Christopher Meloni biography

Synopsis

Early Life

Born and raised in Washington, D.C., actor Christopher Meloni is the son of an endocrinologist and a stay-at-home mom. He admits that he was a bit of trouble maker growing up. "I did some bad things -- a little vandalism, stealing stuff," Meloni told People magazine. "I was the guy whose parents always had to come in for meetings at school."

A football player in high school, Meloni made the switch to acting in college. He attended the University of Colorado in Boulder. While he was officially a history major, Meloni took several drama courses. He even took time off from school his junior year to try to break into the entertainment business. After an unsuccessful stint in Los Angeles, Meloni returned to the university and completed his degree in 1983.

Soon after, Meloni moved to New York City, and honed his craft as a student at the Neighborhood Playhouse. He worked in construction and other jobs to support himself during the early days of his acting career. In the late 1980s, Meloni began to land some television work. He appeared in two short-lived series: the football comedy 1st & Ten and The Fanelli Boys, a sitcom about a group of brothers.

Career Highlights

Meloni has always made the most out of every role. In the late 1990s, he gave a series of memorable performances on such shows as NYPD Blue and Homicide: Life on the Street. He excelled at being a tough guy with his intimidating stature and presence. In the prison drama Oz, Meloni appeared as the ultimate baddie -- serial killer Chris Keller.

He seemed to embrace this dark and disturbing character, giving a critically acclaimed and highly nuanced performance. Audiences were also deeply engrossed in Keller's relationship with fellow inmate Tobias Beecher (Lee Tergesen), a former lawyer imprisoned for killing someone while driving drunk.

In 1999, Meloni enjoyed another wave of success. He appeared in the romantic comedy Runaway Bride as a jilted fiancé of Julia Roberts. On television, Meloni debuted his most famous character, Detective Elliot Stabler, on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. On the show, he and Mariska Hargitay play a pair of detectives who investigate sexually related crimes. In 2006, Meloni received an Emmy Award nomination for his work on the series.

Since beginning his role on Law & Order: SVU, Meloni has taken on a variety of other projects. He showed off his comedic talents in 2001's summer camp spoof Wet Hot American Summer, appearing opposite David Hyde Pierce, Janeane Garofalo, Bradley Cooper and Paul Rudd. While not a box office hit, the movie has become a beloved comedy cult classic.