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NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 06: Actress Mariska Hargitay attends the Lela Rose Spring 2008 Fashion Show at The Salon in Bryant Park during the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring 2008 on September 6, 2007 in New York City. (Photo by Rob Loud/Getty Images for IMG) *** Local Caption *** Mariska Hargitay

Mariska Hargitay (born Mariska Magdolna Hargitay; January 23, 1964) is an American actress, best known for her role as New York City sex crimes Detective Olivia Benson on the NBC television drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, a role that has earned her multiple awards and nominations, including an Emmy and Golden Globe. The daughter of actress Jayne Mansfield and actor/bodybuilder Mickey Hargitay, Hargitay is a former beauty queen who made her film debut in the 1985 horror-comedy film Ghoulies, and her major television debut in the 1986 adventure drama series Downtown. She appeared in numerous roles in film and television shows throughout the late 1980s and 1990s before being cast as Olivia Benson, a role that led to her founding the Joyful Heart Foundation, which provides support to women who have been sexually abused.