Jump to content

Mariska Hargitay

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Budxvg1 (talk | contribs) at 08:47, 29 February 2008 (some wiki-links removed as they are not 'known' on the site.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Mariska Hargitay
Born
Mariska Magdolina Hargitay
SpousePeter Hermann
Websitehttp://www.mariska.com

Mariska[1] Magdolina Hargitay (born January 23, 1964) is a Golden Globe- and Emmy Award- winning American actress, best known for her role as Det. Olivia Benson on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Biography

Early life

Hargitay, the fourth of five children, was born at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California, the daughter of Jayne Mansfield, an actress and 1950s-era sex symbol, and Hungarian-born former Mr. Universe Mickey Hargitay. Her first and middle names are Hungarian and refer to Mary Magdalene (Mariska is a diminutive of Maria). Her family name has Hungarian references also. It means: "of Hargita". Hargitay 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 parents had divorced 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. Her boyfriend, Sam Brody, and the driver were also killed. Asleep in the back of the vehicle, Mariska, then three-and-a-half years old, was left with a zig-zag scar on one side of her head. Her brothers Miklós and Zoltan were also in the car, but escaped with minor injuries. After the death of their mother, the three siblings were raised by their father and his third wife, Ellen Siano.

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[2] with a major in theatre.

Career

In 1983, Hargitay was crowned "Miss Beverly Hills USA", and was fourth runner up at the 'Miss California USA Pageant' in Oxnard. She made her screen debut with a small role in Star 80, a Mariel Hemingway feature film about the murdered Playboy centerfold Dorothy Stratten. Within a few years she had landed recurring roles in the television series Downtown and Falcon Crest, in which she played the character Carly Fixx. She portrayed police officer Angela Garcia in the 1992 series Tequila & Bonetti, and appeared in an episode of the fourth season of Seinfeld. Two years later, Hargitay portrayed Didi Edelstein, the sexy next-door neighbor, in the 1995 sitcom Can't Hurry Love, which starred Nancy McKeon. In 1997, Hargitay played detective Nina Echeverria on the dramatic series Prince Street, and had a recurring role as Cynthia Hooper during the fourth season of ER.

Hargitay has appeared on numerous other television programs including: Freddy's Nightmares, Ellen, All American Girl, Baywatch, Cracker, Gabriel's Fire, In the Heat of the Night, JoJo's Circus, The Single Guy, Wiseguy, and thirtysomething. Her voice is featured on the 2005 video game True Crime: New York City. Hargitay also had a minor role ("Hooker in Bar") in the 1995 film Leaving Las Vegas, and briefly replaced Gabrielle Fitzpatrick in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, though the footage was deemed unusable.

Since 1999, Hargitay has portrayed Det. Olivia Benson, the female lead in the drama series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. "As a woman, it’s gratifying to play such a multilayered part," she stated on her official website. "Olivia is not only a competent, street-smart cop, she’s also an empathetic woman who can respond emotionally to victims of terrible crimes without compromising her professionalism."[3] As a result of her casting, Hargitay has been named as the "highest paid TV actress" working today in the Guinness Book of World Records 2008 Edition.

Awards

In the 1999 first season of SVU, Hargitay earned nominations from the Viewers For Quality Television for "Best Actress", from the TV Guide Awards for "Favorite Actress in a New Series", and from the International Press Academy for "Best Performance by an Actress in a Drama Series". She was also a Screen Actors Guild nominee in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007.

Hargitay's portrayal of Olivia Benson on SVU garnered her Emmy Award nominations in the category of "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series" in 2004, 2005 and 2006, the year she won the award for the role. She later garnered her fourth consecutive nomination in 2007. Hargitay also received a Golden Globe in 2005 for the role as "Best Actress in a Drama Series".

Hargitay was named by People magazine in 2005 as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People and in 2006 as one of People's World's Most Beautiful People.

Personal life

Hargitay speaks Hungarian, French and Italian as well as 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.[4] On June 28, 2006, Hargitay gave birth to August Miklos Friedrich Hermann, by caesarean section. During the last months of her pregnancy, she took maternity leave from SVU, and was temporarily replaced by Connie Nielsen.

