Olivia Benson
Encyclopedia
Det. Olivia "Liv" Benson is a fictional character
on the NBC
police procedural
drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
, portrayed by Mariska Hargitay
. She is the former partner of Elliot Stabler
. In Season 13, her partner will be Nick Amaro. According to showrunner Warren Leight
, however, the show will have more of an "ensemble feel" in the upcoming season.
For the first 12 seasons Mariska co-starred with Christopher Meloni
, and as of season 13 she is the sole lead of the series.
has a daughter named Olivia and a son named Elliot, for whom he named the two lead detectives in the series. Wolf conceived Benson as a detective in the Manhattan
Special Victims Unit, which investigates sex crimes. She is partnered with Elliot Stabler
(Christopher Meloni
). She is tough, empathetic
, and gets emotionally involved in cases. Executive producer and head writer Neal Baer
has explained that she is "the empathetic, passionate voice for these victims", in contrast to Stabler, who embodies "the rage we feel, the 'How can this happen?' feeling". Of their partnership, Baer assessed that: "They both represent the feelings that we feel simultaneously when we hear about these cases. That's why they work so well together."
In the episode "Paranoia", Benson described how, despite the difficulty she faced in dealing with a 7-year-old female rape victim on her second case, Karen Smythe, who trained her, praised her for displaying a talent in dealing with victims. Benson herself is a child of her mother's rape
. Her mother Serena (Elizabeth Ashley
), an English professor, was an abusive
alcoholic
. In the season two episode "Taken", Benson's mother dies falling down a flight of subway stairs outside the entrance to a bar. In a later episode, "Intoxicated", she mentions being engaged briefly when she was 16 to one of her mother's students. Benson is a graduate of Siena College
. While there, she held a membership in a sorority. In addition to English
, Benson speaks some Spanish
and French
and is able to read the Miranda warnings in three other languages. She also has a younger half brother named Simon Marsden. Simon, whom she found by illegally running her DNA through the system, was thought to be a rapist. However his name was cleared in the episode, "Florida", where it is revealed he was framed by Captain Julia Millfield (Kim Delaney
).
In the Season Twelve episode "Trophy", Benson's life is further complicated when she is named the legal guardian of a young boy named Calvin Arliss (Charlie Tahan
). Calvin's mother, Vivian (Maria Bello
) abandons Calvin and flees when Olivia's investigation uncovers that Vivian is also a child of rape and Vivian is the prime suspect in her mother's rapist's murder. The last thing that Vivian does is name Olivia as Calvin's legal guardian. Calvin lives with Olivia for a while, causing her both delight and stress when Calvin gets into fights at school. In "Rescue" Olivia finds Vivian and her close friend Sara have relapsed back into drug use. Sara confesses to murdering Vivian's rapist father and is then shot dead. The shooter was Calvin's father who wanted to punish Sara for making Vivian fall off the wagon. At the end of the episode, Olivia's parental rights are revoked by Vivian who sends Calvin to live with his grandparents. Both Calvin and Olivia are devastated by the separation.
Baer agrees that a romantic relationship between the two is unlikely, though commented: "You never can say never".
Hargitay has stated that her favorite SVU scene occurs in season 7
episode "Fault", when Benson is faced with the possibility of losing Stabler: "Lou Diamond Phillips
[who played a child killer] has a gun to Elliot's head. I'm negotiating [with him to drop the gun]. It was a painful, high-stakes scene. Elliot and I have to admit what we mean to each other... He is everything that [my character] Olivia has. So this was where we really got that to pay off." In an episode where Stabler goes undercover, Benson tries to talk him into coming back, but they are interrupted by Stabler's targets. She rushes to the bathroom, and undresses herself as she pretends to be a prostitute. This violation of his instructions resulted in Stabler getting shot at the end of the episode.
