Age, Biography, and Wiki
Mariska Hargitay was born on January 23, 1964, to a family steeped in Hollywood history—her parents were actors Jayne Mansfield and Mickey Hargitay. She is best known for her portrayal of Detective Olivia Benson in "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," a role she has played since the show's premiere in 1999. Hargitay has won numerous awards for her performance, including a Golden Globe and an Emmy.
| Occupation | Activists |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 23 January 1964 |
| Age | 61 Years |
| Birth Place | Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Aquarius |
| Country | U.S |
Height, Weight & Measurements
- Height: 5 feet 7 inches (170 cm)
- Weight: Approximately 130 lbs (59 kg)
- Body Measurements: Not publicly detailed
In late December 2008, Hargitay suffered a partially collapsed lung after taking a fall during a stunt on the set of SVU. She underwent surgery in January and returned to work shortly afterward. On March 3, 2009, she was hospitalized after suffering from chest pains related to the injury. She missed one episode on SVU tenth season. In May 2009, after the show's tenth season, Hargitay and Meloni's contracts expired when they were reportedly making $375,000 –$385,000 per episode. During negotiations in April for a new contract, the duo attempted to receive a percentage of the show's profits as other high-profile Law 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. However, two months later it was officially reported that both their contracts had been renewed for two more years. When the thirteenth season was about to air, initial reports indicated that Hargitay would appear in only the first 13 episodes. However, NBC chairman Bob Greenblatt later clarified that she would be in every episode of the season.
| Height | 5 feet 7 inches |
| Weight | 130 lbs |
| Body Measurements | |
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Dating & Relationship Status
Mariska Hargitay is married to actor Peter Hermann. They began dating in 2004 and got married on August 28, 2004. The couple has three children together.
She is the daughter of actress and 1950s-era sex symbol Jayne Mansfield. Her putative father was the Hungarian-born former Mr. Universe, Mickey Hargitay; however, her biological father was later revealed to be singer Nelson Sardelli. Her first and middle names are Hungarian and refer to Mary Magdalene (Mariska is a diminutive of Mary). She was raised Catholic. Jayne Mansfield had four other children: Jayne Marie Mansfield, Miklós "Mickey" Hargitay, Jr., Zoltán Hargitay, and Antonio "Tony" Cimber.
In 1962, troubles arose in Mansfield and Hargitay's marriage after Mansfield had an affair with an Italian filmmaker. Mansfield and Hargitay divorced in May 1963, but a judge later found their Mexican divorce invalid. After Mansfield realized she was pregnant with Mariska, she and Hargitay reconciled in January 1964. However, they soon separated again. In August 1964, Hargitay's mother successfully petitioned the court to rule the Mexican divorce legal.
On June 29, 1967, Mariska was in an automobile crash on a stretch of U.S. Route 90 between New Orleans and Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. The accident ripped off the top of the car, instantly killing Mansfield, her boyfriend Sam Brody, and the driver. Asleep in the back of the vehicle, Mariska, then three-and-a-half years old, was left with a zigzag scar on one side of her head. Her brothers, Miklós and Zoltán, escaped with minor injuries.
After the death of their mother, Hargitay and her brothers were raised by Mickey Hargitay and his third wife, Ellen Siano. Hargitay dislikes comparisons with her famous mother and, at age 18, said, "My dad was Mr. Universe, so it would be fun for me to be Miss Universe". 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". Mickey Hargitay died in September 2006 from multiple myeloma in Los Angeles, California, at age 80.
Hargitay said in 1986 that she never thought about doing television until a role on the one-hour adventure drama series Downtown was offered. In fact, she experienced difficulties in her efforts to begin a career as a Hollywood actor. Hargitay endured frequent comparisons to her mother.
In 2013, Hargitay was awarded with the 2,511th star of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Her star was placed next to the star of her mother, which is located at 6328 Hollywood Boulevard. In July 2021, Hargitay suffered a broken ankle after taking a fall in the rain while leaving the screening of Black Widow. Her injury caused minor script changes and was written into the season 23 premiere of SVU. In 2025, Forbes named Hargitay as the 11th highest-paid actor of 2024, 2nd highest-paid actress after Nicole 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 of SVU.
