Jaw-Dropping Mariska Hargitay Photos That Prove She's Aging Like Fine Wine
If "job security" had a face, it'd be Mariska Hargitay. She has starred as Olivia Benson on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" since 1999. The beloved procedural drama is one of the longest-running primetime live-action shows, and somehow Hargitay looks even more radiant today than she did way back on Season 1. (Part of it could be because she ditched those bad haircuts from older "SVU" seasons.) She's had a stunning transformation and is clearly aging like fine wine.
The mother of three has been married to fellow actor Peter Hermann since 2004, and he is also growing older with style and grace. Whether she's rocking a full face of makeup at an event or for work, or keeping things natural by going bare-faced, Hargitay is only aging with class. She's the spitting image of her late mother, actress Jayne Mansfield, whom she honored in June 2025 with the HBO documentary "My Mom Jayne," in which Hargitay both starred and directed.
No matter if she's at a fancy awards show or just chilling by the pool, Hargitay only seems to look better with age.
When she shut down the 2025 Emmys with her va-va-voom dresses
Mariska Hargitay wore two different outfits to the 77th Emmy Awards. The first was a gorgeous red number that showed off all her curves. The second was what she wore when she and fellow "Law & Order" stars took the stage for a special moment. She later posed with her former co-star, Christopher Meloni, who looks much different now than he did during his last year as a "Special Victims Unit" series regular back in 2011. The duo even had a funny behind-the-scenes exchange at the Emmys that showed the playful, goofy side of Hargitay fans don't get to see when she's playing Olivia Benson.
When she shared her glammed up Emmys look to Instagram
Mariska Hargitay shared a photo taken during the 2025 Emmys, praising her "glamsquad," aka her hair and makeup team. How is it possible that Harigaty looks even younger here than she did on the Emmys red carpet, when all the photos were taken on the same night? Her skin looked absolutely flawless. "She's an icon, she's a legend, and she IS the moment," one person commented on Instagram, referencing a Wendy Williams quote that has since become a meme.
When she proved with a throwback photo that she hadn't aged a day
After Robert Redford died in September 2025, Mariska Hargitay shared an old photo of her with him on Instagram. The snapshot seemed to have been taken back in 2003 when they both attended a benefit gala. "'Always speak from your heart,' Robert Redford told me once when I had the good fortune to meet him," Hargitay captioned. "The simplest words, but profound and life-changing coming from him. Deepest respect for his life lived from the heart." While a nice sentiment, it's hard to focus on her words when she honestly looks the exact same today as she did more than 20 years ago. She just had less hair back then.
When she kept things super casual with a poolside pic
Many celebrities make sure they have on a full face of makeup before snapping a selfie and posting to Instagram, but not Mariska Hargitay. She wore some pink lipstick and a little bit of eyeliner, but that was about it when she shared a photo in July 2025. Her natural beauty radiated through the pic, and clearly, people in the comment section agreed. "Serving looks with a side of sunshine," a fan account wrote, while fellow actor Paget Brewster simply commented, "Damn, Girl..."
When she looked fresher than blooming flowers
Mariska Hargitay looked fresh as a peony in a photo posted to Instagram in August 2025. "LOVE and JOY and THANKS in FULL BLOOM! Wherever I go, they go!" she captioned the snapshot, holding a bouquet of peonies. The "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" star was the epitome of gorgeous — even fellow actor Hillary Swank thought so, commenting, "STUNNING!!!! Just like YOU!!!" Flowers may not be able to hold onto their youth, eventually wilting, but Hargitay definitely doesn't have that problem.
When she proved only her hairstyle has changed over the years
In April 2025, Mariska Hargitay honored her "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" colleague Ted Kotcheff after he passed away at age 94. Kotcheff was an executive producer and director on "SVU," and clearly someone near and dear to Hargitay's heart. On Instagram, she included several photos of the duo together over the year, with her hairstyle being the only thing changing. Her face looks exactly the same today as it did way back when she rocked a pixie cut.