Mariska Hargitay

The daughter of bodybuilder Mickey Hargitay and tragic Hollywood bombshell Jayne Mansfield, Hargitay embarked on an acting career in the early '80s. Primarily a small-screen player, Hargitay floundered in a succession of short-lived series (Tequila and Bonetti, Prince Street) before a recurring part as Dr. Greene's ditzy girlfriend on ER jump-started her career in the late '90s. In 1999 she landed a leading role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as a tough but empathetic sex-crime detective. Her work on the show earned her an Emmy in 2006 — the same year she gave birth to her son with husband Peter Hermann — and inspired her to found the Joyful Heart Foundation, which assists sexual-assault survivors.Mariska Hargitay Fast Facts:

• On June 29, 1967, Hargitay and her two brothers were in the backseat of a car with their mother, actress Jayne Mansfield, and her mother's boyfriend, Sam Brody. The car slammed into a tractor trailer, instantly killing Mansfield and Brody, but leaving the three children miraculously unharmed.
• Speaks fluent French, Hungarian and Italian.
• Miss Beverly Hills 1982.

• Mariska Hargitay Relationships:
• Mickey Hargitay - Father
• Jayne Mansfield - Mother
• Peter Hermann - Husband
• Antonio Raphael Ottaviano Cimber - Half Brother
• August Miklos Friedrich Hermann - Son
• Jayne Marie Mansfield - Half Sister
• Tina Hargitay - Half Sister
• Zoltan Hargitay - Brother
• Miklos 'Mickey' Hargitay Jr. - Brother
• Mariska Hargitay Awards:
• 2005 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama - Winner
• 2004 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series - Nominee
• 2005 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series - Nominee
• 2006 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series - Winner
• 2007 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series - Nominee
• College:
• University of California, Los Angeles, CA