Mariska Hargitayhas spent 23 seasons playing Olivia Benson on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”
As a result, Hargitay launched theJoyful Heart Foundationin 2004.
“Joyful Heart is about the courage and power of the human spirit,” she toldTV Guide.
And Hargitay knows first-hand what it is like to heal from a trauma.
“I’d wake up crying,” she toldPeople.
“I went through months of severe depression.
I knew the pain had to be exorcised.”
“In some ways, being the daughter of a Hollywood icon has been a burden.
I used to hate constant references to my mom because I wanted to be known for myself.
Losing my mother at such a young age is the scar of my soul,” she toldCloser Weekly.
One thing that has made Hargitay feel more of a connection to her mother is becoming a mom herself.
She andhusbandPeter Hermann share three children, sons August and Andrew and daughter Amaya (viaCountry Living).
“Being a wife and mother is my life, and that gives me the most joy.
I understand [my mother] in a new way that gives me peace.