Upon winning her Emmy on August 27, 2006, Hargitay made a point of thanking her father for everything he had done for her in her life. Just 17 days later, on September 14, 2006, her father died from multiple myeloma in Los Angeles, California, aged 80.

Hargitay co-founded the Joyful Heart Foundation,[5] an organization that provides support to women who have been sexually assaulted. The 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.

Hargitay 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, August, in a Got Milk? ad in January 2007.[6]

Hargitay launched her clothing line XO,M on her official website Mariska.com, in October 2007.

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
2006 Tales from Earthsea Tenar
2001 Perfume Darcy
1999 Lake Placid Myra Okubo
1995 Leaving Las Vegas Hooker at Bar
1993 Bank Robber Marisa Benoit
1991 Sutoroberi rodo Jill Banner
The Perfect Weapon Jennifer
Hard Time Romance Anita
1988 Mr. Universe
1987 Jocks Nicole
1986 Welcome to 18 Joey
1985 Ghoulies Donna

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1999-Present Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Det. Olivia Benson Emmy Awards (won-1) (nominated-3)
Golden Globe Award (won)
Gracie Award (won)
Prism Awards (won-1) (nominated-1)
Satellite Awards (nominated)
Screen Actors Guild Awards (nominated-3)
TV Guide Award (nominated)
TV Land Awards (nominated)
Viewers for Quality Television Awards (nominated)
2000-2005 Law & Order Det. Olivia Benson Episode: Entitled (2)
Episode: Fools For Love
Episode: Flaw
2005 Law & Order: Trial by Jury Det. Olivia Benson Episode: Day
2004 Plain Truth Ellie Harrison
1999 Love, American Style Wendy Segment: Love And The Blind Date
1997-1998 ER Cynthia Hooper
1997 The Advocate's Devil Rendi
Cracker Det. Penny Hatfield Episode: True Romance (1)
Prince Street Det. Nina Echeverria
Night Sins Paige Price
1996 The Single Guy Kate Conklin/The Mounted Cop Episode: Mounted Cop
Episode: Kept Man
Episode: The Virgin
Ellen Dara Episode: The Mugging
1995 Can't Hurry Love Didi Edelstein
All American Girl Jane Episode: Young Americans
1994 Gambler V: Playing for Keeps Etta Place
1993 Seinfeld Melissa Shannon Episode: The Pilot (1)
Key West Laurel Episode: Less Moonlight
Blind Side Melanie
Hotel Room Episode: Getting Rid of Robby
1992 Grapevine Katie Episode: The Katie and Adam Story
Tequila and Bonetti Officer Angela Garcia Episode: Reel Life
Episode: Street Dogs
1990 Gabriel's Fire Carmen Episode: Windows
Booker Michelle Larkina Episode: Black Diamond Run
thirtysomething Courtney Dunn Episode: Fathers and Lovers
Wiseguy Debbie Vitale Episode: Romp
1989 Baywatch Lisa Peters Episode: Second Wave
Finish Line Lisa Karsh
1988 Falcon Crest Carly Fixx
Freddy's Nightmares Marsha Episode: Freddy's Tricks and Treats
In the Heat of the Night Audine Higgs Episode: ...And Then You Die
1986 Downtown Jesse Smith

References

  1. ^ The "s" in her first name is pronounced like an English "sh", so that the middle syllable rhymes with "wish".the stress is on the second syllable.
  2. ^ Awards and Nominees from UCLA School of TFT
  3. ^ Bio
  4. ^ Peter Hermann at IMDb
  5. ^ The Joyful Heart Foundation
  6. ^ http://www.milknewsroom.com/ads.htm Retrieved 2007-10-18
Template:S-awards
Preceded by Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Drama Series
2004
for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Succeeded by
Preceded by Emmy Award for Outstanding Actress - Drama Series
2006
for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Succeeded by

Template:Actors in Law and Order: Special Victims Unit