Chris's daughter Sophia is Mariska Hargitay's Goddaughter. (edit) Meloni played Freakshow in the 2004 movie Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle. Most people don't realize it was him because he wore quite a bit of makeup for the role. (edit) In early 2007, Meloni signed a new two-year deal, worth $6.5 million annually, with Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. (edit) Since the start of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, Meloni appeared in 10 NBC The More You Know public service announcements, shedding light on the following topics: anti-prejudice, emergency planning, the environment, domestic abuse, substance abuse, drinking and driving, family communication, reading with your kids, internet safety, and parental involvement. (edit) Meloni starred in the 2002 movie Murder in Greenwich. (edit) The scar on Meloni's chin came from playing football. (edit) Meloni is slightly deaf in his right ear. (edit) Meloni admitts that one day he'd like to play Jesus. (edit) Meloni's favorite baseball team is the Washington Nationals. (edit) If on death row, Meloni's last meal would be venison, a great bottle of red wine, and tiramasu. (edit) Meloni's favourite horror movie is A Nightmare on Elm Street. (edit) On January 29, 2006 Meloni and CSI star Marge Helgenberger were guest presenters at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards. They presented the award for best male actor in a comedy series. (edit) On February 23, 2006, Meloni played in an NBA All-Star Celebrity Basketball Game, wearing number 28.
(edit) Meloni appears in a McDonald's commercial in which he plays Larry, a man on a blind date. (edit) In 2006, Meloni appeared on the children's show Sesame Street, where he sings and dances with Ernie. (edit) In the early 1980s, Meloni had recurring part on the NBC daytime drama Search for Tomorrow. (edit) Meloni plays Frank in the 2007 movie Carriers. (edit) Meloni's Relationships:

Sherman Williams - Wife
Robert Meloni - Father
Cecile Meloni - Mother
Michele Meloni - Sister
Robert Meloni Jr. - Brother
Sophia Eva Pietra Meloni - Daughter
Dante Amadeo Meloni - Son (edit) In one interview, Meloni confessed he is wild about Asian-influenced decor and spiritualism. (edit) As a child, Meloni attended St. Stephen's School in Washington, DC. (edit) Meloni was included in the 2006 edition of People Magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive." (edit) Meloni appeared on Celebrity Jeopardy November 10, 2006, defeating fellow Law & Order stars Sam Waterston and Kathryn Erbe. Meloni split his $50,000 charity prize between the Big Apple Circus Clown Care Program and the Montefiore Advocacy Center. (edit) Meloni competed in the 8th season of Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown, finishing in 2nd place, behind Robin Tunney, and ahead of Macy Gray, Joy Behar, and Andy Dick. He played for the charity Feed the Children. (edit) Meloni is a practicing Roman Catholic. (edit) Meloni appeared on Mad TV December 16, 2001. (edit) Meloni played Gene in the 2001 movie Wet Hot American Summer (edit) Meloni's fellow Emmy contenders included Kiefer Sutherland (24), Peter Krause (Six Feet Under), Martin Sheen (The West Wing) and Denis Leary (Rescue Me). (edit) Meloni and his family reportedly live at 56th and Broadway in Manhattan, with floor-to-ceiling views of Central Park. (edit) Meloni is known to chew Nicorette to cure his cigarette cravings. (edit) Meloni and Shermen married in 1995 on the beach in Malibu. They choose a medieval theme for their marriage. (edit) Meloni has a prayer rug on his living room wall that he bought in Turkey. (edit) Three of the most popular condiments in Meloni's house are: spicy mustard, apricot jelly, and ketchup for the kids. (edit) Meloni's former acting-school roommate died in the World Trade Center attack. Chris honoured him by giving the eulogy at the funeral, even though the body was never recovered. (edit) On February 13, 2006 Meloni was named Best Actor for his performance in A View from the Bridge by the Irish Theatre Awards. (edit) Meloni is an ardent collector of Asian rugs. (edit) Meloni's sister Michele, is a Washington social worker and his brother Robert Jr., is a Virginia accountant. (edit) Both of Meloni's children (Sophia and Dante) were carried by a surrogate mother. (edit) Meloni loves to water ski. (edit) Meloni has stated that by contract he is not allowed to snow ski, sky dive, or ride a motorcycle. (edit) Meloni was nominated for the 2006 Emmy Award for "Best Actor in a Drama Series" for his work as Elliot Stabler on the show Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. (edit) Meloni was interviewed on The View on May 3, 2005. (edit) Early in Meloni's career he was often confused with actor Elias Koteas. (edit) Meloni's background was in comedy acting before on taking on such serious roles such as those in Oz and Law & Order: Special Vicitms Unit. (edit) Meloni played a bisexual serial killer in the TV series Oz. (edit) Meloni and Sherman's son, Dante Amadeo, was born January 3, 2004. (edit) Meloni's heritage is half-Italian and half-French Canadian. (edit) Meloni attributes his great shape to his being a personal trainer before his career in acting. (edit) Meloni and Sherman’s first child was born on March 23, 2001. They named her Sophia Eva Pietra. (edit) Meloni earned a degree in History from University of Colorado. (edit) Meloni worked as a construction worker before getting into acting. (edit) Meloni's wife - Shermen - is a production designer. (edit) Meloni has only been married one time to Sherman Williams. They got married on July 1, 1995 and are still married today. (edit) Meloni is 6' ½” tall. (edit) Meloni's birth name is Christopher Peter Meloni. (edit) Meloni sometimes gets credited under the name 'Chris Meloni' instead of Christopher. (edit) Many people have said that Meloni resembles a young Robert De Niro, though he feels he doesn’t. (edit) Meloni was born on April 2, 1961, making his star sign Aries. (edit)

Christopher Meloni: (on why he did 'Oz'.)
