Mariska is the Hungarian diminutive of Maria — from the Hebrew *Miryam* ("beloved, star of the sea"). **Mariska Hargitay (born 1964)** — **American actress; has played Detective/Captain Olivia Benson on NBC's *Law & Order: Special Victims Unit* since 1999 — making her, by 2024, the longest-tenured female lead in a US primetime live-action drama in the medium's history (25+ seasons and 550+ episodes)**. **Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (2006); Golden Globe (2005)**. **Daughter of actress Jayne Mansfield (died 1967 in a car accident when Mariska was 3) and Mickey Hargitay (Mr. Universe 1955)**. **Founded the Joyful Heart Foundation in 2004 supporting survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse — the organization has trained 5,000+ first responders and ended the rape-kit backlog in 13 US states**. **Time 100 Most Influential People (2018)**.
Subject of countless American television-history retrospectives.
Mariska reduces to six — the number of Joyful Heart.