Mariska Hargitay is an American actress who was born in Santa Monica, California. She is the daughter of Hungarian Mr. Universe, Mickey Hargitay and actress Jayne Mansfield. She is better known for her role as detective Olivia Benson in the crime hit show, 'Law & Order'. Hergitay is definitely one of the biggest stars this show has to offer, she has been playing this role since it premiered in 1999.

That is 24 years playing this character that has earned her both Golden Globe and an Emmy Awards. Currrently, she is part of the list of the highest-paid women in television.

How much does Mariska Hargitay make per episode of Law & Order (before and now)?

When Hargitay started her amazing run at 'Law & Order', she began earning low numbers but it quickly jumped to an impressive $375,000 to $385,000 per episode.

Her contract expired in 2009 and they needed to negotiate a new one. When that happened, she sealed a deal for around $400,000 per episode. Considering she was on every single episode out of 32, the actress was making around $11 million per season. But the most recent contract si signed makes her earn a lot more money per episode and more per season.

Does Mariska Hargitay get royalties?

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When she signed the new deal to continue her run, Mariska Hartigay did seal a new deal for $500,000 per episode. That moves up to an impressive $15 million per season. When she moved to the new 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit', she started earning royalties after signing her second contract for every country where the show airs. At the end of the day, Hartigay is worth a repoted $100 million. This is information taken from Fortune and Forbes.

At 59 years of age, Mariska Hartigay will eventually retire as one of the highest-paid actresses in television history.