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Mariska Hargitay Profile |
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Birth Date: January 23, 1964
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Birth Place: Santa Monica, California, USA
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Birth Name: Mariska Magdolna Hargitay
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Height: 5'8"
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Biography |
Mariska Hargitay is a
Golden Globe- and Emmy Award- winning American actress known
for her role as Det. Olivia Benson on Law & Order: Special
Victims Unit.
Hargitay is the fourth of five children born to Jayne
Mansfield (an actress and sex symbol of the 1950s and
1960s). She was born at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica,
California. Her first and middle names are Hungarian and
refer to Mary Magdalene (Mariska is a diminutive of Maria
and therefore Mary). Her family name has Hungarian
references too. It means: "of Hargita". She has two
half-sisters, Jayne Marie Mansfield and Tina Hargitay; two
brothers, Miklós and Zoltan Hargitay; and a half-brother,
Antonio Ottaviano (a.k.a. Tony Cimber), a former film
director whose works include the female wrestling show
G.L.O.W.
Hargitay's mother had divorced Hungarian-born former Mr.
Universe Mickey Hargitay, in May 1963, but a judge later
found their Mexican divorce invalid. They had reconciled a
few months before Mariska's birth in January 1964 but soon
separated again; and in August 1964, the Mexican divorce was
ruled legal. A few weeks later, Mansfield married the
director Matt Cimber, who had directed her in a 1964
production of the William Inge play Bus Stop.
On June 29, 1967, Jayne Mansfield was killed in an
automobile accident on a stretch of U.S. Highway 90 between
New Orleans and Slidell, Louisiana. Jayne's boyfriend Sam
Brody and the driver were also killed. Asleep in the back of
the car, Mariska, then three-and-a-half years old, was left
with a zig-zag scar on one side of her head. Mariska's
brothers Miklós and Zoltan were also in the car, but they
escaped with minor injuries. After the death of their
mother, the three siblings were raised by Mickey Hargitay
and his third wife, Ellen Siano.
Mariska Hargitay was active in the theater program of her
secondary school Marymount High School; she graduated in
1987 from the UCLA School of Theater Film and Television
with a major in theatre.
Hargitay speaks Hungarian, French, Italian and English. On
August 28, 2004, in Santa Barbara, California, she married
Peter Hermann, an actor and writer who has often appeared on
SVU as Defense Attorney Trevor Langan. On June 28, 2006,
Hargitay gave birth to August Miklos Friedrich Hermann, by
caesarean section. During the last months of her pregnancy,
Hargitay took a maternity leave from SVU and was temporarily
replaced by Connie Nielsen.
Upon winning her Emmy on August 27, 2006, she made a point
of thanking her father for everything he had done for her in
her life. Hargitay's father died from multiple myeloma on
September 14, 2006, in Los Angeles, California, at the age
of 80.
Hargitay co-founded the Joyful Heart Foundation, an
organization that provides support to women who have been
sexually assaulted. The Joyful Heart Foundation is a
proponent of the idea that swimming with dolphins promotes
healing after major psychological traumas such as rape, and
has provided this opportunity for many victims.
The actress also has worked with the Mount Sinai Sexual
Assault and Violence Intervention program, NBC's “The More
You Know” campaign, Safe Horizon, Santa Monica Rape Crisis
Treatment Center, Project ALS, Girl Scouts of the USA, and
the James Redford Institute for Transplant Awareness. She
appeared with her baby in a Got Milk? ad in January 2007.
Hargitay launched her clothing line XO,M on her official
website Mariska.com, in October, 2007. |
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Other
Information |
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).
Replaced Gabrielle Fitzpatrick in Mighty Morphin Power
Rangers: The Movie (1995) as Dulcea, but her scenes were
re-shot with Gabrielle Fitzpatrick returning as Dulcea.
Speaks French, English, Hungarian, Spanish and Italian.
In June 1967 she and her two brothers were asleep in the
back seat of a car when it smashed into the back of a
trailer truck instantly killing her mother (Jayne
Mansfield), the driver and Mansfield's boyfriend, attorney
Sam Brody. Miraculously, the three children escaped with
minor bruises.
Majored in theatre at UCLA, but quit shortly before
graduating.
Has a zig-zag scar down the side of her head from the 1967
crash that killed her mother, Jayne Mansfield. She was only
three years old when she was involved in the crash and has
no memory of the event.
Won the Miss Beverly Hills 1982 pagent.
Measurements: 36-24-36 (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine)
Engaged to actor Peter Hermann. [April 2004]
Became good friends with Maria Bello when she had a
recurring role on "ER" (1994) in 1997-1998.
Is of German/English & Hungarian descent.
On one occasion, she came upon a pregnant woman who
collapsed while in New York City. When no one else came to
the woman's aid, she lapsed into her character on "Law &
Order: Special Victims Unit" (1999) while aiding the victim.
One of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People (2005)
She learned to swim at the age of two and later swam for her
high school.
Founder and President of a non-profit organization to aid
the victims of rape - The Joyful Heart Foundation.
Is half-sister of Tina Hargitay (b. 1949) through her
father's first wife Mary Birge.
Married Peter Hermann on August 28, 2004 at California's
Unitarian Historical Chapel.
First woman ever from the Law and Order franchise to receive
award nominations and wins.
Gave birth, via C-section to her first child, a son, August
Miklos Friedrich Hermann (10 lb., 9oz.), on June 28, 2006 at
3:21PM.
One of People Magazine's 100 Most Beautiful People (2006)
Her father Mickey Hargitay died after a lengthy illness at
the age of 80. [14th September 2006]
Following the family's acting lineage, Mariska has a cousin
whom is actor Eddie Hargitay.
Spoke in 2007 for Girl Scouts of Greater New York Scholars
Program about her career and how she became who she is. |
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since October 31, 2007