Mariska Magdolna Hargitay, popularly known as Mariska Hargitay is an American actress, director, and philanthropist. Hargitay is the daughter of Mickey Hargitay and Jayne Mansfield. She is known for her work in the drama series, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. She has been appearing in the series since 1999. For her work in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, she has won numerous accolades including an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award. She has starred in numerous other movies and television series.
Besides her career as an actress, she is also known for her philanthropic works. She founded the Joyful Heart Foundation that provides support to people who have been sexually abused.
What is Mariska Hargitay Famous For?
- Her role as Olivia Benson in the NBC drama series, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
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Where is Mariska Hargitay From?
Mariska Hargitay was born on 23 January 1964. Her birth name is Mariska Magdolna Hargitay. Her birth place is in Santa Monica, California in the United States. She holds an American nationality. She was born to actress Jayne Mansfield and bodybuilder and actor father Mickey Hargitay. She has Hungarian ancestry. She has two older brothers, Miklos and Zoltan, and three half-siblings, Jayne Marie Mansfield, Antonio “Tony” Cimber, and Tina Hargitay. She was raised Catholic. Her zodiac sign is Aquarius and she belongs to white ethnicity.
Her parents had divorced in May 1963. However, their Mexican divorce was ruled invalid. They reconciled and Mariska was born. They divorced soon after. Her mother Mansfield married the director Matt Cimber in 1964. They divorced in 1966. The family suffered a tragedy when their mother Mansfield died in a tragic automobile accident. Mansfield’s boyfriend Sam Brody and the driver also died in the accident. Mariska and her brothers survived the accident. They were later raised by their father. Her father died from multiple myeloma aged 80 in 2006.
Regarding her educational background, she attended a Catholic school, Marymount High School. She was active in cheerleading, student government, athletics, and the theater program at high school. She graduated from Miss Beverly Hills USA in 1982. After high school, she attended UCLA School of Theater Film and Television. She did not graduate from UCLA. She later attended Groundlings Theater and School in Los Angeles.
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Mariska Hargitay Career
- After winning Miss Beverly Hills USA in 1982, she started receiving small roles. She dropped out of college to pursue acting.
- She appeared in Ronnie Milsap’s music video for “She Loves My Car”.
- She made her film debut with a small role in the 1985 horror film, Ghoulies.
- She made her television debut with the crime drama series, Downtown in 1986. Until she worked on Downtown, she never thought about doing television.
- Mariska Hargitay then appeared in small, minor, or guest roles until she landed her breakthrough role as Olivia Benson.
- Hargitay landed her breakthrough role of Detective Olivia Benson in the NBC crime drama series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in 1999.
- She has been portraying Benson since 1999. She is one of the producers of the show since season 15.
- She directed several episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
- For her role as Benson, she has won several accolades. She won an Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award, People’s Choice Award, and four Gracie Allen Awards. She was also nominated for Satellite Awards, TV Guide Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards among others.
- She reprised her role as Benson in Law & Order, Law & Order: Trial by Jury, Chicago P.D., Chicago Fire, and Law & Order: Organized Crime.
- Other television series, she starred in are Falcon Crest, Tequila and Bonetti, Can’t Hurry Love, Prince Street, and ER. She has minor roles in several other series as well.
- She has starred in several movies including welcome to 18, Jocks, Hard Time Romance, The Perfect Weapon, Bank Rober, Leaving Las Vegas, Lake Placid, Perfume, and The Love Guru.
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Mariska Hargitay Husband
Mariska Hargitay is a married woman. She is married to Peter Hermann. The couple got married on 28 August 2004. Hermann is Hargitay’s co-actor from Law & Order: SVU, where Hermann plays the recurring role of Defense Attorney Trevor Langan. The couple welcomed their first child, a son, August Miklos Friedrich Hermann on 28 June 2006. The couple adopted a daughter, Amaya Josephine in April 2011. They adopted another child, a son, Andrew Nicolas Hargitay Hermann in October 2011.
Hargitay is known for her philanthropic works. She is the founder of the Joyful Heart Foundation. The organization provides support to survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse.
Mariska Hargitay Height
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit actress Mariska Hargitay stands at a height of 1.72 m i.e. 5 feet and 7 inches tall. She has a body weight of 143 lbs i.e. 65 kg. She has a slim body build. Her body measurements are 37-28-36 inches. She wears a bra of size 34C. Her dress size is 10 (US) and her shoe size is 9.5 (US). Her eye color and hair color is dark brown. Her sexual orientation is straight.
Mariska Hargitay Net Worth
Mariska Hargitay earns from her career as an actress. The Law & Order: SVU star Hargitay reportedly makes $500,000 per episode of the show. She was paid nearly $385,000 per episode until the show’s tenth season. Hargitay and Christopher Meloni attempted to receive a percentage of the show’s profits during their contract negotiations in 2009. However, they failed. They were later paid around $500,000 per episode of the show. Besides SVU, she has starred in numerous movies and television series. She has also starred in several television commercials. The majority of her income comes from her acting career. She made her fortune working in the entertainment industry. At present, her net worth is estimated at $100 million.
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