Watch: Emmys 2026: Mariska Hargitay Perfectly Roasts Dick Wolf, Nicole Kidman and Jalen Brunson
Mariska Hargitay is part of a new kind of S.V.U.—the special visitors unit.
The Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star brightened up one happy couple’s wedding day when she stumbled upon their photos while in character as Olivia Benson.
In video of the moment shared to Instagram Oct. 1, Hargitay—sporting a gray peacoat, black pants and her character’s NYPD badge—ran up to the unsuspecting couple, who posed in their wedding day attire outside the New York County Supreme Court.
The actress was on the case, too, making sure to lean into the bride and groom with a wide smile.
Of course, in her 28 seasons of filming the beloved NBC procedural, Hargitay has made her mark with other legendary fan interactions. In fact, she crashed another wedding photoshoot in March 2024 moments after a couple filed their papers in NYC.
After posing for a couple pictures, she quipped in a video of the moment shared by Splash News at the time, “I’m your wedding present.”
But while Hargitay—who is set to reunite with costar Christopher Meloni on SVU this season—enjoys making special memories with newlyweds in Manhattan, she has also been able to use her decades of experience as a fictional cop to help in real-life emergencies.
In April 2024, the 62-year-old—mom to kids August, 20, Amaya, 15, and Andrew, 15, with husband Peter Hermann—was filming one of the final episodes of SVU’s 25th season in a city park when a lost young girl approached her looking for her mom.
Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
After Hargitay helped the child reconnect with her mom, she reflected on what she believed was a destined moment.
“We were meant to connect at the moment we did,” she told Entertainment Tonight the following month. “This little angel girl was in need and we connected and I could see that.”
And Hargitay doesn’t necessarily see herself as heroic. As she put it, “I did what any mother on this planet would do. I got to hug her mom and her, and it was beautiful.”
Read on for a look back at Hargitay throughout her years on SVU, including her special bond with Meloni.
Christopher Meloni/Instagram
Amy Sussman/Getty Images
John Nacion/WireImage
Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
NBC/Nathan Congleton
Chris Haston/NBC
Willy Sanjuan/Invision for the Television Acadmey/AP Images
Mariska Hargitay / Instagram
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App






