at one point taught soldiers how to dance at a USO at Fort Gordon, Georgia. After his stay in the Army, Sardelli returned to Pontiac to work. Not liking his job, he returned to Arthur Murray's dance school before finding a short career performing at the Old Mill Tavern in Waterford, Michigan. He returned to Brazil after his uncle got him a well-paying construction job.

Career

While back in Brazil, Sardelli met a sportscaster who wrote for a prominent sport publication. This publication ran a two page story about Sardelli's burgeoning career in the United States. This story was a pivotal moment in boosting Sardelli's entertainment career, as it gave him more attention, and he soon returned to the United States. Despite initial struggles, Sardelli found success performing at the Thunderbird in Las Vegas, which also led to him serving as an opening act for Judy Garland. His career would ultimately center on performances in Las Vegas, with one of his most notable routines being that of a "gay cowboy." He became a regular at the Flamingo, and has also done various performances throughout the world.

Personal life

Sardelli has been a full-time resident of Las Vegas since 1965.

In 1963, Sardelli was involved with actress Jayne Mansfield and the couple almost married. In his 1992 Jayne Mansfield biography ''Here They Are Jayne Mansfield'', former Mansfield press Raymond Strait alleged that Sardelli was the biological father of Mansfield's daughter Mariska Hargitay, whose father was publicly assumed to have been Mansfield's estranged husband Mickey Hargitay. Mariska, who was born in 1964, would in fact secretly first begin to suspect that Sardelli was her biological father when she was 25. She would finally meet Sardelli after seeing him perform in Atlantic City when she was 30 and developed a close relationship with him and his other daughters. Hargitay would later gain fame for her role as Detective Olivia Benson on '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''. In May 2025, Mariska confirmed in her HBO documentary '' My Mom Jayne'' that Sardelli was in fact her biological father. He has three other daughters with his late wife, Fledia Fay Sardelli, who died in July 2012. His eldest, Venetia, died in 2001; Mariska's other two half-sisters, Giovanna and Pietra, participated in Mariska's documentary. As of September 20, 2019, (his 85th birthday), he lives in Las Vegas and is married to a woman named Lorraine.

Filmography

References

1934 births
Living people
Brazilian emigrants to the United States
American male singers
American male film actors
American people of Italian descent
Musicians from Las Vegas

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