Christopher Meloni facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Christopher Meloni
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Meloni in 2024
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| Born |
Christopher Peter Meloni
April 2, 1961 Washington, D.C., U.S.
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| Other names | Chris Meloni |
| Education | University of Colorado Boulder Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Doris Sherman Williams
(m. 1995) |
| Children | 2 |
Christopher Peter Meloni is an American actor. He is famous for playing NYPD Detective Elliot Stabler on the TV show Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. He was on this show from 1999 to 2011, and then returned in 2021 for its spin-off, Law & Order: Organized Crime. For his work, he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. He also played Chris Keller in the prison drama Oz from 1998 to 2003.
Meloni has also appeared in many movies. Some of his film roles include 12 Monkeys (1995), Runaway Bride (1999), Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004), 42 (2013), and Man of Steel (2013).
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Early Life and School
Christopher Meloni was born in Washington, D.C. on April 2, 1961. He is the youngest of three children. His mother, Cecile, was a homemaker, and his father, Charles, was a doctor who studied hormones. Christopher has an older brother and an older sister. His family background includes French Canadian and Italian roots.
He went to St. Stephen's School in Alexandria, Virginia. There, he was the quarterback for the school's football team. After high school, he attended the University of Colorado-Boulder. He took acting classes as extra subjects and earned a degree in history in 1983. After college, he moved to New York to continue studying acting. He took classes at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre.
Acting Career Highlights
Meloni started his acting career by appearing in commercials and small roles. His first notable part was in the 1996 thriller Bound. He also appeared in the TV show Dinosaurs in the early 1990s. From 1996 to 1997, he played Jimmy Liery in five episodes of NYPD Blue. In 1999, he was in the romantic comedy Runaway Bride with Julia Roberts.
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Famous TV Roles
From 1998 to 2003, Meloni played Chris Keller on the HBO series Oz. This role was very important for his career. In 1999, he was cast as Detective Elliot Stabler in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. He worked on both Oz and Law & Order: SVU at the same time until Oz ended in 2003.
Meloni was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2006 for his role as Elliot Stabler. In 2011, he left SVU after 12 seasons. His character, Elliot Stabler, was written out of the show as having retired. After almost ten years, Meloni announced in March 2020 that he would return as Stabler. He starred in a new spin-off show called Law & Order: Organized Crime, which started in 2021. He also appeared in a special crossover episode of SVU in 2021.
Other Notable Projects
In 2012, Meloni joined the cast of True Blood for its fifth season. He played Roman, a powerful, very old vampire. He also played Colonel Hardy in the 2013 Superman movie Man of Steel. In the same year, he played Brooklyn Dodgers manager Leo Durocher in the baseball film 42.
Meloni starred in and helped produce the Syfy series Happy!. This show was based on a comic book series and premiered in 2017. He also made guest appearances in the TV shows Pose in 2018 and The Handmaid's Tale in 2019.
Helping Others
Christopher Meloni has used his fame to help different charities. In 2004 and 2006, he played in Celebrity Poker Showdown on Bravo. He played for Feed the Children, an organization that helps kids.
He also appeared on Celebrity Jeopardy! in 2006. He won $50,000 for charity, which he split between the Big Apple Circus Clown Care Program and the Montefiore Advocacy Center. In 2009, he won $25,000 for Smile Train, a charity that helps children with cleft palates.
Personal Life
Christopher Meloni married Doris Sherman Meloni on July 1, 1995. Doris is a production designer. They have two children, a daughter born in 2001 and a son born in 2004. Mariska Hargitay, who played his partner on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, is the godmother to his daughter. They are still close friends.
Meloni has a few tattoos. One is a Cubist-style image of the crucifixion of Christ on his left arm. He also has a butterfly on his left thigh and a Chinese astrological chart of his family on his right leg. In 2007, he was honored by his high school. He was inducted into their athletic Hall of Fame as a member of the undefeated 1978 football team, where he was the quarterback.
In 2014, Meloni bought the house that was used in the old television show The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. In 2021, it was revealed on a TV show called Finding Your Roots that Meloni is a distant relative of Nancy Pelosi, a well-known American politician.
Selected Film and TV Roles
Christopher Meloni has had many roles in both movies and television. Here are some of his notable appearances:
Movies
- 12 Monkeys (1995)
- Bound (1996)
- Runaway Bride (1999)
- Wet Hot American Summer (2001)
- Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004)
- Green Lantern: First Flight (2010) - Voice role
- Man of Steel (2013)
- 42 (2013)
- They Came Together (2014)
- Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014)
- Marauders (2016)
- Snatched (2017)
- IF (2024) - Voice role
Television Shows
- Dinosaurs (1991–1994) - Voice role
- NYPD Blue (1996–1997)
- Oz (1998–2003)
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999–2012, 2021–2023, 2025)
- Law & Order (2000–2022)
- True Blood (2012)
- Veep (2014)
- Surviving Jack (2014)
- Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp (2015)
- Underground (2016–2017)
- Happy! (2017–2019)
- Pose (2018)
- The Handmaid's Tale (2019)
- Harley Quinn (2019–present) - Voice roles
- Law & Order: Organized Crime (2021–present)
Awards and Recognitions
Christopher Meloni has received several awards and nominations for his acting.
- In 1999, he won an OFTA Television Award for Best Guest Actor in a Cable Series for his role in Oz.
- He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in 2006 for his work on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
- In 2022, he won an ACCEC Award for Favorite Television Actor for Law & Order: Organized Crime.
See also
In Spanish: Christopher Meloni para niños
