Mariska Hargitay | |
|---|---|
 Hargitay in 2011 | |
| Born | Mariska Magdolna Hargitay (1964-01-23)January 23, 1964 (age 62) Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1984–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Parents |
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| Relatives | Jayne Marie Mansfield (half-sister) |
| Awards | Full list |
| Signature | |
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Mariska Magdolna Hargitay[1][2] (/məˈrɪʃkəˈhɑːrɡɪteɪ/;[3] born January 23, 1964)[4] is an American actress, philanthropist, producer, and director. Hargitay has playedOlivia Benson onNBC'sLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit since 1999; Benson is the longest-running character of all time in an American primetime drama.Her accolades for the role include anEmmy and aGolden Globe. In 2013, she received a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame.
Hargitay was born inSanta Monica, California, and is a daughter of actressJayne Mansfield. She attendedMarymount High School in Los Angeles and enrolled in theUCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, leaving before completing her degree to pursue acting. Her other credits include the seriesFalcon Crest andIn the Heat of the Night (both 1988),Tequila and Bonetti (1992),Can't Hurry Love (1995–1996), andER (1997–1998).
Outside of acting, Hargitay co-produced theHBO documentaryI Am Evidence (2017), winning aNews and Documentary Emmy for the project. In 2025, she launched the production company Mighty Entertainment, under which she directed the documentaryMy Mom Jayne. Hargitay founded the Joyful Heart Foundation, which provides support to people who have beensexually abused. She is a certified rape counselor and has engaged in initiatives to supportdomestic violence shelters and raise awareness about untestedrape kits.
Mariska Magdolna Hargitay was born atProvidence Saint John's Health Center inSanta Monica, California to actressJayne Mansfield.[1][5] Her biological father was the Brazilian singerNelson Sardelli, a fact Hargitay did not learn until she was in her twenties.[6] She was conceived during Mansfield's marriage toMickey Hargitay, so he was her legal father;[7][8][9][10] she grew up believing he was her biological father as well.[2][6] Her first and middle names are Hungarian and refer toMary Magdalene (Mariska is a Hungariandiminutive of Mary).[5] From the time Mansfield marriedMatt Cimber until her death in 1967, Hargitay was known as "Maria" due to Cimber'sItalian heritage.[11] She was raisedCatholic. Mansfield had four other children:Jayne Marie Mansfield, Miklós "Mickey" Hargitay, Jr., Zoltán Hargitay, and Antonio "Tony" Cimber.[12][13] Hargitay also has three half-sisters from her biological father: Venetia Sardelli (1960–2001), Giovanna Sardelli and Pietra Sardelli.[11]
On June 29, 1967, Hargitay, her brothers Miklós and Zoltán, Mansfield, Sam Brody (Mansfield's then-boyfriend), and driver Ronnie Harrison were in an automobile crash on a stretch ofU.S. Route 90 betweenNew Orleans andBay St. Louis,Mississippi. The accident ripped off the top of the car, instantly killing Mansfield,[14] Brody, and Harrison. Asleep in the back of the vehicle, three-and-a-half-year-old Hargitay and her brothers escaped with minor injuries.[15] The accident left Hargitay with a zig-zag scar on her head.[16]
After Mansfield's death, Hargitay and her brothers were raised by Mickey Hargitay and his third wife, Ellen Siano.[17][1] Hargitay has said that the early loss of her mother left "a hole in my life that won't ever be filled. I will never get over it. I will always be a girl who lost her mom."[14]
Hargitay began attending theUniversity of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1982 as a theater arts major. That same year, Hargitay was crowned Miss Beverly Hills USA.[18] By the time she was a freshman in college, Hargitay had an agent and several small roles to her credit. She attendedUCLA School of Theater Film and Television where she was a member ofKappa Kappa Gamma.[19][20] She left college before completing her degree.[1] Hargitay attendedGroundlings Theatre and School in Los Angeles.[21]
After Hargitay was crowned MissBeverly Hills USA,[18] she competed in theMiss California USA pageant the following year and placed fourth runner-up toJulie Hayek, who was later crownedMiss USA.[22] In 1984, Hargitay appeared inRonnie Milsap's music video for "She Loves My Car", the firstcountry music video to appear onMTV.[23] A year later she had a small role in the horror filmGhoulies.[24] Hargitay has appeared on numerous other television programs, including:Freddy's Nightmares – A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Series;Ellen;All-American Girl;Baywatch;Cracker;Gabriel's Fire;In the Heat of the Night;The Single Guy;Wiseguy; andthirtysomething. Her voice is featured on the 2005 video gameTrue Crime: New York City.