In the show's first season, Benson has a sexual relationship with one of her SVU colleagues, Detective Brian Cassidy (Dean Winters
). In the episode "Closure" Benson refers to it as a drunken one night stand. It is implied that it was continued based on comments in the episode "Disrobed". Cassidy leaves the precinct at the end of that episode. In the season 5 episode "Lowdown" it was revealed Olivia had a relationship with a murder victim who turned out to be homosexual and also HIV positive. Warner immediately tests Olivia and the results come back negative. In the season nine episode "Closet", the SVU squad are surprised to find out that Benson has been in a relationship with journalist Kurt Moss (Bill Pullman
) for several months. It only comes out because Internal Affairs
are investigating Benson and Stabler in a case in which the department accidentally outed
a professional football player. By the end of the episode, she breaks up with Moss.
While Benson has only been portrayed in relationships with men, she has, according to lesbian
entertainment website AfterEllen.com
, "attracted a large lesbian following". Fan speculation exists over alleged sexual tension
between Benson and Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Cabot (Stephanie March
), which Baer admits to indulging: "We read the fan sites. We know that people are into the Alex-Olivia thing. All the codes are in there."
In Season Ten, Olivia is seen struggling with now being a victim of sexual assault herself. She is attending group therapy, something she has not shared with anyone but Fin. In the episode "PTSD," while investigating the rape of a Marine, she is pushed against a wall while trying to break up a fight between a suspected rapist and another Marine. She subsequently breaks up the fight by holding her gun to the back of the suspect's head. Later, while in questioning, the other Marine tells Tutuola
that, "She [Olivia] has PTSD, I would recognize that glassy-eyed look anywhere." At the end of the episode, the original suspect is cleared, and Olivia apologizes to him, admitting that she was a victim of sexual assault.
for 'Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series' in 2006, a Prism Award for 'Performance in a Drama Series Episode' in 2006, and a Golden Globe for 'Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series' in 2005. Of her Emmy win, Hargitay commented: "It makes me only want to be better. Now I'm an Emmy winner. I have to step it up."
The San Francisco Chronicle
' s John Carman has called Hargitay "the show's weakest performer" when the series originally premiered in 1999. In 2006, however, fellow San Francisco Chronicle writer Jean Gonick, deemed Benson a suitable role model for teenage girls, calling her "courageous and strong, and unspeakably gorgeous", and writing that "Olivia Benson is our own special hero. She battles evil, avenges her mother, faces her demons but refuses to date them." In 2001, Entertainment Weekly
s Ken Tucker criticized Benson and Stabler as "the most naive, bleeding-heart molester busters in America."
A poll on the Hallmark Channel
voted her "Law & Order's" second-greatest detective, only being beaten by Robert Goren
.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
police procedural
Police procedural
The police procedural is a subgenre of detective fiction which attempts to convincingly depict the activities of a police force as they investigate crimes. While traditional detective novels usually concentrate on a single crime, police procedurals frequently depict investigations into several...
drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced...
, portrayed by Mariska Hargitay
Mariska Hargitay
Mariska Hargitay is an American actress, best known for her role as New York City sex crimes Detective Olivia Benson on the NBC television drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, a role that has earned her multiple awards and nominations, including an Emmy and Golden Globe.The daughter of actress...
. She is the former partner of Elliot Stabler
Elliot Stabler
Det. Elliot "El" Stabler is a fictional character on the TV crime drama series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, portrayed by Christopher Meloni. He was the partner of Olivia Benson before retiring, following a shooting.-Character overview:...
. In Season 13, her partner will be Nick Amaro. According to showrunner Warren Leight
Warren Leight
Warren Leight is an American playwright, screenwriter, film director and television producer. He is best known for his work on Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Lights Out and the showrunner for In Treatment and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit....
, however, the show will have more of an "ensemble feel" in the upcoming season.
For the first 12 seasons Mariska co-starred with Christopher Meloni
Christopher Meloni
Christopher Peter Meloni is an American actor. He is best known for his television roles as NYPD Detective Elliot Stabler on the NBC police drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and as inmate Chris Keller on the HBO prison drama Oz.-Early life:Meloni was born the youngest of three children in...
