Mariska Hargitay Rakes in Huge Salary as ‘Law and Order: SVU’ Celebrates 600th Episode

Law & Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay has plenty to celebrate, including an impressive paycheck.

Hargitay, 62, earns $850,000 per episode as the show’s leading actress and an executive producer, according to salary figures published by Variety on Thursday, November 12.

The actress has portrayed Olivia Benson since the series premiered in 1999. She also became an executive producer in 2014, beginning with season 15, per the report.

The show’s 600th episode, airing Thursday, November 12, marks another major career achievement for Hargitay, who won an Emmy Award for her performance in 2006.

Per Variety, Hargitay enjoyed a special celebration dinner attended by the cast, crew, series creator Dick Wolf and her longtime costar Christopher Meloni.

“It was one of the most extraordinary, meaningful nights, and unexpectedly so to me,” she said, the outlet reported.

“Dick got up and said, ‘This has never happened, and it will never happen again.’ And everything just landed that night.”

Hargitay also recalled the heartfelt speech she delivered to those who helped make the show’s success possible.

“Here we are at episode 600, and it really doesn’t feel totally real — which in a way is exactly how it should feel, because it’s as if we all get to live in this dream of what you thought might be possible someday,” she said, the outlet reported.

“And you’ve shown that it’s not only possible, but it’s so much better than anyone could have imagined,” she added.

The milestone episode also reunites Hargitay with Meloni, 65, who returns as Elliot Stabler, Benson’s former partner.

Hargitay’s talents extend far beyond Law & Order: SVU. She hosted the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards in September. Earlier this year, she also made her Broadway debut in Every Brilliant Thing.