Dun, dun. It's Mariska Hargitay's birthday!
The actress, who we have spent over 20 years with as the character Olivia Benson on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, turns 56 today.
We're a huge fan of her work on-screen (and when she steps behind-the-camera as a director) but we also can't get enough of her romantic love story with husband Peter Hermann off-screen too.
The two met back in 2001 on the set of the iconic TV series and hit it off ever since. They have now been married for over 15 years and have welcomed three children into their lives, making the family a party of five.
They also are a philanthropic pair who give back to the community. Hargitay founded the Joyful Heart Foundation in 2004 to help end the rape kit backlog, hold retreats for sexual assault survivors and more and her husband also serves on the board, proving the couple has a big heart.
Check out some of the duo's cutest moments below!
A Happy Handful
Mariska Hargitay and Peter Hermann adorably had their hands full wrangling kids August, Amaya and Andrew for a photo at the unveiling of the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star's Hollywood Walk of Fame plaque in 2013.
Joyful Bunch
In 2016, the couple and their oldest son August enjoyed a night at The Joyful Revolution Gala, an event held by Hargitay's charity Joyful Heart Foundation.
Family Is All That Matters
"Everything," Hargitay simply captioned this lovely photo of her family embracing in a hug.
Aloha!
In July 2017, Hargitay snapped this cute pic of her and Hermann enjoying the waves in Hawaii.
Baggage
Turns out stars have the same problems as us at the airport!
"That feeling when your flight's delayed four hours," captioned the actress in August 2017, "you board the plane, you get off the plane because of maintenance issues, you go to a new gate for a new plane, where you find out the new plane's not ready."
Tourists
From the same trip to Italy, the two looked cute as buttons wearing hats while exploring the city.
In the Woods
Hargitay shared this sweet photo of her and her husband on his birthday in August 2018, also shouting out to Debra Messing in her Instagram caption as she shares the same birthday.
Avengers Assemble!
The dynamic duo dressed up as Black Widow and Captain America to celebrate Halloween in 2018.
The Best Broadway +1
How fun! Hargitay and Hermann spent a date night attending the New York Spingsteen on Broadway concert in December 2018 only to meet Bruce Spingsteen himself after the show!
Retreat
The philanthropic family shared with fans more about their charity back in December 2018.
"We just wrapped an incredibly inspiring board retreat day with an incredibly inspiring board," Hargitay expressed on Instagram.
"Thank you for your great hearts and you're great brains and your deep dedication to bringing change."
Bae-cation
The cute couple soak up the sun in the Dominican Republic in December 2018.
Red Carpet Ready
The lovebirds attended the 2018 Samsung Charity Gala in Manhattan dressed to the nines.
#NoFilter
The two cuties threw on an adorable deer filter on this photo the Law & Order actress shared in June 2018.
"Happy Holidays from our family to yours," she wrote, tagging that the two were soaking up the sun in Italy.
Best Team
After throwing the first pitch for the Mets in September 2019, Hargitay took to her Instagram to snap a quick alongside her love.
Happy Birthday!
"How does he get #Younger every year???" Hargitay gushed on her Instagram when she celebrated her husband's most recent birthday this past August.
Forever Valentines
Mariska shared this sweet photo to celebrate another Valentine's Day with her love, captioning her 2023 post, "My Valentine #home"
Italian Vacation
The happy couple enjoyed fun in the Italian sun. Mariska captioned her June 2023 post, "Amore #summerlove #HappySummerSolstice #Capri #Faraglioni"
All Together
It was a family affair for Hargitay and Hermann at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, where the brought along their kids for the premiere of My Mom Jayne.
Date Night
Hargitay and Hermann were all smiles at the 2025 Tribeca Artists Dinner hosted by Chanel in New York.
(E! and NBC are both a part of the NBCUniversal family.)