#Bensler forever! Christopher Meloni desired Law & Order: Special Victims Unit costar Mariska Harti happy birthday 59 – and had tons of fun doing it.
“Marsha,” Meloni, 61, whispered via Instagram video Monday, Jan. 23, referring to Hargitay by her nickname. “Do you know today? I do.”
In a funny clip, the Man of Steel the actor takes up close and personal with the camera so that only his eyes and nose are visible. When the post Cut out before you can want to Leave Las Vegas a star Good luckshe captioned the post, “Celebration, Marsha.”
Meloni’s birthday tribute to the California native comes a day after she celebrated her real-life husband, Sherman Williamsturn another old year.
“So… this happened. My gurl. Ageless. eternal. Steppin’ out with the young-uns to show em how it’s done,” the Emmy winner captioned the post for Williams’ 63rd birthday. “#HBDBaby” and “#TalkAboutIt.” (The couple married in July 1995 and share daughter Sophia and son Dante , who were born in 2001 and 2004.)
Meanwhile, Hargitay met his wife Peter Herman in the set of S.V.U in 2002 and they got married two years later. “I almost passed out when I saw him there,” Hargitay said InStyle in time. “I thought, that’s my husband.”
In 2006, Hargatay and youngr alum, 55, welcomed his first child, son August, and adopted two other children, daughter Amaya and son Andrew, shortly after.
Meloni and Hargitay first met on the set of Law & Order: SVU in 1999, when they were Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler. The two, who portray partners in the crime drama, formed an instant bond – on and off screen.
Viewers quickly began referring to the character as “Bensler” – a mashup of Benson and Stabler – and campaigned for them to get together romantically. However, the duo remained friends for 12 seasons City Sin star left the series in 2011 to pursue other projects.
While Meloni may have left the show, the actors, who fans have long called “Marshmelon,” have remained BFFs over the years, often taking to social media to share photos of their friendship. In April 2021, the Wet Hot American Summer the actor returns to S.V.U for the first time in 10 years before starting a new series, Law & Order: Organized Crime.
“[SVU] gave birth to Mariska and Meloni, and Benson and Stabler. We are so inseparable and connected in that way. Besides, we are very good friends. I think we respect each other,” he said Entertainment Tonight in 2020, before explaining what it’s like to be on set together. “We just picked up where we left off. … We just fell seamlessly into that spot every time we met.”
In September 2022, Hargitay and Meloni walked the red carpet together before the Emmy Awards. At Night night alum toward AND! News he “never” gets tired of working with Washington DC natives.
“I love him, and I’ve never been hurt,” he gushed. However, when asked if Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler will get together now that Meloni is back at it Law & Order franchise, the SAG award winner joked, “You want some tea, baby? Honey, join the line.”