Christopher Meloni

Christopher Meloni
Born	April 2 1961 (1961-04-02) (age 47) Washington, D.C., United States
Spouse(s)	Doris Sherman Williams

Christopher Peter Meloni (born on April 2, 1961) is an American Emmy-nominated actor known for his near opposite roles as the protective and committed Det. Elliot Stabler on the NBC drama series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and as the bisexual serial killer Chris Keller on HBO's Oz.

Biography

Early life

Meloni was born in Alexandria,VA to Cecile, a homemaker, and Robert Meloni, an endocrinologist.^[1] His maternal ancestry is French Canadian and his paternal ancestry is Italian. He attended St. Stephen's School (now St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School) and the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he first studied acting, graduating with a degree in history in 1983. After graduation, Meloni went to New York where he continued his studies with Sanford Meisner at the famed Neighborhood Playhouse.

Career

Meloni worked as a construction worker prior to getting his acting break. He has also worked as a bouncer, bartender, and personal trainer. Meloni worked his way up the acting ladder with short-lived TV series and bit parts in a number of films. His first noticeable role was as the hotheaded son of a Mafia Don in the 1996 thriller Bound. He also appeared as Robbie's friend Spike in Dinosaurs and Julia Roberts' fiance in Runaway Bride. His first real moment of stardom came in 1998 from his controversial role as bisexual sociopath Chris Keller in the HBO prison drama Oz. The role called for him to passionately kiss and touch other men, frequently display rear and full frontal nudity, and even urinate into a bucket. Meloni's raw magnetism and affable reaction towards the open sexuality of his character earned him press attention, particularly within the gay community, in which he is considered a sex symbol as evidenced by the existence of a number of fan sites ^[2]. In 1999, he even jokingly kissed his onscreen partner Lee Tergesen (who played Tobias Beecher, Meloni's on screen boyfriend on Oz) at an awards dinner for GLAAD. L&O producer Dick Wolf, impressed by Meloni's acting abilities, signed him up for SVU in 1999, where he has remained ever since. From 1999 to 2003, he appeared on both shows simultaneously. He even returned to his comedic roots when he portrayed the character "Gene" in Wet Hot American Summer in 2001, and the character of "Freakshow" (albeit in heavy make-up) in the 2004 comedy Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle. Meloni competed in the eighth series of Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown, finishing in second place, behind Robin Tunney, and ahead of Macy Gray, Joy Behar, and Andy Dick. He played for Feed the Children. He also appeared on Celebrity Jeopardy on November 10, 2006, defeating fellow Law & Order stars Sam Waterston and Kathryn Erbe. Meloni split his $50,000 charity prize between the Big Apple Circus Clown Care Program and the Montefiore Advocacy Center. Meloni was included in the 2006 edition of People magazine's Sexiest Men Alive. On July 6, 2006, Meloni was nominated for his first Emmy Award, in the category of Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, for his role as Elliot Stabler on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Personal life

Meloni and his wife Doris Sherman Williams (a production designer) have two children via surrogate mother: daughter Sophia Eva Pietra (b. March 23, 2001), and son Dante Amadeo (b. January 2, 2004). He wears a fake tattoo of the U.S. Marine Corps emblem (the eagle, globe, and anchor) on his arm for his role in SVU (as seen in an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (Season 8, Episode 8: "Underbelly" and Season 6, Episode 5: "Outcry"). He also has a tattoo of a butterfly on his upper thigh, and a cubist representation of the crucifixion of Christ tattooed on his upper left arm. Meloni is often confused with Elias Koteas, with whom he shares more than a passing resemblance.^[3][4]

Filmography

Television

References

External links

• Official website
• Christopher Meloni at the Internet Movie Database