I wanted to do it because it was Tom Fontana and then later because it was Lee. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on Keller and Beecher's relationship in 'Oz')
I loved that storyline, even though Lee [Tergeson] and I had to do some couples therapy over it. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on acting)
Outside of my family, it's the only thing that makes life worth living. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on Sophia seeing him nude in 'Oz')
She's already seen me nude plenty of times in real life, so ... what's the big deal? (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on life)
I believe in doing ones best not to fuck with others because it's just not nice to do- I've fallen short of that goal many times but it is always a philosophy that is with me (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on 'SVU' costar Ice-T)
I love Ice - [he's a] great guy, very cool, funny and smart. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on sexuality)
I may be a sarcastic asshole at times but I think anybody who knows me would know sexual orientation is so irrelevant to me and the friends in my life. Also I think being in the "arts" I am surrounded by gay, bi etc and most all have made there peace with who or what they are- it's a non issue. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on experience)
I'm always learning from experiences because each one is different and there are different players involved in the project [at the time] with their own way of doing things. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on sincerity)
I never find sincerity offensive...so, be sincere. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on a happy ending for Beecher and Keller)
I'd have them break out of OZ together run and hide, assume new names and identities. Keller would run a laundromat and beecher would be a stay at home kinda wife. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on wisdom he'd like to impart on his children)\
Hate is a draining bottomless pit from whence nothing good or of any value can come. Try to eat a balanced diet. Guys only want one thing. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on fans quoting his lines)
any time one's quotes are used to break the tedium...well I think that is the mark of having made it. Inspiration came from the writing and my interpretation of them words and from the hope that you would be uttering the stuff long after I had shot it. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on what he finds sexy)
Passion about things, forthrightness, smarts, clean breath. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on blockbusters)
I rarely see one of the 'summer blockbuster' movies. I'd like to see a stronger focus on smaller, smarter movies. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on catching up with Lee Tergeson)
We'll call each other every day just to say hi and find out what each is wearing etc- ya know, guy stuff. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on lines that he has felt are 'hokey')
I make it known how I feel, I suggest a change and if it all is for naught I think of what is emotionally behind the words and not the words themselves. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on Lee Tergesen)
Acting with Lee - now THAT'S when I get tingly all over. Lotta love for him as a person and actor. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on photo manipulation)
Some people have a lot of time on their hands to do some very strange things. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on conformity)
[I'm] not a big fan of organizations, conformity to others imposed ideas, being told what to do and others rules in general. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on how he approaches life)
[I do so by] trying to find kindness within myself, trying to listen to others, all the while trying to understand the chaos and confusion that is life. And I try to work out. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on Ice-T's language in 'SVU')
I think Ice cornered the market on naughty talk! (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on what Chris Keller would give Tobias Beecher for their 10th anniversary)
A whole day at Helena Rubenstein spa and then a beating.
(edit) Christopher Meloni: (on Tom Fontana)
He is a man of moral integrity. He's generous in spirit. He possesses the best qualities of being human. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on introducing Lee Tergesen to the band Tool)
The music is sinuous, textured, intelligent. I just connect. I think I helped Lee see the light. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on acting techniques)
The Meisner technique is actually what I studied and it made sense to me. It was the first formal system that I was introduced to. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on fame)
IfI could only get people to rub my belly for good lucky and then throw money in my fountain, it'd be a perfect world.