Hargitay briefly replacedGabrielle Fitzpatrick as Dulcea inMighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, although her scenes were cut from the film when Fitzpatrick recovered from her surgery and returned to the film.[25] In 1988, she had a recurring role as Carly Fixx in the soap operaFalcon Crest.[23] Hargitay played Jill Banner in the Japanese-American co-productionStrawberry Road in 1991. She portrayed police officer Angela Garcia in the 1992 seriesTequila and Bonetti and appeared in the two-partfourth season finaleepisode ofSeinfeld, where they had her read for the role ofElaine Benes in"The Pilot". She was considered for the character of Elaine Benes onSeinfeld itself before it began.[26] Two years later, Hargitay portrayed Didi Edelstein, the sexy next-door neighbor, in the 1995 sitcomCan't Hurry Love, which starredNancy McKeon. In 1997, Hargitay played detective Nina Echeverria on the drama seriesPrince Street, and had a recurring role as inept desk clerk Cynthia Hooper during thefourth season ofER.[27]
Hargitay said in 1986 that she never thought about doing television until a role on the one-hour adventure drama seriesDowntown was offered.[24] In fact, she experienced difficulties in her efforts to begin a career as a Hollywood actor.[14] Hargitay endured frequent comparisons to her mother.[14]
Hargitay is best known for her portrayal of Olivia Benson onLaw & Order: SVU.[28][29] Benson is the longest-running character on the longest-running American primetime drama in history.[30]
Casting for the lead characters ofNBCpolice procedural television drama seriesLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit occurred in the spring of 1999.Dick Wolf, along with officials from NBC and Studios USA, was at the final auditions for the two leads atRockefeller Center. The last round had been narrowed down to six finalists. For the female lead – DetectiveOlivia Benson –Samantha Mathis,Reiko Aylesworth, and Hargitay were being considered. For the male lead – DetectiveElliot Stabler – the finalists wereTim Matheson,John Slattery, andChristopher Meloni. Meloni and Hargitay had auditioned in the final round together, and after the actors left, there was a moment of dead silence, after which Wolf blurted out, "Oh well. There's no doubt who we should choose – Hargitay and Meloni." The duo, who Wolf believed had the perfect chemistry from the first time he saw them together, were his first choice.Garth Ancier, then head of NBC Entertainment, agreed, and the rest of the panel assembled voiced their assent.[31]
Hargitay trained as a rape crisis advocate to prepare for the role of Benson.[32] She has portrayed Benson since 1999.[33] Hargitay won anEmmy and aGolden Globe for the role. She receivedUCLA's TFT Distinguished Alumni Award in 2011 and was honored at the school's June commencement ceremony.[34] During the last months of her pregnancy in 2006, Hargitay took maternity leave fromSVU, and was temporarily replaced byConnie Nielsen, who portrayed Stabler's temporary partnerDani Beck.[35][36]
In late December 2008, Hargitay suffered a partiallycollapsed lung after taking a fall during a stunt on the set ofSVU. She underwent surgery in January and returned to work shortly afterward.[37]
In May 2009, after the show'stenth season, Hargitay and Meloni's contracts expired when they were reportedly making $375,000–$385,000 per episode.[38][39] During negotiations in April for a new contract, the duo attempted to receive a percentage of the show's profits as other high-profileLaw and Order actors had done in the past. It was rumored that NBC threatened to replace Hargitay and Meloni if they persisted in their demands.[40] However, two months later it was officially reported that both their contracts had been renewed for two more years.[39] When the thirteenth season was about to air, initial reports indicated that Hargitay would appear in only the first 13 episodes.[41] However, NBC chairmanBob Greenblatt later clarified that she would be in every episode of the season.[42]
