INSIDE THE ACTORS STUDIO to Welcome Mariska Hargitay

Bravo Media's "Inside the Actors Studio,"hosted by James Lipton, welcomes distinguished actress, Mariska Hargitay to the stageon Monday, September 22 at 8pm ET/PT. Mariska has received eight Emmy nominations, winning in the "Outstanding Lead Actress" category for her portrayal as Detective Olivia Benson in "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," which also earned her two nominations and a win at the Golden Globes, and six nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Awards. The sixteenth season of "Law & Order: SVU" premieres Wednesday, September 24 at 9pm ET/PT on NBC where Hargitay also serves as a producer.

In the episode, Hargitay describes what it was like to grow up as the daughter of one of the most famous Hollywood couples, Jayne Mansfield and Mickey Hargitay, and how this affected her when auditioning for acting roles. Tune in to hear about her experience working with George Clooney and Anthony Edwards on NBC's "ER," and why she was drawn to her current role as Olivia Benson. Mariska also delves into how this character made an impact in her real life, including the establishment of The Joyful Heart Foundation, which she founded in 2004 with the mission to heal, educate and empower survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse, and to shed light into the darkness that surrounds these issues.

Photo by Walter McBride