Actress known for her Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning role as Olivia Benson on Law & Order: SVU, she also starred in the films Leaving Las Vegas and Lake Placid.
In 1982, while attending UCLA, she was crowned Miss Beverly Hills USA and came in fourth place in the Miss California USA pageant.
She made her television debut in 1986's Downtown as Jesse Smith, and two years later played herself in Mr. Universe.
Her mother died when she was three, so her father, a former Mr. Universe, took care of her and her siblings. She married Peter Hermann in 2004, and the couple welcomed a son named August in June 2006.
Her mother is the late Actress Jayne Mansfield, who became known as the Working Man's Monroe.