As of August 2012, Hargitay was earning approximately $400,000[43]–$500,000 per episode ofLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit.[44] In 2013, Hargitay was awarded with the 2,511th star of theHollywood Walk of Fame. Her star was placed next to the star of her mother, which is located at 6328 Hollywood Boulevard.[45] In 2013 and 2014, she was ranked byForbes as the second-highest-paid television actress, after onlySofía Vergara ofModern Family.[46] In the following years, Hargitay continued to be considered one of the highest-paid television actresses in the world,[47] making well over $500,000 per episode.[48]
In July 2021, Hargitay suffered a broken ankle after taking a fall in the rain while leaving the screening ofBlack Widow.[49] Her injury caused minor script changes and was written into the season 23 premiere ofSVU.[50] In 2025,Forbes named Hargitay as the 11th highest-paid actor of 2024, 2nd highest-paid actress afterNicole Kidman, and the highest-paid actor on television by a wide-margin, earning an estimated $750,000 per episode between acting, producing, and syndication profits from 26 seasons ofSVU.[51]
In January 2007, Hargitay and her older son appeared in aGot Milk? advertisement.[52] At the2015 MTV Video Music Awards, Hargitay won the "Video of the Year" Award, shared withTaylor Swift and all of the celebrities that appeared in the music video for Swift's song "Bad Blood".[53][54]
Hargitay has produced a documentary,I Am Evidence. Released byHBO in 2018, the documentary discusses the thousands of untested rape kits in the United States. Hargitay called the reality of untested rape kits "the clearest and most shocking demonstration of how we regard these crimes in our country."[55] The film received Best Documentary at the40th News and Documentary Emmy Awards, winning Hargitay her second Emmy and first as a producer.[56]
Hargitay was a guest narrator atDisney's Candlelight Processional on December 19 and 20, 2022.[57] In 2025, Hargitay announced the launch of Mighty Entertainment, a production company. Hargitay's feature film directorial debut,My Mom Jayne, was released in the United States by Mighty Entertainment in June 2025. The documentary film delved into the life and death of her mother,Jayne Mansfield.[58] That same year, she served as an executive producer onNuns vs. The Vatican directed byLorena Luciano.[59]
Hargitay is the founder and former president of the Joyful Heart Foundation, an organization established in 2004 to provide support to survivors ofsexual assault,domestic violence,child abuse,elder abuse andhuman trafficking.[60][61] According to Hargitay, she was inspired by an encounter with a pod of dolphins that surrounded her while she was swimming off the coast of Hawaii at the age of 15. The encounter, which had ignited profound spiritual feelings within her, was one that Hargitay hoped to share with others.[citation needed]
In November 2009, Hargitay and the Joyful Heart Foundation built healing and wellness kits for women who suffereddomestic violence and were living in the Los Angeles County's domestic violence shelters.[62] They created enough kits to give one to each of about 600 women.[62] In California, the domestic violence services budget was in a major crisis, and shelters were forced to turn women away. Hargitay and her foundation donated money to the cause.[62] Hargitay has worked with Michigan Police and Wayne County ProsecutorKym Worthy to raise awareness about the statistics of untestedrape kits. Hargitay appeared in the 17th season of NBC'sThe More You Knowpublic service announcements in 2006,[63] and again in the spring of 2009.[64] She is an honorary board member director of theMultiple Myeloma Research Foundation.[65]
