Mariska (Ma-rish-ka) Magdolna Hargitay was born on January 23, 1964, in Santa Monica, California. Her parents are Mickey Hargitay and Jayne Mansfield. She is the youngest of their three children. In June 1967, Mariska and her brothers Zoltan and Mickey Jr. were in the back seat of a car when it was involved in the fatal accident which killed her mother. The children escaped with minor injuries.

Mariska majored in theater at UCLA but dropped out before graduating. Her first motion picture feature was the cult favorite, Ghoulies, where she gave a memorable performance as Donna. She also appeared in Leaving Las Vegas, credited as 'Hooker at the bar', and in Lake Placid as Myra Okubo. Her latest movie, Plain Truth, in which she plays attorney Ellie Harrison will air in the fall of 2004.

In 1999 she was cast in the role of Det. Olivia Benson in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, the first spinoff from the excellent franchise of Law & Order (which also has two other spinoffs, Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Law & Order: Trial by Jury). This show deals with sex crimes and the detectives who solve these cases.

Mariska speaks English, Hungarian, French and Italian. She married actor Peter Hermann on August 28, 2004. They divide their time between New York and Los Angeles.



Daughter of Jayne Mansfield and Mickey Hargitay; sister of Zoltan Hargitay (b. 1 August 1960) and (Miklos) Mickey Hargitay Jr. (b. 21 December 1958). Half-sister of Jayne Marie Mansfield (Jayne's daughter from her first marriage, b. 8 November 1950),Antonio Raphael Ottaviano Cimber a.k.a. Tony Cimber (from her mother's third marriage,b. 18 October 1965), and of Tina Hargitay (from her father's first marriage, b.1949). Speaks French, English, Hungarian, Spanish and Italian. Majored in theatre at UCLA, but quit shortly before graduating. Won the Miss Beverly Hills 1982 pagent. Engaged to actor Peter Hermann. [April 2004] Is of German/English & Hungarian descent. One of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People (2005) Founder and President of a non-profit organization to aid the victims of rape - The Joyful Heart Foundation. Married Peter Hermann on August 28, 2004 at California's Unitarian Historical Chapel. Gave birth, via C-section to her first child, a son, August Miklós Friedrich Hermann (10 lb., 9oz.), on June 28, 2006 at 3:21PM. Her father Mickey Hargitay died after a lengthy illness at the age of 80. [14th September 2006] Spoke in 2007 for Girl Scouts of Greater New York Scholars Program about her career and how she became who she is. Godmother of her "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (1999) co-star, Christopher Meloni's daughter Sophia. Her publicist is Gary Mantoosh. Stepdaughter of Ellen Hargitay.