Mariska Hargitay

Background

Mariska Hargitay was born in Santa Monica, California, U.S., to parents Jayne Mansfield and Mickey Hargitay. The actress has two older brothers, Zoltan and Miklos. Her parents parted ways in 1964. Her mother later married Matt Climber, but the relationship ended after two years.

In June 1967, young Hargitay was traveling with her mom and brothers when an unfortunate incident occurred. Their car had an accident, which killed her mother, while her brothers suffered minor bruises. Asleep in the back seat, the three-year-old Hargitay was left with a scar on her head. After her mother’s death, she was brought up by her father and his wife, Ellen Siano. She later said that the loss of her mother left a void in her life that would never be filled. Her father passed away in 2006 owing to multiple myeloma.

When she was a teenager, Hargitay wanted to become Miss Universe. She was crowned Miss Beverly Hills in the 1980s. She also competed in the Miss California pageant. In 1984, she appeared in a music video for the track ‘She Loves My Car’ by Ronnie Milsap. In 1985, she began a career in acting with a small role in “Ghoulies.” She then appeared in a number of television shows, such as “Freddy’s Nightmare – A Nightmare on Elm Street,” “True Crime: New York City,” “All-American Girl,” “In the Heat of the Night,” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”