Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Actors, 'L&O: SVU' Star Mariska Hargitay Wants to Send You to College
She's a native Angeleno and the progeny of a Hollywood icon, and now actress Mariska Hargitay is paying it forward for young actors. The "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" star has given her alma mater, the UCLA School of Theater Arts and Television, $100,000 for an acting scholarship, according to the L.A. Times.Hargitay, 47, is the daughter of actress Jayne Mansfield. She attended UCLA in the early 80s, during which time she was crowned Miss Beverly Hills 1982. Hargitay segued into acting after graduation from UCLA. She established herself in the early 1990s on the popular NBC drama "ER" as the sweet ne'er-do-well Cynthia Hooper, before going on to her current role as Det. Olivia Benson on "L&O:SVU," which has just entered its 13th season.
According to UCLA, the scholarship will aptly be named "The Mariska Hargitay Scholarship for Acting Students," and will be awarded to graduate and undergraduate students based on need and merit.