Before she landed her role as Olivia Benson on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," Mariska Hargitay was a struggling actress. Although she earned guest spots on shows like "Falcon Crest" and "In the Heat of the Night," as well as small parts in movies including "Ghoulies" and "Leaving Las Vegas" (via IMDb), Hargitay had a hard time finding consistent work. As a result, she found herself in massive credit card debt, with an outstanding balance in the six figures. "I had a house and car I didn't want to lose," she told Good Housekeeping in 2010, "and I had a lot of credit card debt."

Hargitay asked her then-boyfriend for financial help. "When we broke up, he said I owed him 60 grand," she said, adding that she gave him back every penny. "I'm a payer-backer. So as soon as I could, I paid him off." And while she doesn't have to worry about money anymore, the actress still keeps the lessons she learned in mind. '[N]ow I have learned to hang on to [my money]. I have a nest egg, and I don't buy above my means," she explained.