As of November 2010, the Joyful Heart Foundation had sent over 5,000 women and children on therapeutic programs in New York, Los Angeles, and Hawaii, which combineyoga,meditation,massage,journaling, andswimming with dolphins.[32] According to Hargitay, the Foundation had raised $20 million as of April 2011.[66] Reference to the Joyful Heart Foundation was worked into episodes ofSpecial Victims Unit, via a necklace containing two pendants representing the Foundation that Hargitay's character began wearing in the show's13th season.[67] The Foundation works with several brands to create products supporting the cause, including Me&Ro,Michael Stars, and AZIAM's Wife Lover Tanks.[68]
On September 27, 2011, Hargitay donated $100,000 to her alma mater, theUCLA School of Theater Film and Television for scholarship.[69] In 2012, Hargitay campaigned for the reauthorization of theViolence Against Women Act (VAWA).[70] In 2025, Hargitay was included on the inauguralTIME100 Philanthropy list for her work.[71]
Hargitay is a certified rape counselor, as reported in 2004.[14] As a rape survivor, she has called for an end to the stigma surrounding sexual assault. In a 2024 essay forPeople, she wrote, "Tell someone you've survived cancer, and you're celebrated. I want the same response for sexual assault survivors. I want no shame with the victim."[72]
On August 28, 2004, inSanta Barbara, California, Hargitay marriedPeter Hermann, an actor she met on the set ofLaw & Order: SVU.[73][74] Hermann plays the recurring role of defense attorney Trevor Langan onLaw & Order: SVU. On June 28, 2006, Hargitay gave birth to their son by an emergencycaesarean section.[75][76] In April 2011, she and her husband adopted a baby girl.[74][77] In October 2011, she and her husband adopted a son.[78][79]
Mickey Hargitay died in September 2006 frommultiple myeloma in Los Angeles, California, at age 80.[80][81]
In December 2008, Hargitay suffered a partiallycollapsed lung after falling on the set ofSVU. She underwent surgery in January 2009[82] and was hospitalized on March 3, 2009 after suffering from chest pains related to the injury.[83]
Hargitay speaks five languages: English, French,Hungarian, Spanish, and Italian.[84] She is the godmother toSVU co-starChristopher Meloni's daughter, Sophia.[85] ActressHilary Swank is the godmother of Hargitay's daughter.[86] In a 2010 interview withGood Housekeeping, Hargitay stated that she considers herself a Christian.[87][88]
In 2024, Hargitay publicly disclosed that she is a rape survivor.[72]
In 2025, Hargitay publicly disclosed that her biological father was not Mickey Hargitay, but Nelson Sardelli.[89][90] Hargitay met Sardelli for the first time at the age of 30.[6]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | The Merv Griffin Show | Herself | Guest |
| 1986 | Downtown | Jesse Smith | Main role |
| 1987–1988 | Falcon Crest | Carly Fixx | Recurring role |
| 1988 | In the Heat of the Night | Audine Higgs | Episode: "...And Then You Die" |
| Freddy's Nightmares | Marsha Wildmon | Episode: "Freddy's Tricks and Treats" | |
| 1989 | Finish Line | Lisa Karsh | TV movie |
| Baywatch | Lisa Peters | Episode: "Second Wave" | |
| 1990 | Wiseguy | Debbie Vitale | Episode: "Romp" |
| thirtysomething | Courtney Dunn | Episode: "Fathers and Lovers" | |
| Booker | Michelle Larkina | Episode: "Black Diamond Run" | |