(edit) Christopher Meloni: (on fame)
I wanted to be good, I figured if that happens other things will fall into place.
(edit) Christopher Meloni: (on Tom Fontana's Library)
[It's] the most impressive private library I've ever seen. So big there's even a catwalk to get to all the books.
(edit) Christopher Meloni: (on the seasons)
[I love] feeling the crispness of fall and the sensuality of spring. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on if he'd ever do a movie with Jet Li)
I'd only do it if I could hold my own against him for a good 10 minutes before he destroyed me. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on TV)
TV's hard work. I don't know how the hell Angela Lansbury survived doing 'Murder, She Wrote' all those years. And sure, everyone wants to be Bruce Willis or George Clooney- they want to be in film for the range of characters you get to play. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on Richard Gere who he worked with in 'Runaway Bride')
He was so nice to me, and I'm not just blowing bubbles up your skirt. When shooting was over, he gave me a big hug and said, 'It was so nice working with you. You were an inspiration.' (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on Coach Bob in 'Runaway Bride')
Coach Bob was really tricky to play, because you really have to make the audience like the guy, but at the same time, you have to make people feel he's not quite right for Julia Roberts without making him into a buffoon. It was a tightwire. He loves football, loves kids. It's just unfortunate that the woman he's with needs more than that. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on playing Jimmy Leiry in 'NYPD Blue')
Jimmy Liery was really kind of poetic. He's a romantic, with the soul of the devil. He's such a scumbag, but there's an allure to his tragedy. And things really did open up for me after that. It really struck a chord. You can do the best work in the world in independent film, but if no one sees it...If exposure is what you want, television's a great medium. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on versitility)
People don't know where to place me. Terry Gilliam used me as a quirky cop in 'Twelve Monkeys', and then he hired me again to be an effeminate hotel clerk in 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas'. Another time, I was shooting this indie film 'The Souler Opposite' [and] six days a week, I'm playing this big puppy dog, then I come to the 'NYPD Blue' set and become this scumbag. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on the similarities between Elliot Stabler and himself)
Stabler and I are alike in that we’re focused on our job and couldn’t see doing anything else with our lives. He’s a rock solid guy, with a great capacity for compassion, the ironic, and the absurd. He can relish the small triumphs when they come and doesn’t allow the horrors of his job to infect him. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on "Ripped" the episode he was nominated for)
It was my great big scene, and, yes, there were. I thought it was special in that the scene takes up one full act, the whole third act, a 12-minute scene. I thought, I'm doing a one-act play right here. When you have to sustain a scene for 12 minutes, it better have a lot of peaks and valleys. And the stuff was here in the script. I went back to my roots of looking at a scene, breaking it down. I was very pleased to do it. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on being nominated for an Emmy)
It took me about three weeks to finally download it. It was an accumulation of all my friends slapping me in the face, saying, 'This is public recognition. This is important.' And I said, 'You're right. I've got it.'

It's funny: I never meant to be disrespectful or dismissive of the honor. I'm just kind of happy with how my life was going. Now that I've had a little time to reflect ... I'm surrounded by great, highly excitable people, and they got me really fired up. Now I'm like, 'This is really cool.' I'm really excited about the whole shenanigans and hoopla. Say what you will about Hollywood and its awards ceremonies; they do know how to throw a party. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on the Emmy nomination)
It's almost like official recognition, from this real entity. That as nebulous as it may be, here's a real power structure. And the power structure said 'You're doing great work.'" (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on and to God)
It feels as though I know you're there. I just wish I had a system to bring him closer. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on Los Angeles)
Downtown was the new frontier! ... When I was there I was like, 'Oh, this traffic...' (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on possible romance for Stabler)
It's about time I got a little bit of this action! (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on 'getting better with age')
I take this art very seriously and passionately. I love what I do. You can't help but grow. That's not to say you don't make mistakes or make bad choices, but that's part of the art. Painters paint [bad] paintings. I give so much credit to the writers because they're always looking to give us juicy stuff to play, to intertwine our personal lives into the mandate, which is to tell a good crime story. Hopefully, we're ever evolving.
