Blue-eyed and testosterone-filled, Meloni worked as a construction worker before breaking into acting. He toiled in a number of small film roles and short-lived TV series before landing on
Oz in 1998 as a psychotic, bisexual murderer. His raw sexual energy and full-frontal nude scenes made him an audience favorite, even though his character was as likely to kill as kiss. The next year he started on
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as a moralistic but explosive detective and appeared on both shows concurrently until
Oz came to an end in 2003. To the heartbreak of his many gay fans, Meloni is straight and has two children with production designer wife, Sherman Williams.
Christopher Meloni Fast Facts:
- Left college during his junior year to try to find acting work in L.A., but after six weeks, he returned to Colorado.
- Studied acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City.
- Did some off-off-Broadway theater at the start of his career.
- Met his production designer wife Sherman Williams on an HBO set.
- Bears a resemblance to actor Elias Koteas.
- Christopher Meloni Relationships:
- Sherman Williams - Wife
- Cecile Meloni - Mother
- Dante Amadeo Meloni - Son
- Michele Meloni - Sister
- Robert Meloni - Father
- Robert Meloni Jr. - Brother
- Sophia Eva Pietra Meloni - Daughter
- Christopher Meloni Awards:
- 2006 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series - Nominee
- College:
- University of Colorado, Boulder, CO (BA, History, 1983)
