Chris Meloni is an actor best known for his role as NYPD Detective Elliot Stabler in the legal drama series “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and its spin-off series “Law & Order: Organized Crime.” As an actor, he has shown great talents and strengths in taking on more serious and dramatic roles while still showing off some of his own personal charming characteristics.
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Meloni was born on April 2, 1961, in Washington, D.C. He attended school in Virginia and was his high school football team’s quarterback. He went on to find a true passion for acting and studied the art at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he also graduated with a degree in history in 1983. Afterward, Meloni returned to the east coast and continued striving to achieve his acting dreams in New York, and went on to study at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre.
Meloni picked up several jobs before hitting his break, including working as a construction worker, bartender and personal trainer. He began picking up small parts in commercials, TV series and films. He even worked alongside Julia Roberts in “Runaway Bride” in 1999. Still, nothing has quite compared to Meloni’s work in the “Law & Order” series, which has earned him plenty of fame and recognition. Other notable shows include “Oz” and “True Blood.”
Through it all, Meloni has also found time for love, and has been married to his wife Doris Sherman Williams for over 26 years. Read on to find out more about Meloni’s career, family life and long-lasting marriage.
Chris Meloni, Sherman Williams (2006), (Sylvain Gaboury/FilmMagic/Getty Images)
As a longtime cast member of the “Law & Order” franchise, Meloni has gained plenty of fame and plenty of fans. According to Style Caster, he first started on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” back in September 1999 and starred on the series for 12 seasons, leaving in May 2011. The actor then went on to reprise his role as Detective Stabler in “Law & Order: Organized Crime” in April 2021. Back in 2021, Meloni spoke with Entertainment Weekly about not missing his past gig when he wasn’t on the series, but that he was excited to make his return.
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He said:
“I would have no problem admitting to it. But I was pleasantly surprised it played out as well as it did. Because, you know, that’s not how life shakes out, right? You can have all the dreams you want, all the preconceived notions of how it’s going to be. But I must say, the intervening decade was everything I could have hoped for.”
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Meloni was proud that his character and Mariska Hargitay’s Olivia Benson never got together on the show. Meloni said that the cast and crew “always knew it would have been the death knell of that relationship, and that they “needed to keep that line taut but very clear.”
In his real life, Meloni has an extremely successful and thriving relationship with his wife – who prefers to go by the name Sherman. According to Style Caster, Sherman works in Hollywood as a production designer. She has played a part in movies such as “Night at the Golden Eagle” and “The Curse of Inferno.” Sherman also has talents as an art director and visual effects specialist.
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Chris Meloni, Sherman Williams (2007), (Jim Spellman/WireImage/Getty Images)
Meloni and Sherman first met in 1989 after Meloni saw his future wife riding her motorcycle to the set of a TV series he was working on, according to Style Caster. Sherman was with someone at the time, and when she met Meloni years later, he was dating someone.
Finally, they were able to get the timing right, and they moved in together after dating for six months, according to YourTango. Sherman had realized that Meloni was serious about her after he made some changes to his home. “There were two concrete steps in front of his house,” she said. “Chris had them cut out so I could get my cycle onto his lawn.”
As for Meloni, he fell in love with Sherman’s independent spirit, according to Good Housekeeping. The pair were together for about four years before tying the knot in July 1995 in a medieval-themed wedding on a Malibu beach. Nowadays, the couple has been married for over 26 years and will be celebrating their 27th anniversary in July 2022.
They also have two children: Sophia, who was born in March 2001, and Danta, who was born in January 2004. Speaking with YourTango in 2006, Meloni said, “I love my children beyond all reason. They’re my joy, even when they’re wild with kid energy.”
Meloni also told USA Today that he tries to empower his children. “I remember not having any power when I was growing up,” he said. “Power helps kids mature, and it requires critical thinking on their part. They feel engaged in a decision, which makes them feel engaged in the family process.”
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Chris Meloni, Sherman Williams (2011), (Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)
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