(edit) Christopher Meloni: (on what he'd wear to the Emmy's)
I've got my best ripped jeans, and I'll see if my wife puts the kibosh on them or not. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on co star Marika Hargitay reaction to his Emmy nomination)
She was funny, because she was the salty old veteran giving me loving advice. "See Chris, now this is the truth. You have been nominated, and that's the truth." Whenever I didn't get nominated, and everyone around me would be disappointed, I would say, "Look, I tell you truthfully, it's fine. Awards don't mean anything." But then once it happens... Mariska was kind of my Zen master. So I embraced it and accepted it and said, "Yes, it is the way." (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on Tim Busfield)
He and I worked together on an independent movie and later we bumped into each other a couple of times. I loved working with him; I respected him immensely because he really expanded himself into producing and directing, and I respected him on the film for his taste, his talent and his eye for things. The film was called 'The Souler Opposite'. And then we bumped into each other recently at the NBC upfronts. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on newcomer Connie Nelson)
It changed it in every way imaginable behind the scenes the way things are run because she has her own thing. She goes at her character in a different way. She was a lot of fun. I loved working with. Her character was a little more tomboyish which was kind of nice because she doesn't have a tomboy face. She plays a warrant officer. That's a different way of approaching the job because you serve the warrant and that's it. In our unit, it's a little bit different. You have to wear a couple of more hats in the special victims unit the confessor, the psychologist and the interrogator. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on "Ripped" the episode of 'SVU' he was nominated for an Emmy for)
[It's about a baseball player subjected to] 'roid rage and attacks a girl and can't remember what transpired. I know his father, who is a cop, so I try to help. The episode kind of evolves into how I am bending my moral standards and am losing my center. I think at least as far as if someone were to sit down and look at the acting part of it, in the third act, it takes place in one office and it's one scene for the whole 12 minutes. It's me going to a psychiatrist played by Mary Stuart Masterson and kind of opening up. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on doing comedy with 'SVU' co star Mariska Hargitay)
Oh, I'd love that. People think, because of the roles we play, we're really serious. I assure you we are not! (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on acting)
I really love to act; I love everything about it. I've never had this addiction to being known. I mean, sure, if you go into acting, there's part of you that is saying, 'I want attention' but I was brought up to work to deserve attention, and it is the work, not the trappings that are important. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on 'SVU')
We don't really get our due, but I think that's all right. It's good to keep us on edge. All I ever wanted to do is something good enough that I can hold my head up when I walk down the street - and I actually did hundreds of pilots that, had they been picked up, I would've been hiding my face every time I went outside. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on going back to be Elliot Stabler after a break)
I put the jacket on, strap the gun on the hip, and it's there. After nearly seven years, it's almost Pavlovian. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on his personal challenges in playing Eddie Carbone in 'A View to the Bridge')
My biggest worry is that my voice will hold up. Unfortunately, I have to talk during the day, since I am entertaining my children by doing things like Sponge Bob voices. This is our family's first trip to Ireland, and the thing I find most striking about the country is the weather. It's not just that it's unpredictable, but there truly seem to be spirits in the air. I now know where James Joyce and Bono get their ideas. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on Eddie Carbone in 'A View to the Bridge')
I think he's a man who's caught up in this particular circumstance, this particular junction in his life, where what he sees as his code of honor is tested by this passion that was previously unrevealed to him. He's definitely a product of his world; he's a little ignorant and he's unreflective. I think, today, we would use the catchphrase that he's living in denial. In the end, he's surviving the only way he can, even if it means betraying his family . (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on why he took the role in 'View to the Bridge')
In television, the writing has to come very quickly. But you know that Miller spent years writing and rewriting this play, so what's set down has truly been set in cement. That, to me, is very cool. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on 'View to the Bridge's' director Mark Brokaw)
Working with Mark has been great. He has the ability to nurture, to coax the best possible performance from you in a positive way. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on Irish audiences)
I've gotten standing ovations a couple of nights, which they don't usually do over here," the actor says. "Other nights, some people have stood up and others didn't, and I thought, 'Good for you.' In the States, you're thought of as a begrudger if you don't stand up. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on working in Ireland)
I had great faith in Irish actors, that they'd be hip to the whole theatre thing, and they are. I had no illusions of coming over here as some kind of big shot. It's been a learning experience for me too. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on getting an erection during sex scenes)
Some get offended. They should consider it a compliment! (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on Lee Tergeson)
[Lee is] an amazing kisser! (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on his fans)
Girls, guys . . . whatever. It's just nice that people are watching. 'Oz' got me the gay guys and the fat girls [Keller married a 'well-built' lady in the series], and then on 'Law and Order' I got the other girls. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on his beginings)
I was working part-time as a bouncer, performing in these stupid fucking plays with eight people on the stage and four people in the audience. I went hungry sometimes. It wasn't a whole lot of fun. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on 'View from a Bridge')
You just don't turn your back on Arthur Miller and an opportunity like this! (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on he took the role in 'View from a Bridge')
Trust me, buddy, it wasn't the money. You know, no matter what I say, the motivation is going to sound hokey, a little holier-than-thou even - but I did it for the love of the exploration! (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on being "deleted" from 'Pretty Persuasion')
I took off all last summer to do that. I read the script, loved the script, they wanted me for a role - and I couldn't do it because of a conflict. So I said, 'Give me this other role'. One scene. I loved it because it was a real skeezy guy, you know? And it was fun. Bad hair, bad moustache; the description was, I was 'a little troll'. I had 'em lift my desk up ... and I was, like, shining my shoes, size six shoes, real tiny.

