Law & Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay and Younger's Peter Hermann say laughter is key to happy marriage By Rachel Mcgrath For Dailymail.com Published: 00:19 BST, 13 June 2019 | Updated: 00:19 BST, 13 June 2019 Viewcomments They met on the set of the long-running crime drama Law & Order: SVU and married in 2004. And in this week's issue of People magazine, Mariska Hargitay and Peter Hermann have revealed that the key to their happy marriage is laughter. 'I never thought I would have this much laughter in my life,' Hermann explained. 'Not just actual laughter. But also the way that Mariska is just the embodiment of laughter, of joy.' Going strong: Mariska Hargitay and Peter Hermann, pictured June 4 in NYC, have been married since 2004 and tell People this week that the key to their happy marriage is laughter Hargitay, 55, and Hermann, 51, live in New York and have three children - sons August, 12, and Andrew, seven, and daughter Amaya, eight. Since 1999, Hargitay, daughter of Hollywood star Jayne Mansfield, has played Lieutenant Olivia Benson on the Dick Wolf procedural. Hermann has a recurring role on the TV series as defense attorney Trevor Langan and since 2015 has starred on the TV Land sitcom Younger with Hilary Duff and Sutton Foster. Family: Hargitay, 55, and Hermann, 51, have three children - sons August, 12, and Andrew, seven, and daughter Amaya, eight. They pictured at the actress's Hollywood Star ceremony in 2013 The couple first met on the set of Law & Order: SVU. Hargitay has played Lieutenant Olivia Benson on the Dick Wolf procedural since 1991 (she's pictured with co-star Peter Scanavino) Hit show: Hermann has starred since 2015 on the TV Land sitcom Younger with Sutton Foster (pictured) and Hilary Duff. The sitcom returns Wednesday for a sixth season Their shared sense of humor plus their ability to look at the plus side of thing,'life's silver linings', also helps cement their relationship, the couple told People. 'It’s the way we find our way back to each other,'Hermann explained. 'It’s this fantastically, wonderfully ridiculous way that we can swing back and forth any number of times in any given day. But fundamentally we know we have the same destination,' he said. 'We know where we’re headed, and it’s good. And we know we’ll get there together.' Younger returns to TV Land on Wednesday while Law & Order: SVU, now the longest-running primetime drama currently on television, is set to return for its 21st season in the fall. People magazine, with the couple on the cover, hits newsstands on Friday. True love: People magazine, with the couple on the cover, hits newsstands on Friday Read more: Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility