Mariska Hargitay, an accomplished actress, happy wife and mother, recently turned 59 (@therealmariskahargitay/Instagram)

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: ‘Law and Order: Special Victims Unit’ star Mariska Hargitay turned 59! The actress has been part of some big projects, including ‘All-American Girl,’ ‘Jocks,’ ‘I Am Evidence’ and ‘Lake Placid.’ The daughter of Hollywood legend Jayne Mansfield and ace bodybuilder-actor Mickey Hargitay, it would seem that acting was in her genes.

According to AmoMama, Hargitay, who is a Primetime Emmy Award winner, values spending time with her family the most. She has been married to Peter Hermann for 18 years since 2004 and shares three children with him as well- sons August and Andrew, and daughter Amaya. She gushes that her home was her “happy place,” and that being close to her children made her very happy. She has a very family-oriented personality and credits Hermann for the home that they have built together. “My husband is my North Star, and my kids are my teachers … Our family is so perfect, or at least perfect for me.”

The couple met on the of ‘Law and Order: SVU,’ when Hargitay had been acting on the show. Hermann had showed up for a guest appearance in an episode in 2002 and met her, resulting in them dating soon after. They were always on the same page about wanting a family early in their lives- and so, August was born. However, when they decided to have more children, they turned to adoption instead. This is how their daughter Amaya Josephine joined the family.
Mariska Hargitay and Peter Hermann attend the 2022 A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Cure Parkinson’s at Cipriani South Street on October 29, 2022 in New York City (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for The Michael J. Fox Foundation)
Soon after Amaya though, August had begun to ask for another sibling. While Hargitay and Hermann were surprised about his request, they began the process to adopt again. “When we went ahead with the adoption, August thought it was his idea. Then he wanted a little boy. We said, really? A miracle happened and our second son, Andrew, fell out of the sky and into our home,” Hermann says of Andrew’s adoption. He joined the family of four, only a few months after Amaya had.

When asked about her family, Hargitay reportedly said, “Together we’re just this whole, happy, joyful, chaotic, crazy unit. I’ve never known anything that was more right.” Praising her husband, she said, “Peter and I, we’re so different that it’s been amazing how we complement each other. He knows everything I don’t.”