Mariska Hargitay Reveals the Secret to Decades-Long Marriage With Peter Hermann

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. 

In 2016, the couple and their son, August, enjoy a night at The Joyful Revolution Gala, an event held by Hargitay's charity Joyful Heart Foundation.

"Everything," Hargitay simply captioned this lovely photo of her family embracing in a hug.

In July 2017, Hargitay snapped this cute pic of her and Hermann enjoying the waves in Hawaii.

Turns out stars have the same problems as us at the airport!

"That feeling when your flight's delayed four hours, 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," captioned the procedural star in Aug. 2017.

We've all been there! Thankfully, she had a pretty great travel buddy by her side!

From the same trip to Italy, the two look cute as buttons wearing hats while exploring the city.

Hargitay shared this sweet photo of her and her husband on his birthday in Aug. 2018, also shouting out to Debra Messing in her Instagram caption as she shares the same birthday.

The dynamic duo dressed up as Black Widow and Captain America to celebrate Halloween in 2018.

How fun! Hargitay and Hermann spent a date night attending the New York Spingsteen on Broadway concert in Dec. 2018 only to meet Bruce Spingsteen himself after the show!

The philanthropic family shared with fans more about their charity back in Dec. 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."

The cute couple soak up the sun in the Dominican Republic in Dec. 2018.

The lovebirds attended the Samsung Charity Gala in Manhattan and both looked like they were dressed to the nines.

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.

After throwing the first pitch for the Mets in Sep. 2019, Hargitay took to her Instagram to snap a quick alongside her love.

"How does he get #Younger every year???" Hargitay gushed on her Instagram when she celebrated her husband's most recent birthday this past August.

Mariska shared this sweet photo to celebrate another Valentine's Day with her love, captioning her 2023 post, "My Valentine #home"

The happy couple enjoyed fun in the Italian sun. Mariska captioned her June 2023 post, "Amore #summerlove #HappySummerSolstice #Capri #Faraglioni"