Washington DC, July 7 -- The Law & Order star Mariska Hargitay will host the 78th Emmy Awards, which will air on September 14, reported The Hollywood Reporter.

The actress will also be the first host who's not primarily known for their comedic work in almost two decades. The last time the Emmys had a host who wasn't a comedian or comic actor was in 2008, when the five nominees for best reality host (Tom Bergeron, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel, Jeff Probst and Ryan Seacrest) shared emcee duties.

"Bringing important stories into the light has been the heartbeat of my career," Hargitay said in a statement.

"It's my great honour to host the 78th Emmy Awards -- in the 100th birthday year of my beloved NBC and celebrate this extraordinary communi...