Mariska Hargitay is an American actress you are certainly familiar with – or at least you know her character, Detective Olivia Benson, from Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Hargitay has also had recurring roles in series such as Downtown and Falcon Crest, Tequila & Bonetti, she appeared in a Seinfeld episode and appeared later on in another recurring role in ER, among others. When considering movies and larger parts in television programs, Hargitay had roles in Freddy’s Nightmares’ movie series, Ellen, All American Girl, Baywatch, Cracker, Gabriel’s Fire, In the Heat of the Night, JoJo’s Circus, The Single Guy, Wiseguy and thirtysomething.

 

In 1999, Hargitay was cast as Detective Olivia Benson, of which she speaks fondly: “As a woman, it’s gratifying to play such a multilayered part. Olivia is not only a competent, street-smart cop, she’s also an empathetic woman who can respond emotionally to victims of terrible crimes without compromising her professionalism.” As a result of her being cast as Detective Olivia Benson of Law & Order, Hargitay has been named as the "highest paid TV actress" working today in the Guinness Book of World Records, the 2008 edition.

 

Unfortunately, the actress has recently suffered a couple of lung collapses. The first event occurred over Christmas, and her lung collapsed again just today. According to her rep, Hargitay apparently suffers from pneumotorax, the medical term for collapsed lung. It’s unclear what caused the pneumotorax, but it seems that Hargitay won’t even miss a day’s work.