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Christopher Meloni
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Christopher Peter Meloni (born on April 2, 1961) is an American Emmy-nominated actor best known for his near opposite roles as the protective and committed Detective Elliot Stabler on the NBC drama series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and as the bisexual serial killer Chris Keller on HBO's Oz.
Contents
- 1 Biography
- 1.1 Personal life
- 1.2 Career
- 2 Trivia
- 3 Filmography
- 4 See Also
- 5 External links
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Biography
Personal life
Meloni is the surname of the Italian family who adopted his paternal grandfather (who may not have been born of Italian heritage). He is of French Canadian ancestry on his mother's side. Originally from Washington D.C., 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. Meloni and his wife
Doris Sherman Williams (a production designer) keep residences in New York, Los Angeles and Connecticut. They have two children via
surrogate mother: daughter Sophia Eva Pietra (b.
March 23,
2001), and son Dante Amadeo (b.
January 2,
2004).
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 lesbian 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 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 and legions of fans, particularly within the gay community. 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.
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.
Trivia
- While on The View, Meloni claimed that the episode of Oz where he is seen urinating nude received more mail from offended viewers than any other episode of the show.
- Also has a tattoo of a butterfly on his upper thigh.
Filmography
See Also