, and as of season 13 she is the sole lead of the series.
Characterization
Series creator Dick WolfDick Wolf
Richard Anthony "Dick" Wolf is an American producer, specializing in crime dramas such as Miami Vice and the Law & Order franchise. Throughout his career he has won several awards including an Emmy Award and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.-Early life:Wolf was born in New York City, the son...
has a daughter named Olivia and a son named Elliot, for whom he named the two lead detectives in the series. Wolf conceived Benson as a detective in the Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
Special Victims Unit, which investigates sex crimes. She is partnered with Elliot Stabler
Elliot Stabler
Det. Elliot "El" Stabler is a fictional character on the TV crime drama series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, portrayed by Christopher Meloni. He was the partner of Olivia Benson before retiring, following a shooting.-Character overview:...
(Christopher Meloni
Christopher Meloni
Christopher Peter Meloni is an American actor. He is best known for his television roles as NYPD Detective Elliot Stabler on the NBC police drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and as inmate Chris Keller on the HBO prison drama Oz.-Early life:Meloni was born the youngest of three children in...
). She is tough, empathetic
Empathy
Empathy is the capacity to recognize and, to some extent, share feelings that are being experienced by another sapient or semi-sapient being. Someone may need to have a certain amount of empathy before they are able to feel compassion. The English word was coined in 1909 by E.B...
, and gets emotionally involved in cases. Executive producer and head writer Neal Baer
Neal Baer
Neal Baer, MD is an American pediatrician and television writer and producer. He is best known for his work on the television shows ER and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.-Education:...
has explained that she is "the empathetic, passionate voice for these victims", in contrast to Stabler, who embodies "the rage we feel, the 'How can this happen?' feeling". Of their partnership, Baer assessed that: "They both represent the feelings that we feel simultaneously when we hear about these cases. That's why they work so well together."
In the episode "Paranoia", Benson described how, despite the difficulty she faced in dealing with a 7-year-old female rape victim on her second case, Karen Smythe, who trained her, praised her for displaying a talent in dealing with victims. Benson herself is a child of her mother's rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
. Her mother Serena (Elizabeth Ashley
Elizabeth Ashley
Elizabeth Ashley is an American actress who first came to prominence as the ingenue in the Broadway play Take Her, She's Mine, which earned her a Tony Award as Best Featured Actress in a Play.-Early life:...
), an English professor, was an abusive
Child abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
alcoholic
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
. In the season two episode "Taken", Benson's mother dies falling down a flight of subway stairs outside the entrance to a bar. In a later episode, "Intoxicated", she mentions being engaged briefly when she was 16 to one of her mother's students. Benson is a graduate of Siena College
Siena College
Siena College is an independent Roman Catholic liberal arts college in Loudonville, in the town of Colonie, New York, United States. Siena is a four-year, coeducational, independent college in the Franciscan tradition, founded by the Franciscan Friars in 1937. It has 3,000 full-time students and...
. While there, she held a membership in a sorority. In addition to English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Benson speaks some Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and is able to read the Miranda warnings in three other languages. She also has a younger half brother named Simon Marsden. Simon, whom she found by illegally running her DNA through the system, was thought to be a rapist. However his name was cleared in the episode, "Florida", where it is revealed he was framed by Captain Julia Millfield (Kim Delaney
Kim Delaney
Kim Delaney is an American actress best known for her starring role as Detective Diane Russell on the ABC drama television series, NYPD Blue. Early in her career, she played the role of Jenny Gardner in the hugely popular ABC daytime television drama, All My Children...
).
In the Season Twelve episode "Trophy", Benson's life is further complicated when she is named the legal guardian of a young boy named Calvin Arliss (Charlie Tahan
Charlie Tahan
Charles "Charlie" Tahan is an American child actor.Tahan was born and raised in Glen Rock, New Jersey. His sister is actress Daisy Tahan, and he has an older brother named Willie as well. Tahan portrayed Ethan in I Am Legend, appeared in Burning Bright, and co-starred with Zac Efron in the 2010...
