The renowned face of the American television industry, actress Marika Hargitay, marks another year of her life today as the actress turns 60. Let’s reflect on her cinematic journey and beyond.
Born to actress Jayne Mansfield and former Mr. Universe Mickey Hargitay, Marika Hargitay was no stranger to fame. Her inclination towards acting led to her admission to the UCLA School of Theatre Film and Television. Her first on-screen appearance was in Ronnie Milsap’s music video, She Loves My Car, the first country music video to appear on MTV. Subsequently, she went on to focus on her acting career and appeared in numerous television programs like Ghoulies (1985), Downtown (1986), Falcon Crest (1988), and many more. However, it wasn’t until 1999 that she got her breakthrough role as Olivia Benson in the NBC drama series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. The series not only gave her a meteoric rise in her career but she also earned several accolades for her performance.
While her career as a television artist has been successful, she never thought about doing television until she was offered a role in the 1986 drama series Downtown. Moreover, the initial phase of her career was not a cakewalk, yet she crossed all the hurdles and managed to become a renowned television artist.
Hargitay is not only a good actress but her resume goes beyond that as she is also a philanthropist. In 2004, she founded the Joyful Heart Foundation, an organization that provides support to survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, elder abuse, and human trafficking.
Initially, Hargitay worked to entertain her audience, and later she worked for the welfare of people. Interestingly, her acting career holds a significant relation with her philanthropic career, which also led her to become a rape crisis advocate.
In her 1999 television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, she portrayed the character of the Commanding Officer of the Manhattan Special Victim Unit of the New York City Police Department. She was in charge of investigating sexual offenses such as rape and child sexual abuse. In many episodes of the series, Hargitay’s character is seen empathizing and defending the women. The actress’s impeccable performance touched her female audience so much that they started writing letters to her, thinking just like her character she could also do something for them.
Hargitay was so moved by her fans’ efforts that she not only used her platform to raise awareness and funds for survivors but she also became a certified rape counselor so could talk to the women and make them feel better.
Her journey as an actor and as a philanthropist has earned her a respectful image in the industry, and her efforts for the survivors will always be counted as her good deeds.
