Christopher Meloni, already one of Hollywood’s most successful television actors, solidifies his leading man status with a number of much-anticipated feature films. He will next be seen in Zack Snyder’s “Man of Steel,” opening in June. Meloni then stars in “Small Time,” with Bridget Moynahan and Dean Norris, due for a limited release later this summer.
In October, he co-stars with Josh Brolin, Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Eva Green, and Mickey Rourke in “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For,” the sequel to 2005’s screen adaptation of Frank Miller’s highly regarded graphic novel. Currently, Meloni is co-starring in the indie comedy “Awful Nice,” which premiered to great reviews at the 2013 SXSW Film Festival in Austin. He also has two other films awaiting release dates for 2013/2014: “They Came Together,” directed by David Wain and also starring Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, and Ed Helms; and “White Bird in a Blizzard,” based on the book of the same name by Laura Kasischke, with Shailene Woodley and Eva Green.
The Washington, D.C. native studied acting at the University of Colorado – Boulder before graduating with a degree in History. He worked in construction and as a bouncer before breaking into acting, studying his craft in New York with legendary teacher Sanford Meisner. Early on, he landed a number of small film roles and short-lived TV series, including “The Fanelli Boys,” before his breakout part on “NYPD Blue,” opposite Kim Delaney. That led to him winning a series regular role on HBO’s gritty series “Oz,” playing the psychotic, bisexual murderer Chris Keller, in an ensemble cast that also included J.K. Simmons, Lee Tergesen and Rita Moreno.
In 1999, he landed his starring role on the popular and long-running NBC series “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” with Meloni working in both series simultaneously until “Oz” ended its run in 2003. He continued on “Law & Order: SVU” for twelve seasons, earning an Emmy nomination for his performance as Detective Elliot Stabler. Meloni returned to television last year for an arc on HBO’s award-winning series “True Blood.” He has also logged roles on the HBO series “1st & Ten: The Championship,” NBC’s “Scrubs,” “Brooklyn South,” “Homicide: Life on the Street,” “Leaving L.A.” and “The Boys.”
Meloni’s other big screen credits include the Terry Gilliam films “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” and “Twelve Monkeys”; the Wachowskis’ first film “Bound”; the romantic comedy “Runaway Bride,” with Richard Gere and Julia Roberts; “Nights in Rodanthe,” with Gere and Diane Lane; and such cult favorites as “Wet Hot American Summer,” “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle,” and its first sequel, “Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay.”
This biography/filmography of Christopher Meloni is courtesy of Warner Brothers and the film, 42.