| Gabriel's Fire | Carmen | Episode: "Windows" | |
| 1991 | Adam-12 | Michelle Brown | Episode: "Anatomy of a Rape" |
| 1992 | Tequila and Bonetti | Officer Angela Garcia | Main role |
| Grapevine | Katie | Episode: "The Katie and Adam Story" | |
| 1993 | Hotel Room | Diane | Episodes: "Getting Rid of Robert" & "Blackout" |
| Blind Side | Melanie | TV movie | |
| Key West | Laurel | Episode: "Less Moonlight" | |
| Seinfeld | Melissa Shannon | Episode: "The Pilot" | |
| 1994 | Gambler V: Playing for Keeps | Etta Place | TV movie |
| 1995 | All-American Girl | Jane | Episode: "Young Americans" |
| 1995–1996 | Can't Hurry Love | Didi Edelstein | Main role |
| 1996 | Ellen | Dara | Episode: "The Mugging" |
| The Lazarus Man | The Angel Maker | Episode: "1.15" | |
| The Single Guy | Kate Conklin / Mounted Cop | 3 episodes | |
| 1997 | Night Sins | Paige Price | TV movie |
| Prince Street | Nina Echeverria | Recurring role; 6 episodes | |
| Cracker | Penny Hatfield | Episode: "True Romance 1" | |
| The Advocate's Devil | Rendi | TV movie | |
| 1997–1998 | ER | Cynthia Hooper | Recurring role |
| 1999 | Love, American Style | Wendy | Segment: "Love and the Blind Date" |
| 1999–present | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Olivia Benson | Main role; producer & director |
| 2000–2024 | Law & Order | Recurring role | |
| 2004 | Plain Truth | Ellie Harrison | TV movie |
| 2005 | Law & Order: Trial by Jury | Olivia Benson | Episode:"Day" |
| 2010 | Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List | Herself | Episode: "Kathy with a Z" |
| 2011 | Barefoot Contessa | Episode: "Sweet Charity" | |
| 2014–2016 | Chicago P.D. | Olivia Benson | Episodes: "They'll Have to Go Through Me", "The Number of Rats" & "The Song of Gregory Williams Yates" |
| 2015 | Chicago Fire | Episode: "We Called Her Jellybean" | |
| The Jim Gaffigan Show | Herself | Episode: "Maria" | |
| 2017 | Nightcap | Episode: "Guest in a Snake" | |
| 2019 | Saturday Night Live | Olivia Benson | Cameo |
| 2021–present | Law & Order: Organized Crime | Recurring role | |
| 2022 | Gutsy | Herself | Episode 3 |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Ghoulies | Donna | |
| 1986 | Welcome to 18 | Joey | |
| 1987 | Jocks | Nicole | |
| 1988 | Mr. Universe | Herself | |
| 1991 | Hard Time Romance | Anita | |
| The Perfect Weapon | Jennifer | ||
| Strawberry Road | Jill Banner | ||
| 1993 | Bank Robber | Marisa Benoit | |
| 1995 | Leaving Las Vegas | Hooker at Bar | |
| 1999 | Lake Placid | Myra Okubo | |
| 2001 | Perfume | Darcy | Credited as Marishka Hargitay |
| 2006 | Tales from Earthsea | Tenar | Voice role |
| 2008 | The Love Guru | Herself | Cameo |
| 2017 | I Am Evidence | Producer of documentary | |
| 2025 | My Mom Jayne | Director of documentary | |
| Nuns vs. The Vatican | N/a | Executive producer |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | True Crime: New York City | Lt. Deena Dixon | [91] |
| Year | Title | Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | "She Loves My Car" | Ronnie Milsap | [92] |
| 2015 | "Bad Blood" | Taylor Swift feat.Kendrick Lamar | Justice[93] |
| 2021 | "93 Days" | Grace Gaustad | Dr. Har |
| 2022 | "Disappear" | ||
| "The Cloud" |
Born Mariska Magdolna Hargitay on Jan. 23, 1964 in Santa Monica, CA ... .
dated January 24, 1964 reads, "Jayne Mansfield, with new daughter, Mariska Magdolna—Mary Magdalena in Hungarian—and husband Mickey Hargitay at St. John's Hospital, Santa Monica
citation: Michael H. and Victoria D., Appellants v. Gerald D. 491 U.S. 110 (1989)
Mickey Hargitay soon remarried Ellen Siano in 1967 (he divorced Mansfield in 1964). Ellen Siano went on to be the motherly figure in Mariska Hargitay's life.
