His two best known characters are on opposite sides of the law. On "Oz" (1997), he played Chris Keller, a bisexual, perverted serial killer who terrorizes his fellow prisoners. On _"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (1999)_, he plays Elliot Stabler, a sex-crimes cop so protective of his family and so intense in his hatred of criminals like Keller that he fantasizes about "getting away" with killing them. Ironically, Meloni's acting background is mainly in comedy.

Meloni and his wife live in New York City and have two children, Sophia and Dante, both born to them by a surrogate mother.

Son, Dante Amadeo, born January 2, 2004

First child, daughter Sophia Eva Pietra, born in Los Angeles. [23 March 2001]

Born in Washington, District of Columbia

An accomplished card shark.

Signed a deal to continue "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (1999) for two more seasons in which he will be paid $6.5 million annually (2007).

Particularly early on in his career, he was often confused for actor Elias Koteas.

Is often said to resemble a young Robert De Niro.

His two best known characters are on opposite sides of the law. On "Oz" (1997), he played Chris Keller, a perverted bisexual, sociopathic serial killer who terrorizes his fellow inmates. On "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (1999) , he plays Elliot Stabler, a sex-crimes investigator so protective of his family and so intense in his hatred of criminals, that like Keller, he fantasizes about getting away with killing them. Ironically, Meloni`s acting background is mainly in comedy.

Is half Italian, half French-Canadian (Quebecois)

Used to work as a bouncer, a bartender, and a personal trainer before launching his acting career.

Daughter Sophia Eva Pietra, born in Los Angeles on March 23, 2001. Son Dante Amadeo, born in New York on January 2, 2004. Both were born by a surrogate mother.

Originally from Washington DC, Chris now lives in New York with his production designer wife, Sherman Williams. Chris worked as a construction worker prior to getting his acting break. He got a degree in history at the University of Colorado.