But they called and said - and, you know, I understood it - they said it 'broke the rhythm of the storyline'. So that's the long version of what happened. The short version is, they cut me out. I'm still pissed off. And I understood it, the reason they gave. Well, either that, or I sucked. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on Elliot Stabler from 'SVU')
He has this need for justice, so that he'll sometimes just ... just to get the conviction, you know? If he can tip the scale a little bit he'll tip the scale.
(edit) Christopher Meloni: (on how Elliot Stabler from 'SVU' would view Eddie Carbone from 'A View from a Bridge')
I think Elliot Stabler would be familiar with these guys. He was brought up in Queens. He'd be familiar with this cast of characters. Elliot has a clear compass - his psychological problems are just different from Eddie's, that's all. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on the cultural conflict in 'A View from a Bridge')
It's very much an 'us versus them' thing. And it has a lot to do with what's going on now with Muslim communities. You know, they come over and they stay with their own kind. Well, every generation of immigrants has done that. But then there's a question of how many of their customs are they allowed to bring with them - which calls into question who's right, or what's right. A question of the balance between 'us' and 'them'. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on relating to the cultural conflict in 'A View from a Bridge')
My parents grew up in that atmosphere. That you did things a certain way - and nobody ever stopped to question why, until the new generation comes along. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on playing Eddie Carbone in 'A View from a Bridge')
He's a man who lives in a world of honours and codes. Everybody goes through life believing they follow a structure, or strictures - and then all it takes is a deep passion beyond reason to cause you to break all these time-honoured, death-before-dishonour type codes. So then you wonder, is it just part of the human condition to be living a life of denial? Not expressing fully what you are, what you feel? (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on doing theatre)
The reason why I hate working in theatre is the tedium of memorisation. But once that is done, then you feast on this never-ending meal. If you play it correctly, every night is fraught with very high stakes that are very difficult to find in everyday life. Then, what I hate - and love - about theatre is that the performance can be perfect one night and then miserable the next. The elusiveness of it. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on 'A View from a Bridge')
[Doing this play is hard] in every sense. Physically, mentally and emotionally. I've been waking up at night and reciting lines and stuff. [But] I thought it would be kind of interesting. [And] for now, I just know that it has something to do with a challenge. What kept going round in my head is that "you have to suffer for your art". (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on the demands of 'SVU')
After nine months of the SVU season - 15-hour days, every day - you're just ... more liquid than solid. You're done. They really have to pour you into a wheelbarrow and take you home and say, 'See you in three months'. It feels like I'm in boot camp. I mean, it has been this ... this beautifully hellish experience. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on his future in 'SVU')
I’ve never worked so hard, having come in already pretty banged up, and there’s also an accumulative effect of doing it for over six years. You’re limping a little bit. It’ s hard to say that but it’s the truth. You get mentally and emotionally beat up. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on global warming)
The creative coalition has asked me to jump in, which is a bunch of concerned artists getting together. But it’s tough to be part of a group, because if I’m not on with the whole agenda I don’t feel right about lending my name. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on being typecast)
I have worried about getting pigeon-holed, but now I think I’ve done enough weird, offbeat stuff not to be. And I also know that I do things for the right reasons: I’ve made my money, so I don’t have to say yes to anything. I think just to have a worthwhile show on network television is very difficult because of the natural constraints that the advertisers put on you. It is what it is: those are the waters you’re swimming in. But I just find it more interesting outside that box. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on being Elliot Stabler)
You’ve got to get away from this person (Stabler) and this dark, intense place that you are in. And you’ve got to get away from what I call lock-and-load shooting: if your rehearsal takes more than 15 minutes you’re behind schedule. It ain’t deep. You’re trying to cook gourmet food in a fast food restaurant and there’s an inherent pressure to that. When you’re offered a play and you come here, you know you’re going to be able to have an incubation period, really go to a deeper level. It’s a great challenge. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on realising he's an actor)
The first acting class I took, not only was I bit by it, I also had the sense that I was good at it. But I didn’t allow myself to accept that; whether it’s because you’re not allowed to have that type of ego, or you’re not allowed to be an actor. I think it’s like someone having to come to terms with being gay before finally coming out of the closet. It took a while to let the penny drop in my soul and finally commit to it. I don’t commit to things lightly, I guess. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on fame)
