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‘Law & Order: SVU’ Star Reveals Touching Photo of Her Late Father on Father’s Day

Law & Order: SVU lead Mariska Hargitay paid tribute to her late father.

Mariska paid tribute to her dad for Father’s Day. She posted a black and white photo of him kissing her hand on Instagram.

Miklós “Mickey” Hargitay was also an actor. He was born in Budapest and in 1947, moved to America where he became a citizen. His wife and Mariska’s mother, Jayne Mansfield, passed away in a car accident when she was three. He raised Mariska alongside his next wife, Ellen Siano.

His final acting role was in 2003 alongside his daughter in an episode of Law & Order: SVU. He guest-starred in the 100th episode of the series, “Control.” He portrayed a grandfather who was interviewed by Olivia Benson (Mariska).

In early 2006, Mariska took home the Emmy for her role in Law & Order SVU. Her father was there to witness her win for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.

“He’s the reason I’m standing here today,” she said during her acceptance speech of her dad. “I can’t wait to celebrate this with you.”

Tragically, Mickey died of bone marrow cancer at the age of 80 on September 14, 2006. She still keeps his memory alive and learned a great deal of lessons from him.

“The message I got from my father was that life is hard, but you just don’t quit,” Mariska told Closer Weekly. “I’d get an audition and he’d say, ‘How hard are you going to work for it?’

“So I pushed myself even when I didn’t feel like pushing myself. I acted confident even when I wasn’t. And slowly… I became more confident. [If you] kick fear to the side, the payoff is huge,” she concluded.

‘Law & Order: SVU’ Meets ‘Younger’

Mariska Hargitay’s real-life husband is also a fellow actor. While she stars on the crime drama Law & Order: SVU, he just wrapped up the comedic drama series Younger. The couple actually met on the set of Law & Order: SVU in 2001 and later married in 2004.

The couple had their first child, a son named August, in 2006. In 2011 they adopted a daughter, Amaya. Months later, they adopted a son named Andrew. Mariska paid tribute to her husband and the father of her three children via an Instagram post.

“Happy Father’s Day to our North Star and to my everything. I love doing this with you,” she wrote.