Mariska Magdolna Hargitay is an American actress, director, producer and philanthropist.
33 Facts About Mariska Hargitay
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Mariska Hargitay made her debut with an appearance in the music video "She Loves My Car" by Ronnie Milsap, and subsequently starred in the horror comedy film Ghoulies.
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Mariska Hargitay had a main role in the crime drama series Downtown, played the recurring role of Carly Fixx in Falcon Crest, and has appeared in numerous film and television series throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
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Mariska Hargitay's father was the Hungarian-born former Mr Universe, Mickey Hargitay.
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Mariska Hargitay was raised Catholic and has two older brothers, Miklos and Zoltan, as well as three half-siblings, Jayne Marie Mansfield and Antonio "Tony" Cimber and Tina Hargitay.
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Mariska Hargitay's parents divorced in May 1963, but a judge later found their Mexican divorce invalid.
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Mariska Hargitay's father died in 2006 from multiple myeloma in Los Angeles, California, at age 80.
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Mariska Hargitay enjoyed acting and enrolled at UCLA after graduation from high school in 1982.
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That same year, Mariska Hargitay was crowned Miss Beverly Hills USA.
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Mariska Hargitay attended UCLA School of Theater Film and Television where she was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma.
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In 1984, Mariska Hargitay appeared in Ronnie Milsap's music video for "She Loves My Car", the first country music video to appear on MTV.
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Mariska Hargitay's voice is featured on the 2005 video game True Crime: New York City.
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Mariska Hargitay had a minor role in the 1995 film Leaving Las Vegas.
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Mariska Hargitay briefly replaced Gabrielle Fitzpatrick as Dulcea in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, although her scenes were cut from the film when Fitzpatrick recovered from her surgery and returned to the film.
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Mariska Hargitay portrayed police officer Angela Garcia in the 1992 series Tequila and Bonetti and appeared in the two-part fourth season finale episode of Seinfeld, where they had her read for the role of Elaine Benes in "The Pilot".
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Mariska Hargitay was considered for the character of Elaine Benes on Seinfeld itself before it began.
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In 1997, Mariska Hargitay played detective Nina Echeverria on the drama series Prince Street, and had a recurring role as inept desk clerk Cynthia Hooper during the fourth season of ER.
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Mariska Hargitay said in 1986 that she never thought about doing television until a role on the one-hour adventure drama series Downtown was offered.
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Mariska Hargitay won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for the role.
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Mariska Hargitay received UCLA's TFT Distinguished Alumni Award in 2011 and was honored at the school's June commencement ceremony.
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In late December 2008, Mariska Hargitay suffered a partially collapsed lung after taking a fall during a stunt on the set of SVU.
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In 2013, Mariska Hargitay was awarded with the 2,511th star of the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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Mariska Hargitay's star was placed next to the star of her mother, which is located at 6328 Hollywood Boulevard.
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At the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards, Mariska Hargitay won the "Video of the Year" Award, shared with Taylor Swift and all of the celebrities that appeared in the music video for Swift's song "Bad Blood".
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The encounter, which had ignited profound spiritual feelings within her, was one that Mariska Hargitay hoped to share with others.
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Since Mariska Hargitay received these letters from women, she knew that she had to use her platform to do something meaningful.
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Reference to the Joyful Heart Foundation was worked into episodes of Special Victims Unit, via a necklace containing two pendants representing the Foundation that Mariska Hargitay's character began wearing in the show's 13th season.
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Mariska Hargitay is an honorary board member director of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.
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On September 27,2011, Mariska Hargitay donated $100,000 to her alma mater, the UCLA School of Theater Film and Television for scholarship.
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In 2012, Mariska Hargitay campaigned for the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.
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On June 28,2006, Mariska Hargitay gave birth to their son, August, by an emergency caesarean section.
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Mariska Hargitay speaks five languages: English, French, Hungarian, Spanish, and Italian.
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Mariska Hargitay is the godmother to Sophia, one of co-star Christopher Meloni's children.