In the criminal justice system, these two people represent a perfect partnership. This is their story.
Though Law & Order fans might ship Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler, in real life Mariska Hargitay has already found her fairy tale ending with husband of almost 20 years, Peter Hermann. And for her, the secret to their success is lifelong connection.
"Peter is such a deep and soulful human," she told E! News in an exclusive interview at the Law & Order 25th anniversary celebration on Jan. 16. "I just love getting to know him on a deeper level. And so there's always more."
The couple first met on the set of the fan-favorite crime drama back in 2001when Peter made his first of many appearances as defense lawyer Trevor. The couple wed three years later, and are now parents to August, 16, Amaya, 12, and Andrew, 11.
And in the years, Mariska often gives an inside look to life with her husband, from being on the picket line together during the Hollywood strikes to celebrating their decades of love with sweet anniversary tributes.
"19 years," she captioned an August Instagram, which featured a photo of her and the Younger star dancing on their wedding day. "Best dance of my life. Only dance of my life."
Even more recently, the pair rung in the new year with a safari vacation, with Mariska sharing snaps of the wildlife taken by her husband.
Among them was a black and white image of Peter which she captioned on Jan. 3, "My favorite photographer."
For more of the couple's cutest moments over the years, keep reading.
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.