All about Law & Order: SVU’s Mariska Hargitay’s marriage to famous actor Peter Hermann
Mariska Hargitay is a familiar face to television viewers and has been keeping Law & Order: Special Victims Unit fans entertained as the beloved Olivia Benson for more than 20 years now.

MORE: Law & Order: SVU adds familiar face to main cast following recent exits

But viewers might be surprised to learn that the 57-year-old’s husband is pretty famous himself – and TV fans will definitely recognise him. Mariska is been married to fellow actor Peter Hermann.

WATCH: Law & Order: SVU star Mariska Hagitay shares health update following horror injury
Who is Peter Hermann?
Mariska’s partner is fellow actor Peter Herrman, who featured in Law & Order: SVU as Trevor Langen, appearing on the show a total of 33 episodes. He’s also known for playing Charles Brooks on Younger, Jack Boyle on Blue Bloods and Dr Michael Burke on soap opera Guiding Light, which was actually his debut TV role.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 22: Peter Hermann attends the 2023 Stuttering Association For The Young (SAY) Benefit Gala at The Edison Ballroom on May 22, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Debra L Rothenberg/WireImage)© Debra L Rothenberg

Peter Hermann in 2023
How did the couple meet?
The couple met on the set of Law & Order: SVU all the way back in 2001 when the actor guest-starred on the police procedural drama. Speaking about the first time they met on set, Mariska told InStyle: “I just about passed out when I saw him there. I thought: ‘That’s my husband.'”

Peter Herman and Mariska Hargitay during Entertainment Weekly 9th Annual Academy Awards Viewing Party at Elaine’s in New York City, New York, United States. (Photo by L. Busacca/WireImage)

Peter and Mariska in 2003
The actress revealed on the Drew Barrymore Show that it was when they wrapped up his season three guest appearance that Peter invited her to a church service with her. She knew there and then that he was the one.

MORE: See the cast of Law & Order: SVU and their real-life partners

MORE: The real reason why Christopher Meloni left Law and Order SVU

“We went to church together, and it was like getting hit with a lightning bolt,” she said. “I just started sobbing. Peter thought I was crying because I was so moved by the service. No, it was because I was just overwhelmed, realizing he was the one.”

When did they get married?
The couple got married in 2004 in Santa Barbara, California.

Peter decided to pop the question shortly after Mariska’s 40th birthday, he told PEOPLE: “I actually saw Mariska with all of the people that she loved around her, it was like seeing this person who was now in the soil… which was this abundance of people and this abundance of love and I thought, ‘I want to be part of that soil.’ ”

What has Peter said about their marriage?
Meanwhile, Peter has also shared some sweet comments on his other half. Opening up about their 17-year strong marriage in the 2020 book What Makes a Marriage Last, he said: “I never thought that I would laugh this much in my marriage.”

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 16: (L-R) Peter Hermann and Mariska Hargitay attend the “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” 25th Anniversary Celebration at Edge at Hudson Yards on January 16, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)© Dimitrios Kambouris

Peter and Mariska have been together for almost 20 years
He added: “That is such a fundamental ingredient of who [Mariska is], this insistence on joy. And I think what sustains our marriage is that I know [Mariska] loves me in spite of who I am, and that is the definition of grace.”

MORE: Law & Order: SVU star mourns heartbreaking death of close friend

The couple’s children
Away from the cameras, the couple are proud parents to three loving children. They welcomed their first child together, a son named August, in 2006. Five years later, in 2011, they decided to grow their family again, this time choosing to adopt a baby girl named Amaya Josephine. Less than a year later, they adopted another child, a baby boy named Andrew.

Peter Hermann and Mariska Hargitay pose with their children, August Miklos Friedrich Hermann, Andrew Nicolas Hargitay Hermann and Amaya Josephine Hermann at the 2023 Stuttering Association For The Young (SAY) Benefit Gala at The Edison Ballroom on May 22,© Getty

Peter Hermann and Mariska Hargitay pose with their children, 2023
Mariska has spoken about the joys of motherhood, explaining to PEOPLE that “Our family is so perfect, or at least perfect for me. Together we’re just this whole, happy, joyful, chaotic, crazy unit. I’ve never known anything that was more right … The beauty is that families are made in so many different ways, and that was my reality as a child.”

You may also like
Read more HELLO! US stories here

Like this story? Sign up to our newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox

Sign up to HELLO Daily! for the best royal, celebrity and lifestyle coverage

By entering your details, you are agreeing to HELLO! Magazine User Data Protection Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information, please click here.