Christopher Meloni (Actor)

Christopher Meloni attends a Dreamgirls screening afterparty (Photo: Andrew H. Walker / Getty Images)

Tall and athletically built, with a charming presence and an easy smile, brown-haired actor Christopher Meloni made a name for himself with unrelenting work in television movies and failed series, going on to secure some memorable big screen supporting roles as well as critically acclaimed starring turns on series television later in his career. The actor often took on Everyman nice guy roles, including an early turn on the CBS miniseries "In a Child's Name" (1991), playing the supportive husband of a woman seeking custody of her slain sister's baby and a regular role on the somewhat short-lived sitcom "The Fanelli Boys" (NBC, 1990-91), as the likably dim Frankie Fanelli. No stranger to the precariousness of series television, Meloni starred in the failed sitcoms "The Boys" (CBS, 1993) and "Misery Loves Company" (Fox, 1995), and the Los Angeles Coroner's Department-set drama "Leaving L.A." (ABC, 1997), before hitting his stride with a recurring role on HBO's powerful and critically lauded prison series "Oz". Meloni joined the cast in 1998, playing Chris Keller, an opportunistic inmate who occasionally showed compelling hints of a real conscience. Audiences used to the actor's smiling good looks and charm were surprised to see his finely-acted flashes of cold brutality. In the fall following his second season on "Oz", Meloni debuted on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (NBC, 1999- ), starring as Detective Elliot Stabler in this edgy spin-off of the long-running successful crime drama. Work in these two powerful series earned Meloni acclaim along with increased visibility, insuring the actor a more permanent place on the small screen than he had enjoyed with previous projects. Also counted among Meloni's television credits was a regular role on the HBO football series "1st & Ten, Do It Again" (1989-1990), voice work on two seasons on ABC's "Dinosaurs", and recurring parts on the police dramas "Homicide: Life on the Street" (NBC, as a bounty hunter), "NYPD Blue" (ABC, as an underworld figure who romanced an undercover Kim Delaney) and "Brooklyn South" (CBS). He has also worked extensively in television movies, including "When Will I Be Loved" (1990) on NBC, "Without a Kiss Goodbye" (1993) and "Mario Puzo's 'The Last Don'" (1997) on CBS and "A Dangerous Affair" (1995) and "Target Earth" (1998) on ABC.

Best known for his bountiful TV projects, Meloni nevertheless has racked up significant film credits during his career. He debuted on the big screen in 1994 with small roles in the comedies "Clean Slate" and "Junior". He followed with an appearance in Terry Gilliam's impressive time travel sci-fi thriller "12 Monkeys" (1995), and reteamed with the director for a small role in his 1997 adaptation of Hunter S Thompson's "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas". More notable was Meloni's acclaimed featured turn in the stylized crime film "Bound" (1996). The following year he starred in the little-seen but well-received romantic comedy "The Souler Opposite", playing an acerbic stand-up comedian who finds an unlikely love match in an idealistic political activist. In 1999, the actor showed his comedic strengths again with an especially likable performance in a more mainstream film, taking on the role of the exceptionally enthusiastic high school sports coach Bob, the latest fiance of Julia Roberts' "Runaway Bride". This role used Meloni's palpable nice guy presence to good effect, contrasting his earnest small town man with Richard Gere's jaded city-dwelling columnist.