). Calvin's mother, Vivian (Maria Bello
Maria Bello
Maria Elena Bello is an American actress and singer known for her appearances in the movies Coyote Ugly, The Jane Austen Book Club, Permanent Midnight, Thank You for Smoking, A History of Violence, Payback, and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. For television she is known for her role as Dr...
) abandons Calvin and flees when Olivia's investigation uncovers that Vivian is also a child of rape and Vivian is the prime suspect in her mother's rapist's murder. The last thing that Vivian does is name Olivia as Calvin's legal guardian. Calvin lives with Olivia for a while, causing her both delight and stress when Calvin gets into fights at school. In "Rescue" Olivia finds Vivian and her close friend Sara have relapsed back into drug use. Sara confesses to murdering Vivian's rapist father and is then shot dead. The shooter was Calvin's father who wanted to punish Sara for making Vivian fall off the wagon. At the end of the episode, Olivia's parental rights are revoked by Vivian who sends Calvin to live with his grandparents. Both Calvin and Olivia are devastated by the separation.
Relationships
Hargitay has characterized Benson and Stabler's relationship as "very complicated". Her assessment is that:Baer agrees that a romantic relationship between the two is unlikely, though commented: "You never can say never".
Hargitay has stated that her favorite SVU scene occurs in season 7
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 7)
This article contains a list of episodes for season 7 of the television series, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.Christopher Meloni was nominated for his first Emmy in the category of Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Mariska Hargitay won the Emmy for Outstading Lead Actress in a Drama...
episode "Fault", when Benson is faced with the possibility of losing Stabler: "Lou Diamond Phillips
Lou Diamond Phillips
Lou Diamond Phillips is an American film, television, and stage actor and director. His breakthrough came when he starred in the film La Bamba. He earned a supporting actor Golden Globe Award nomination for his role in Stand and Deliver and a Tony Award nomination for his role in The King and I...
[who played a child killer] has a gun to Elliot's head. I'm negotiating [with him to drop the gun]. It was a painful, high-stakes scene. Elliot and I have to admit what we mean to each other... He is everything that [my character] Olivia has. So this was where we really got that to pay off." In an episode where Stabler goes undercover, Benson tries to talk him into coming back, but they are interrupted by Stabler's targets. She rushes to the bathroom, and undresses herself as she pretends to be a prostitute. This violation of his instructions resulted in Stabler getting shot at the end of the episode.
In the show's first season, Benson has a sexual relationship with one of her SVU colleagues, Detective Brian Cassidy (Dean Winters
Dean Winters
Dean Winters is an American actor, who has portrayed Ryan O'Reily on HBO's Oz, Johnny Gavin on FX Network's Rescue Me, and Dennis Duffy on NBC's 30 Rock...
). In the episode "Closure" Benson refers to it as a drunken one night stand. It is implied that it was continued based on comments in the episode "Disrobed". Cassidy leaves the precinct at the end of that episode. In the season 5 episode "Lowdown" it was revealed Olivia had a relationship with a murder victim who turned out to be homosexual and also HIV positive. Warner immediately tests Olivia and the results come back negative. In the season nine episode "Closet", the SVU squad are surprised to find out that Benson has been in a relationship with journalist Kurt Moss (Bill Pullman
Bill Pullman
William James "Bill" Pullman is an American film, television, and stage actor. Pullman made his film debut in the supporting role of Earl Mott in the 1986 film Ruthless People. He has since gone on to star in other films, including Spaceballs, Independence Day, Lost Highway, Casper and Scary Movie 4...
) for several months. It only comes out because Internal Affairs
Internal affairs (law enforcement)
The internal affairs division of a law enforcement agency investigates incidents and plausible suspicions of lawbreaking and professional misconduct attributed to officers on the force...
are investigating Benson and Stabler in a case in which the department accidentally outed
Outing
Outing is the act of disclosing a gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender person's true sexual orientation or gender identity without that person's consent. Outing gives rise to issues of privacy, choice, hypocrisy, and harm in addition to sparking debate on what constitutes common good in efforts...
a professional football player. By the end of the episode, she breaks up with Moss.
