Mariska Hargitay

About

Mariska Magdolna Hargitay (born January 23, 1964) is an American actress, philanthropist, producer, and director. Hargitay is known for playing Olivia Benson on NBC’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit since 1999, the longest-running character of all time in an American primetime drama. Her accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award.
Hargitay was born in Santa Monica, California and is a daughter of actress Jayne Mansfield. 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 credits outside Law & Order: Special Victims Unit 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). In 2013, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Outside acting, Hargitay co-produced the HBO documentary I Am Evidence (2017), winning a News and Documentary Emmy for the project. She launched the production company Mighty Entertainment in 2025, under which she directed the documentary My Mom Jayne (2025). She founded the Joyful Heart Foundation, which provides…