I think I’m healthily ambitious, but I do know others who do things that I would never dream of to forward their ambition. As you get older, celebrity for me is like candy. The first bite is awesome, it’s the best chocolate you’ve ever had. So you have a second bite and it’s pretty darn good. Third bite I don’t feel so good. Fourth bite I’m sick to my stomach. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on moving back to New York)
I was in LA five years and met my wife there, but New York was just tugging at my soul, so I had to go back. And I had no prospects, I had nothing. But this is just like Hollywood: it’s like trying to date the popular girl who always blows you out. As soon as you ignore them they come calling. I haven’t been unemployed since I moved out of there. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on his plans outside of acting)
I'd like to go away for six months and learn to kiteboard and windsurf. I love pinochle, I love chess and I love windsurfing. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on his imput into 'SVU')
I'm very involved in giving script notes, helping to structure the script, throwing out ideas, throwing out directing ideas. I fell I have a very good collaborative relationship with everyone involved, including the people on the West Coast who edit. They nourish that environment; they are very amenable to getting ideas. You feel you are really part of what's going on. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on exhuastion)
I love my lifestyle now, but at the end of nine months, you're toast. You are toast. It's like running a marathon. You can’t think while you're doing it. Especially when different directors come in who are not part of the posse, the circle. They come in with new and vibrant ideas, which is great. And yet they don't always fit into … well, unfortunately there's a kind of time constraint here. Even with that, we're working 15-hour days. It's like being at the 20-mile marker of the marathon and having a guy just joining the race. It's a strange energy to get acclimated to. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on doing films)
I would like to do film. There are two ways to go about this business. One is to be well respected and one is to be commercially viable so you get those great shots - the Tom Hanks shots. Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, they get first dibs on any project, be it ivory merchant, indie or commercial.

I have no qualms about doing a commercial film. Getting the action hero role or doing a funny or obvious commercial comedy - all options are on the table, although I don't think I do well with fluffy stuff. Vin Diesel just made 'The Pacifier' God bless him, I thought it was a bold movie. Good for him. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on his parents)
I think their creed or their motto has been that it doesn't matter what you do, just be very smart at it and be very good at it. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on how a doctor's son ended up an actor)
My dad played piano, and he had a little talent there. My mom loved to sing. My sister has her masters in theater. We were a family of dabblers, repressed hams in our own way. I think I was the least repressed. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on comedy)
I think to be a successful comic, you have to be exceptionally smart and exceptionally perceptive. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on doing comedy)
It was unbelievably difficult. In order to be a successful comic — unless you’re a natural - ... it’s all in the timing and the phraseology. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on his home town's reaction to his community work)
I came from a conservative Republican background. I grew up in Alexandria, Virginia, and although it was a suburb of Washington DC, it was still in many ways a small, southern town. It was kind of provincial and limiting, and people were just not aware of the issues of human … I don’t want to say human suffering, but … the problems that can come with being a human being. A city like New York has clashing cultures and clashing ideas and big ideas, but these sorts of things weren’t being thrown in the air and bandied about where I came from. In suburbia things are really ironed out as cleanly as possible. But my parents are great. Everyone’s very tolerant, highly educated.
(edit) Christopher Meloni: (on the gay community and 'Oz')
The gay community was very ... um ... appreciative and affected by my character, in a myriad of ways ... from the shower scenes to the acting—or at least I like to think so. I feel as though they are an oppressed minority. They’re institutionally oppressed. Just ask the [Church]. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on doing Public Service Announcements)
I’ve also done PSAs for—I don’t know what the politically correct way to say it is—gay issues. Topics having to do with awareness, respect, at-risk children in high school who are being picked on because they’re gay, bisexual, sexually confused or transgendered. Since being on this show I’ve also branched out into abuse issues, obviously focusing on women, but also children.
(edit) Christopher Meloni: (on where he learnt his ethics)
My old man, and my mom — both my parents. My mother raised three children on her own and my dad was a doctor working 16 hours a day. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on relationship drama)
Affairs, drama — that’s complicated stuff. I’m not a fan of complicated. There's so much energy expended in personal drama, in having a dramatic life. People get addicted to the drama.
(edit) Christopher Meloni: (on doing both 'Oz' and 'SVU')
It was great for the first two years, and then the last one got a little difficult. But when you’re a working actor—and that’s what you keep saying in your head, how blessed you are to have a job—and you are working with heavyweights, working with the best guys in TV, it’s pretty cool. Exhausting, but cool.

