Mariska Hargitay has been in the spotlight since she was a child due to her celebrity parents. As the daughter of bombshell Jayne Mansfield and bodybuilder Mickey Hargitay, it is no wonder that Mariska went into show business. Tragically, Mansfield was killed in a car accident when Mariska was 3-years-old. The actress was in the car when the accident occurred and has a scar on the side of her head shaped like a zig-zag.
The star has had an incredible career, having starred in the popular television drama “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” since 1999. Hargitay is the winner of a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award for her performance on the show.
Before she was Olivia Benson on “Law and Order,” Hargitay appeared in a number of films and TV series. Her debut came in 1984 when she was featured in a music video for “She Loves My Car” by Ronnie Milsap. After that, the actress had a small role in a horror film called “Ghoulies.”
Some of the other TV shows Hargitay has been involved in include, “Freddy’s Nightmares – A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Series,” “Baywatch” and “In the Heat of the Night.” The star also made guest appearances on “Falcon Crest” and “Seinfeld.”
Hargitay and her husband Peter Hermann celebrated 15 years of marital bliss in 2019. The stars met on the show “Law And Order: SVU” working alongside one another. The couple has given advice over the years on why their marriage is so strong and lasted throughout their on-screen careers. Keep reading to learn more about Hargitay’s marriage to Hermann and what happened on their first date.
Hermann guest-starred on “Law and Order: SVU” in 2002 and apparently there was an instant connection between him and Mariska. “I never thought I would have this much laughter in my life,” Hermann told People. “Not just actual laughter, but also the way that Mariska is just the embodiment of laughter — of joy.”
Likewise, Mariska says, “We sort of knew that we found the right one. I never thought it could be this good, and I never knew that I’d be reminded on the journey, that I’d marry the right one. That I waited and married the right one and it’s better than I thought it was. Because sometimes you take a snapshot and you go, ‘I can’t believe this is my life.’“ The couple has three children together, two sons August, and Andrew, and daughter Amaya.
The key to their successful marriage? Laughter. “It’s the way we find our way back to each other,” Peter told People. “It’s this fantastically, wonderfully ridiculous way that we can swing back and forth any number of times in any given day. But fundamentally we know we have the same destination. We know where we’re headed, and it’s good. And we know we’ll get there together.”
Mariska remembers the first time they met, which was on set. “On the first day I was so nervous and I felt very, he was very handsome and it was distracting. And then he would come back the other days and all the producers would look at me and give me eyes and stuff… I had never been like that to anyone ever and it was funny because you know I was single,” she recalled.
Meeting her future husband at work was not what Mariska was expecting, but she did not mind. “I was 35, and my friends are like, ‘Mariska you need to get out more, nobody is just going to show up on your show and ask you to marry them.’… Do you know where our first date was? It’s a little too good to be true,” the actress shared.
Hermann had an idea of where he should take Mariska on their first date and she was not expecting it. Hargitay continued, “Our first date he asked me to go to church with him. And I was moving and I said, ‘Peter, I would love to but not today I am moving today.’ He was like, ‘Oh come on it’s an hour. It’s an hour.’ It was so funny, I just couldn’t resist so I went to church.”
The date went so well that Mariska was moved to tears over how much she loved Hermann. The star added: “And it was that day I remember we went to church… and I am crying and he thinks I am so moved by the sermon and I am crying because I am like, ‘I know I am going to marry him. I found my husband. I love him.’”
The role of Olivia Benson is the longest-running female character in television history. Mariska said, “I feel very satisfied, sated because I am having I think more fun now than I ever have. So I feel grateful. I love my cast, I love them, they are like family now. And I am also most grateful that the show that is the longest run show on television is about believing victims. So that for me is the most rewarding thing.
Did you know Hargitay and Hermann are married? What do you think the key is to a successful marriage? Tell us below and send this article to your friends and family to see what they think.
