Mariska Hargitay has been playing NYPD officer Olivia Benson in Law and Order: Special Victims Unit for 23 seasons and counting, and we couldn't imagine the series without her.
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But what do you know about the 57-year-old TV star's life away from NBC drama? From her famous parents to her loving husband and three adorable children, find out everything you need to know about Mariska Hargitay's family here...
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Mariska Hargitay's parents
Mariska Hargitay is the only daughter of American actress Jayne Mansfield and Hungarian bodybuilder Mickey Hargitay. Jayne was a major sex symbol during the 1950s and early 1960s and known for her roles in the films The Girl Can't Help it and Too Hot To Handle. Mariska's father was just as well known, having been crowned Mr Universe in 1955. The Hollywood It couple had two sons together before Mariska came along - Zoltan and Mickey Jr - as well as another child each from previous relationships.
© Photo: Getty ImagesMariska as an infant with her mother Jayne Mansfield, father Mickey Hargitay and brothers
The couple split in 1964 shortly after Mariska's birth and her mother went on to have two more children, taking Mariska's total number of siblings to five.
Tragedy struck when Mariska was just three years old when her mother sadly died in a car accident after crashing into another vehicle. Mariska and her brothers were in the car at the time and fortunately survived. Following the tragic events, Mariska was raised by her father and his third wife, Ellen Siano.
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Mariska Hargitay's husband
Mariska and her husband Peter Hermann have the sweetest love story; the couple, who have been married since 2004, met on the set of Law and Order: SVU all the way back in 2001 when the actor, best known for his role on Younger, guest-starred on the police procedural drama.
© Photo: Getty ImagesMariska has been married to fellow actor Peter Hermann since 2004
Peter opened up about their 17-year strong marriage in the 2020 book What Makes a Marriage Last, writing: "I never thought that I would laugh this much in my marriage. That is such a fundamental ingredient of who [Mariska is], this insistence on joy. And I think what sustains our marriage is that I know [Mariska] loves me in spite of who I am, and that is the definition of grace."
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Mariska Hargitay's children
Mariska is a proud mum of three! She and husband Peter welcomed their first child together, a son named August, in 2006. Five years later, in 2011, they decided to grow their family again, this time choosing to adopt a baby girl named Amaya Josephine. Less than a year later, they adopted another child, a baby boy named Andrew.
© Photo: Getty ImagesMariska and husband Peter have one biological son and two adopted children
Opening up about becoming an adoptive mother, just like her character on Law & Order: SVU, Mariska told Good Housekeeping, "August wanted siblings, and Peter and I both envisioned this big family because we both come from that. Plus, we just had so much love to give," adding that it was "always part of the plan" to adopt.
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