In 2025, Hargitay released a documentary, My Mom Jayne. Directed by Hargitay, the documentary delves into the life and death of her mother, Jayne Mansfield.
According to Hargitay, the Foundation has raised $20 million and helped approximately 5,000 survivors as of April 2011. Reference to the Joyful Heart Foundation was worked into episodes of Special Victims Unit, via a necklace containing two pendants representing the Foundation that Hargitay's character began wearing in the show's 13th season. The Foundation works with several brands to create products supporting the cause, including Me&Ro, Michael Stars, and AZIAM's Wife Lover Tanks.
On August 28, 2004, in Santa Barbara, California, Hargitay married Peter Hermann, an actor she met on the set of Law & Order: SVU. Hermann plays the recurring role of defense attorney Trevor Langan on Law & Order: SVU. On June 28, 2006, Hargitay gave birth to their son by an emergency caesarean section. In April 2011, she and her husband adopted a baby girl and attended her birth. In October 2011, she and her husband adopted a son who had been born in 2011.
In 2025, Hargitay publicly disclosed the identity of her biological father, Nelson Sardelli. Hargitay learned the identity of her biological father as an adult and met Sardelli for the first time at the age of 30.
| Parents | |
| Husband | Peter Hermann (m. August 28, 2004) |
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Net Worth and Salary
As of 2025, Mariska Hargitay's net worth is estimated to be $100 million. Her annual salary from "Law & Order: SVU" is approximately $11 million per season, with significant additional earnings from royalties, which are estimated to be between $2 million to $4 million annually. She is recognized as one of the highest-paid actresses on television, ranking highly in Forbes' listings.
Career, Business, and Investments
Career Highlights:
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Hargitay has been the lead actress since its inception, playing Detective Olivia Benson. She has occasionally reprised this role in other "Law & Order" series, including "Law & Order: Organized Crime".
- Awards and Recognition: She has won several awards, including a Golden Globe and an Emmy for her portrayal of Detective Benson.
- Behind the Camera: Hargitay has also worked as an executive producer and director on "Law & Order: SVU," expanding her influence beyond acting.
Social Network
Mariska Hargitay maintains a strong presence on social media platforms, often using them to engage with fans and promote her work, particularly through Instagram and Twitter. However, specific follower counts are not detailed in the available information.
Hargitay is the founder and former president of the Joyful Heart Foundation, an organization established in 2004 to provide support to survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, elder abuse and human trafficking. 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.
Education
Details about Mariska Hargitay's educational background are not extensively documented in the available sources. Her focus has been on her acting career and philanthropic endeavors.
She attended Marymount High School in Los Angeles and enrolled in the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, leaving before completing her degree to pursue acting. Her early credits include the series Falcon Crest and In the Heat of the Night (both 1988), Tequila and Bonetti (1992), Can't Hurry Love (1995–1996), and ER (1997–1998), and the drama film Leaving Las Vegas (1995).
While a student at her Catholic secondary school, Marymount High School, Hargitay was active in cheerleading, student government, athletics, and the theater program. She enjoyed acting and enrolled at UCLA after graduation from high school in 1982. That same year, Hargitay was crowned Miss Beverly Hills USA. By the time she was a freshman in college, Hargitay had an agent and several small roles to her credit. She attended UCLA School of Theater Film and Television where she was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma. She left before completing her degree. Hargitay attended Groundlings Theatre and School in Los Angeles.
Hargitay trained as a rape crisis advocate to prepare for the role of Benson. She has portrayed Benson since 1999. Hargitay won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for the role. She received UCLA's TFT Distinguished Alumni Award in 2011 and was honored at the school's June commencement ceremony. During the last months of her pregnancy in 2006, Hargitay took maternity leave from SVU, and was temporarily replaced by Connie Nielsen, who portrayed Stabler's temporary partner Dani Beck.
On September 27, 2011, Hargitay donated $100,000 to her alma mater, the UCLA School of Theater Film and Television for scholarship. In 2012, Hargitay campaigned for the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).
