Who Is Mariska Hargitay From Law & Order and Who Are Her Family Members?

Quick Facts

For over two decades, Mariska Hargitay has successfully portrayed the character of NYPD Captain Olivia Benson on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Following her role on the show, the actress has received several nominations and awards, as well as widespread praise. Notable among the awards include the prestigious Golden Globe Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, as well as other accolades from other film associations. Let’s take a look at her profile and who the members of her family are in this article.

Mariska Hargitay’s Profile

The Golden Globe Award winner was born on January 23, 1964, in Santa Monica, California, in the United States of America. She was named Mariska Magdolna Hargitay at birth by her parents. Mariska Magdolna is the Hungarian version of Mary Magdalene and the reason for the choice of the former was due to the Hungarian heritage of her father.

Due to her Catholic upbringing, Hargitay was enrolled at Marymount High School in Los Angeles, California. During her time there, she took to unionism, cheerleading and theatre. More so, she had a thing for pageantry while growing up so, shortly after graduating from high school, she participated and won the Miss Beverly Hills USA beauty pageant.

However, following her instincts to know more about acting and theatre, Mariska pursued a degree at the prestigious UCLA School of Theatre Film and Television. Unfortunately, the young lady was not able to complete her course at ULCA as she quit school when she landed her first acting gig – though it was later reported that Mariska enrolled to study at the Groundlings in LA, California.

Her first official film role eventually came in 1985 when she was recruited as a cast member for a horror film titled Ghoulies. The following year, she was offered a minor role in the television series, Downtown and from then on she featured in several films and television shows. Notable films in her filmography include Falcon Crest, Tequila and Bonetti, Can’t Hurry Love, thirtysomething, In the Heat of the Night, Baywatch, Ellen and the popular Law & Order: Special Victims Unit television show.

Her Parents and Siblings

Hargitay’s mum goes by the name Jayne Mansfield and was a popular actress back in the 50s. She was also one of the famous persons back then who were referred to as very sexually attractive. Likewise, Mariska’s father, Mickey Hargitay, was also popular as he was a bodybuilder and actor. He’s also notable as a one-time winner of the prestigious Universe Championships organized for bodybuilders and his victory earned him the title, ‘Mr. Universe’.

However, her parents officially divorced in August 1964 and this was barely 7 months after she was born. Sadly, a couple of years after her parents’ separation, the widely acclaimed actress lost her mum on June 29, 1967, in a ghastly motor accident that also claimed the lives of her mum’s then-boyfriend and the driver of the vehicle. Hargitay and her two older brothers, Miklos and Zoltan, survived the accident with minor injuries. Following the death of her mother, Mariska and her brothers were left in the custody of their father and his new wife, Ellen Siano.

For now, no information is available concerning what her brothers are doing. However, apart from them, Mariska also has a half-sister named Tina Hargitay through her father. marriage. From her mother’s side, the award-winning actress has an older half-sister, Jayne Marie Mansfield, a popular feature model and actress. More so, Mariska has a half-brother, Antonio Cimber, from her mother’s marriage to Matt Cimber. Not much is known about Antonio or his whereabouts.

Mariska Hargitay’s Husband & Kids

Flipping over to her marital status, we know that the popular actress is happily married to the American actor, Peter Hermann who is best known for playing the recurring role of Trevor Langan in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Hargitay and Hermann reportedly met on the set of the popular American TV series and their marriage ceremony was held on August 28th 2004.

Mariska and Peter are proud parents to three lovely children. They welcomed their first son Milkos Friedrich Hermann on June 28th 2006 after which they chose to adopt a cute girl and a boy named Amaya Josephine and Andrew Hargitay Hermann in 2011.

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