(edit) Christopher Meloni: (on Shermen)
She isn’t demanding. And she’s totally calm. The most she says is, 'I really need you to do this...' (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on pacing himself)
De Niro was a hero of mine. And Sean Penn. But I’ve realized I can’t operate at that level of intensity. That’s okay for movies. On TV, when you live with horror day in and day out, you have to protect yourself. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on his children)
I love my children beyond all reason. They’re my joy, even when they’re wild with kid energy. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on 'SVU')
'Law & Order' bleeds it out of you, five days a week, sometimes six, 14 to 15 hours a day eating lunch standing up, using your time in your trailer to study or make phone calls. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on why he and wife Shermen waited so long to have kids)
Without a certain amount of money, there’s stress. I know I’m definitely more relaxed with a couple of bucks in my pocket. So, in 1995, I didn’t feel I could establish a career as an actor and commit to kids at the same time (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on future projects outside of acting)
I still have a dream of one day - I would love to hire a semi-retired contractor and just build a house - him and I building a house for me. I would truly love to do that. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on ethics)
I've always admired the guy who was just straight up, straight forward about an honest buck for an honest days' work. He could be whatever he wants to be as long as he's a non-bullshitter. He's not looking to scam anyone. He just wants to do his thing. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on New York and how he and Stabler from 'SVU' differ)
There's something about New York and just being real - - very real. New York is what it is. I think the stereotype is, they're not going to bullshit you ... I guess that's the stereotype of the average New Yorker who will give it to you straight. When I first came to New York, I felt like I was born here and I felt like it was where I belonged. I think all of my life I've felt that attitude. Certain parts of life are ... either black or it's white. There are very few shades of gray. There are rights and there are wrongs. There's a part of me that I think is maybe what you see in this particular character - that attitude. But, there are other parts of me where I'm like, "No, there are lots of shades of gray." And you know, I'm not judgmental, but there are certain things where there are injustices concerned. I think that's what comes off with this guy and I think that's kind of what it is. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on fans)
I'm just an actor, but if the extra part of it is that I'm helping people or people are being helped by the virtue of what we're doing, then that's just a really nice added extra. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on fans)
It is a weird feeling to have people go, "Hey Chris" like they know me. But, number one, 99 percent of my experiences have been really cool. People couldn't be nicer and more positive. Then in the really special cases, I've had people who have been victims of either incest, molestation, sexual assault or that sort of thing and they've really let me know what a great service that we're doing and what a great thing we've done for them to help them come to terms about changing their viewpoint of being a victim to being a survivor, or just really getting a clearer perspective on what happened and who they are now. It's kind of cool. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on acting in 'SVU')
If you're an actor who is really dedicated in doing the job that I do in whatever that may be, whether you want to call it pretending or make believe or playing, or hopefully making your craft work - I think you've got to invest yourself. I think that costs you a little bit, even though it may be make believe. You know, if you read a script about a certain thing happening to a child - - you have to dredge up things from your own personal life in order to make that work, in order to connect to what's on the page. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on 'Oz' actors that showed up in 'SVU')
We had JK Simmons kind of doing the BD Wong psychiatrist and that was never set in cement. I think they were just kind of testing to see how he worked out in there. I think the fact that he's not with us does not mean he didn't work out. They just went a different way. And yeah, we had Dean Winters. I think they didn't know what to do with his character. I don't know whether it was nice or not to have them. I knew them from 'OZ' and I was like, "I don't know if I can get used to you guys." It was weird, like they shouldn't be there. I love them. I love them both. They are great actors and great guys. It was just weird.
(edit) Christopher Meloni: (on the issues both 'Oz' and 'SVU' deal with)
I always think that there is an adherent bloodlust in people, but what I'm very pleased to be a part of is that, even though the stories may be rough, I don't think we present them in prurient manner or with an eye towards trying to titillate with gross out or really kind of disgusting stuff. I think we present extreme aspects of human behavior and hopefully get at times, messages across or bring issues to the table or as we so often say, shed light into the dark crevices of human nature.
(edit) Christopher Meloni: (on crime dramas)
I think the 'Law & Orders' tell the stories differently. I think we do a good job at what we do. I'm very impressed that we never fell into the trap of 'Rape of the Week.' I'm pretty proud of the issues that kind of get sewn into the fabric of the script.