While Benson has only been portrayed in relationships with men, she has, according to lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
entertainment website AfterEllen.com
AfterEllen.com
AfterEllen.com, founded in April 2002, is a website that focuses on the portrayal of lesbian and bisexual women in the media. AfterElton.com, its brother site for gay and bisexual men, was launched in January 2005. The websites were founded by Sarah Warn, who initially served as the editor in...
, "attracted a large lesbian following". Fan speculation exists over alleged sexual tension
Sexual tension
Sexual tension is a social phenomenon that occurs when two people interact and one or both feel sexual desire, but the consummation is postponed or never happens....
between Benson and Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Cabot (Stephanie March
Stephanie March
Stephanie Caroline March is an American actress, best known for her current portrayal of Alexandra Cabot on the television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.-Early life:...
), which Baer admits to indulging: "We read the fan sites. We know that people are into the Alex-Olivia thing. All the codes are in there."
Sexual assault
In the Season Nine episode "Undercover", Olivia poses as an inmate in a women's prison to investigate an alleged rape by a corrections officer. While there, the corrections officer in question attacks Olivia and attempts to force her to engage in oral sex on him. She is rescued by Fin, who gets there just in time to stop the rape. Later, Olivia helps convict the rapist by questioning his earlier victim about distinguishing features on his penis, prompting the victim to recall a mole on it, which Olivia later explains to medical examiner Melinda Warner that she had also seen. When Warner asks Olivia if she had been raped, Olivia replies, "It was the closest I've ever come."In Season Ten, Olivia is seen struggling with now being a victim of sexual assault herself. She is attending group therapy, something she has not shared with anyone but Fin. In the episode "PTSD," while investigating the rape of a Marine, she is pushed against a wall while trying to break up a fight between a suspected rapist and another Marine. She subsequently breaks up the fight by holding her gun to the back of the suspect's head. Later, while in questioning, the other Marine tells Tutuola
Fin Tutuola
Det. Odafin "Fin" Tutuola is a fictional character and protagonist on the TV drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, played by Ice-T.The character's name is taken from the book The Palm Wine Drinkard by Amos Tutuola, a member of the Yoruba people of Nigeria...
that, "She [Olivia] has PTSD, I would recognize that glassy-eyed look anywhere." At the end of the episode, the original suspect is cleared, and Olivia apologizes to him, admitting that she was a victim of sexual assault.
Development
Hargitay has deemed the storyline which saw Benson find her paternal family: "probably the biggest thing that's ever happened to Olivia." She feels her character is a role model for young girls, revealing:Reception
Hargitay has won a number of awards for her role as Benson: 'Individual Achievement for Best Female Lead' and 'Outstanding Female Lead' Gracie Awards in 2004 and 2009 respectively, an EmmyEmmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for 'Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series' in 2006, a Prism Award for 'Performance in a Drama Series Episode' in 2006, and a Golden Globe for 'Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series' in 2005. Of her Emmy win, Hargitay commented: "It makes me only want to be better. Now I'm an Emmy winner. I have to step it up."
The San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
s Ken Tucker criticized Benson and Stabler as "the most naive, bleeding-heart molester busters in America."
A poll on the Hallmark Channel
Hallmark Channel (UK)
The Universal Channel is a television channel owned by NBCUniversal.The channel mainly broadcasts United States imports including drama series and TV movies such as House MD and Law & Order. However the channel also screens British dramas including Hustle and Spooks, and Australian series like Sea...
voted her "Law & Order's" second-greatest detective, only being beaten by Robert Goren
Robert Goren
Det. Robert "Bobby" Goren is a fictional character featured in the NBC-USA Network police procedural and legal drama television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent, portrayed by Vincent D'Onofrio....
.