Christopher Peter Meloni (born April 2, 1961) is an American actor known for his near opposite roles as Detective Elliot Stabler on the NBC drama series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and as Chris Keller on HBO's Oz.
Meloni was born the youngest of three children in Washington, D.C., the son of Cecile, a homemaker, and Robert Meloni, an endocrinologist. His maternal ancestry is French Canadian and his paternal ancestry is Italian. Meloni is a...
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Christopher Peter Meloni (born April 2, 1961) is an American actor known for his near opposite roles as Detective Elliot Stabler on the NBC drama series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and as Chris Keller on HBO's Oz.
Meloni was born the youngest of three children in Washington, D.C., the son of Cecile, a homemaker, and Robert Meloni, an endocrinologist. His maternal ancestry is French Canadian and his paternal ancestry is Italian. Meloni is a typical and widely diffused Sardinian surname. He attended St. Stephen's School (now St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School) and the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he first studied acting, graduating with a degree in history in 1983. After graduation, Meloni went to New York where he continued his studies with Sanford Meisner at the famed Neighborhood Playhouse.
Meloni worked as a construction worker prior to getting his acting break. He has also worked as a bouncer, bartender, and personal trainer. Meloni worked his way up the acting...
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