Fab and 40s: Our Favorite Leading Ladies!

As Halle Berry turns 45 on Aug. 14, take a look at actresses who keep getting better with age (23 Photos)

Kimberly Potts on Aug 11, 2011 at 4:17PM

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Fab and 40s: Our Favorite Leading Ladies!

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Mariska Hargitay



The daughter of actress Jayne Mansfield and Mr. Universe Mickey Hargitay, Mariska Hargitay, 47, won accolades for her layered role as tough NYPD detective Olivia Benson on NBC's Law & Order: SVU. but it wasn't until she turned 40 that her work on the show was honored with Emmys, SAG Awards and Golden Globes. "I've got no problems with my age. I rejoice in the knowledge I have accrued and savor the great moments, because I know how fast it goes," Hargitay told Good Housekeeping. "Am I slowing down a bit? Yeah. When I work out, I'm like, Whoa, the machinery isn't running like it used to." Though Hargitay has had her fair share of medical problems -- she developed gestational diabetes while pregnant with her 5-year-old son August (with husband Peter Hermann) and suffered a partially collapsed lung on the set of SVU in 2008 -- Hargitay didn't slow down for long.

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