Mariska Hargitay

About Mariska Hargitay

Mariska Magdolna Hargitay (born January 23, 1964) is an American actress, director, producer, and philanthropist.

The daughter of the Hungarian bodybuilder and actor Mickey Hargitay and actress Jayne Mansfield, her accolades include a Golden Globe Award, two People's Choice Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award.

Hargitay made her debut with an appearance in the music video "She Loves My Car" (1984) by Ronnie Milsap and subsequently starred in the horror comedy film Ghoulies (1985).
She had a main role in the crime drama series Downtown (1986), played the recurring role of Carly Fixx in Falcon Crest (1988), and continued to appear in numerous film and television series throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

From 1997 to 1998, she appears in ER “Emergency Room” as Cynthia Hooper.

Her breakthrough came with playing Olivia Benson on the NBC drama series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999–present), for which she has received acclaim and several accolades; she reprises the role in Law & Order: Organized Crime (2021–present).

Outside of acting, she founded the Joyful Heart Foundation, which provides support to people who have been sexually abused.

As of July 2025, Mariska has amassed 3.5 million followers on Instagram.