Celebrity
Ageless beauty: This is what ‘Law and Order’ actress Mariska Hargitay looks like today
It’s been more than 20 years since ‘Law & Order: SVU’. This is how Mariska Hargitay looks now.
Few actors can boast a television career as enduring and impactful as Mariska Hargitay’s. For over 25 years, she has portrayed Detective Olivia Benson on NBC’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (SVU). Hargitay took on the role in 1999 at age 35, and today, at 61, she remains one of TV’s most celebrated and recognizable stars.
Born on January 23, 1964, in Santa Monica, California, Hargitay celebrated her 61st birthday this year. Beyond acting, she is a producer and philanthropist, widely respected for her activism. Her work with the Joyful Heart Foundation, an organization she founded to support survivors of sexual abuse, has had a profound impact.
Before her acting career took off, Hargitay was a beauty queen. In 1982, she was crowned Miss Beverly Hills USA and went on to place fourth in the Miss California USA pageant. She began her career with small roles on television but landed her breakthrough role as Olivia Benson in 1999.
Hargitay’s portrayal of Benson has earned her numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award in 2006 for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series and a Golden Globe Award in 2005 for Best Actress in a Television Drama.
Mariska Hargitay Today: 25 Years Later
Since 1999, Hargitay has played Detective Olivia Benson, a role that has defined her career. The show’s 26th season premiered in October 2024 and continues into this year. Her dedication to the series has made her one of the highest-paid actresses on television.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Hargitay earns $500,000 per episode of Law & Order: SVU. In a standard 22-episode season, that totals $11 million in base salary. With additional bonuses and residuals, her annual earnings from the show are estimated at $13–15 million.
In addition to her work on SVU, Hargitay received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013. She also produced the 2018 documentary I Am Evidence, which won Best Documentary at the 40th News and Documentary Emmy Awards.
Hargitay has been married to actor Peter Hermann since 2004, whom she met on the set of Law & Order: SVU. The couple welcomed their first child, August, in 2006, and later adopted two more children, Amaya and Andrew, in 2011.
Here’s how Mariska Hargitay looks today, more than 25 years after the debut of Law & Order: SVU—a testament to her talent and resilience.
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