Mariska Hargitay is one of television’s most recognizable faces, and her husband, Peter Hermann, is right there with her. The actor has appeared alongside his wife on Law & Order: SVU, starred as Charles Brooks on Younger, and holds dozens of acting credits to his name. Offscreen, he and Hargitay have been married for more than two decades.Lately, the couple has made a few sweet appearances together. In fact, they still seem to enjoy their date nights. This summer alone, the pair attended Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s star-studded wedding, and Hermann surprised Hargitay by joining her onstage for the final performance of her Broadway run—her first, a solo play called Every Brilliant Thing.On September 5, Hermann accompanied his wife to the Creative Arts Emmys, where she took home two awards for her documentary My Mom Jayne. On September 14, she’ll host the 78th Primetime Emmys—becoming the first woman to do so in 15 years—and we have no doubt her husband will support her as he’s done so many years prior.Here is every other brilliant thing to know about Hermann, including their love story and what you can watch to familiarize yourself with his work.Peter Hermann is an actor.Hermann has been working as an actor for more than two decades, with nearly 50 acting credits across film and television.He’s a New Yorker. And he’s German.“I am a person from two places,” he once told Forbes.Hermann was born in New York City on Aug. 15, 1967. His parents are German, and his family moved to Germany when he was an infant; he lived there until he was around 10 years old, when he returned to the United States.He studied at Yale University.The actor majored in English at Yale University. After he earned his bachelor’s degree, he worked with Teach for America, where he taught ESL and special education.He had a brief stint in publishing.The actor was a fact-checker at Vanity Fair in the mid-1990s and even gave writing features a shot.He’s an author.In 2018, Hermann’s book If the S in Moose Comes Loose was published. He described the book, illustrated by Matthew Cordell, as “a book about friendship and a book about persevering for friendship and the lengths that we will go through to put those we love back together when they come apart. And we all come apart sometimes.”He speaks four languages.English, Spanish, French, and German, to be precise.He has nearly 50 acting credits across film and television.Hermann began his television career on the long-running soap opera Guiding Light; he played Dr. Michael Burke from 1997 to 1998. From there, he became a familiar face across television, appearing in everything from Sex and the City and 30 Rock to Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Good Wife.Of course, his most notable role for Law & Order: SVU fans is Trevor Langan, a defense attorney who frequently appeared opposite Hargitay’s Olivia Benson. Hermann first appeared as Langan in 2002, and IMDb currently lists 36 episodes through 2026.In 2015, he then played publishing executive Charles Brooks on Younger, starring alongside Sutton Foster, Hilary Duff, and Debi Mazar throughout the show’s seven-season run.He also had a recurring role as Jack Boyle, Erin Reagan’s ex-husband, on Blue Bloods, appearing in 21 episodes between 2012 and 2024. Other notable TV credits include Cashmere Mafia, A Gifted Man, The Good Wife, White Collar, and Modern Love.On the big screen, Hermann has appeared in films including Philomena, United 93, Edge of Darkness, and Just Wright.He met Hargitay while guest-starring on Law & Order: SVU.Hermann and Hargitay’s love story began on the set of Law & Order: SVU. Hermann guest-starred as defense attorney Trevor Langan, a role that would eventually become recurring, and met Hargitay while working on the series in 2002.According to Hargitay, the attraction was immediate. “I was nervous,” she recalled in conversation with Drew Barrymore. “Who is that Clark Gable, Superman guy that I need to marry today?” she thought.“My friends were like, ‘Mariska, you need to get out more. No one is going to show up on your show and ask you to marry them.’” Ironically, here we are.He married Hargitay in 2004.Two years after they met, Hermann and Hargitay tied the knot on August 28, 2004, in Santa Barbara, California. She reportedly wore a Carolina Herrera gown that matched his tie.He and Hargitay have three children together.Hermann and Hargitay are parents to three children: their son, August Miklos Friedrich Hermann, was born in 2006, and the couple adopted their daughter, Amaya Josephine, and son, Andrew Nicolas, in 2011.They generally keep their children’s lives private, though Hargitay has occasionally shared glimpses of their family over the years.On September 5, she thanked Hermann and all three children during her Creative Arts Emmy acceptance speech.He has spoken highly of his relationship with Hargitay.Hermann has been refreshingly candid about what keeps their marriage going. In a 2019 interview, he described Hargitay as the “embodiment of laughter” and “joy,” explaining that humor helps them find their way back to each other when they’re moving through difficult moments. “Fundamentally we know we have the same destination,” he said of their relationship.Hargitay has similarly credited their ability to stay curious about one another. In June 2026, she described their approach as “disciplined curiosity,” which she explained simply means “really being curious about the other person and how they experience something and really listening.”