'Law & Order: SVU' Star Mariska Hargitay Opens Up About Adopting Her Children
Mariska Hargitay and Peter Hermann have three children.
The Law & Order: SVU actress has one biological son and adopted another son and daughter.
Mariska Hargitay and her husband Peter Hermann had an undeniable connection when they first met nearly two decades ago. In the 15 years since the couple got married, they've welcomed three children into their family—and the new additions have only made their bond stronger.
"Our family is so perfect, or at least perfect for me," she told People. "Together we’re just this whole, happy, joyful, chaotic, crazy unit. I’ve never known anything that was more right."
Of Mariska and Peter's three kids, two of them are adopted. While Mariska admits they're "so private" about all of their children, she has been open about their choice to adopt.
"Having lost my mom at a young age, I then grew up with my stepmom, and I have half siblings, and so I know that families can be built in all sorts of different ways—that there isn’t just one way to create a family and that it isn’t just about biology," the Law & Order: SVU star said. ""The easiest answer is we just wanted a bigger family and we feel incredibly blessed."
Here's everything you need to know about Mariska and Peter's three children.
August Miklos Friedrich
Two years after Mariska and Peter tied the knot, they gave birth to their first child on June 28, 2006. Their only biological son's unique moniker is rooted in family history: August has been a name in Peter's family for more than 200 years, Miklos was the name of Mariska's late father, and Peter's grandfather's given name was Friedrich.
August is now a teenager—but Mariska fondly recalls the emotional day he was born.
"When I first heard August’s cry, that’s when I lost it," she told People. "You have so much love that you didn’t even know about."
Amaya Josephine
Peter and Mariska began their adoption process soon after August was born and became parents again when their first daughter joined their family in April 2011.
Amaya Josephine, now eight years old, is originally from the United States. The couple was considering both international and domestic adoption before she was born, but they were "thrilled" when their "prayers were answered" with Amaya.
"We talked a lot about mixed-race adoptions, and we are very excited that we are now a multi-racial family," Mariska said in 2011.
Andrew Nicolas
Soon after Amaya joined Peter and Mariska's growing family, they began to think about adopting another child down the line. The couple had no idea just how quickly they'd be welcoming a third addition.
Within a week of processing their second round of adoption paperwork in fall 2011, Mariska and Peter brought home their new son Andrew Nicolas.
Nearly eight years later, Mariska describes her youngest child as an "angel that fell out of the sky."
"He was a little unexpected," the 55-year-old mother admits. "It's something that happened very quickly, when adoption can take a long time."
Here's to the happy family!
('You Might Also Like',)
