Mariska Hargitay was born on Jan. 23, 1964, in Los Angeles, CA. She was the youngest daughter of 1950s platinum blonde starlet Jayne Mansfield and Mr. Universe Mickey Hargitay, who were divorced before their daughter’s first birthday. When Hargitay was three and a half years old, she and brothers Miklos and Zoltan were in the car with their mother and her boyfriend when their car hit a truck, killing the adults instantly. The children were relatively unhurt, as they had been sleeping on the backseat; though little Mariska did end up with a scar on her head. Following their mother’s death – a rumored decapitation from the force of the crash, which later proved all Hollywood myth – the children were raised by their father and his wife, who also had two children of their own. Hargitay grew into a smart, accomplished teen, learning to speak Hungarian, French and Italian, and always active in student government, sports, and theater. She had also undeniably inherited her mother’s good looks, and was crowned Miss Beverly Hills in 1982.

Following her graduation from Marymount High, Hargitay enrolled in the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television and began landing screen roles within her first year of drama studies. By the time she had earned her degree in 1987 she had appeared in the films “Star 80” (1983), “Ghoulies” (1985), and the 80’s teen comedies “Welcome to 18” (1986) and “Jocks” (1987). She found her first series work as a teen parolee desperate to be accepted in the CBS series "Downtown" (1986). Two years later, Hargitay had a recurring run on "Falcon Crest" (CBS, 1981-1990) as the wily Carly Fixx, and continued guesting on other TV shows, often playing characters with an air of toughness. She acted alongside her father in the Hungarian-made "Mr. Universe" (1988), and co-starred in the martial arts vengeance saga "Perfect Weapon" (1991), but a leading screen career did not seem to be in the cards.

Following a turn as a hooker in "Leaving Las Vegas" (1995) Hargitay landed her first regular TV role, as Nancy McKeon’s sexy next door neighbor on the short-lived sitcom “Can’t Hurry Love” (1995). Her 1997 recurring role as the flighty single mother who falls for Anthony Edwards' Dr Mark Greene on "ER" (NBC, 1994- ) however, rejuvenated her career; enough that when the relationship ended, she landed a supporting role in a new police drama “Prince Street.” The show was pulled after only a few episodes, but after so many forays into different character types in film and TV, the role seemed to finally be a good fit.

Following appearances in the taut thriller “Lake Placid” (1999), and a starring role in the Lifetime pic “Plain Truth” (2004), Hargitay finally found a career-making role as Detective Olivia Benson, a policewoman specializing in sex crimes on the NBC drama "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." Her popular, empowering, character portrayal earned the actress her first Golden Globe Award in 2005 and her first Emmy win in 2006. She was nominated for another Emmy in 2007.