(edit) Christopher Meloni: (on the link between himself and Chris Keller in 'Oz')
I don't see much of me in him, but I don't think he's a victim. He has a very clear idea of how he operates and why he operates. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on being part of 'Oz')
I couldn't have been more pleased with the stuff [director] Tom Fontana wrote for me, and I couldn't have been more pleased to be doing it with Lee.

This is stuff that an actor would give his left arm for. You get to show the extremes of human behavior in a very intelligent, thoughtful way, even, if, at times, it was brutal and manipulative. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on fame)
It's great to be recognized when I'm looking for a table at a crowded restaurant, but I still don't put it to best use. I'm such a lump. I won't cut the line. It's my Catholic guilt. I gotta get used to it. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on the fatherhood and child abuse cases on 'SVU')
It's made me ultrasensitive to the realities of what we portray. That little girl who disappeared in Florida and they found her behind some trailer because of some scumbag ... I can't do it anymore. As soon as I see some kid's picture flash up there, I'll get so sad and dark and angry. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on versitility)
When I portray Stabler, I have to shave every day and cut my hair every week! And then, I really like to change my looks for films like 'Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle' where I have the pleasure of playing the ugliest man in the world. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on preparing for the role Chris Keller in 'Oz')
You couldn't imagine the places where I hung out in order to prepare to be Keller – and the 'Oz' set, because it was so realistic, was equally oppressive. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on Keller in 'Oz' and Stabler in 'SVU')
People often believe that cops are just bad guys who have turned good. Especially in New York where cops and gangsters are everywhere. But I don't see any link between them, in any case between Stabler and Keller. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on nudity in 'Oz')
Personally I’ve only ever had a problem with nudity on one occasion. I had this shower scene in ‘Oz’ and they stuck me in the middle with these big black guys on either side. And I mean BIG. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on both he and Lee Teregeson being straight but playing gay roles)
I guess where pretty lucky that we never had to defend our personal lives. And we’ve been able ot bust down an audience’s perceptions through our other projects. But I could see someone like Rupert Evert doing something similar. He seems pretty ballsy. Although I’m not to sure if he’d necessarily be as fine with spreading his butt cheeks as I am. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on Keller and Beecher's relationship in 'Oz')
You can never estimate what the strength of their love for each other is. All you can measure is the growth – or lack of growth – in their relationship. I mean Keller tried everything to win Beecher back. He murdered in bizarre attempts to get Toby to love him again, which just shows how confused he was about the whole [love] thing. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on the romantic relationships in 'Oz')
That's just an extreme version of real life anyway. It’s all so base: love, hate, envy. It’s those things that we feed the human animal when we’re caught up in these intense passions. In this instance, you add to that mix, some people who are caged like rats before throwing in a whole lot of testosterone. There are obviously going to be consequences. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on being friends with Lee Teregeson)
We’re really close. For us that made representing Keller and Beecher’s intimacy easier. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on kissing Lee Teregeson at the GLAAD awards)
As an actor you relish the chance to tweak the audience’s perception as to what’s supposedly ‘normal’ ... And – of course – to have ourselves some fun! (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on the gay scenes in 'Oz')
I do get asked was it difficult to do it and the truth is, it really wasn’t ... Few roles actually push things in terms of what is and what isn’t acceptable. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on Keller's relationship with Sister Peter Marie in 'Oz')
How many opportunitues do you get to seduce a nun? Come on, wouldn’t everyone try and climb such a steep? I’ve always wanted to corrupt a nun. I’m Catholic for Christ’s sake.
(edit) Christopher Meloni: (on why Chris Keller charms in 'Oz')
Maybe it's the way he uses his cock as a weapon. A lot of people did that sexually charged persona. And you know, he’s extremely manipulative. He exercised that power in the outside world before doing it all again while incarcerated. [But] then of course he did much the same to lot of the show’s fans. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on returning to 'Scrubs')
I've got John C. McGinley working on it. I fully intend and hope that I do come back, because I thought it was a very rich and funny character and a good foil for McGinley's character [Dr. Cox]. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (how he got the part in 'Scrubs')
I'm a shameless brown-noser. I met [creator] Bill Lawrence -- and I don't usually say this -- but I went up to him and said 'Your show rocks. I love the skewed perception, I love the whole way you tell the story. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on "finding" acting)
It was so great. I understood. I was finally smart at something. I knew certain things - inherently - like the guys in math class who just had a feeling for numbers. I had that with acting.
(edit) Christopher Meloni: (on dealing with the horrors that 'SVU' deals with)
You know, when I was doing the research all these guys, all these detectives, be they in homicide or SVU they really have gallows humour, except when it is a crime that deals with children, and then there's a real quiet, somber focused attitude. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on the effects of the storylines in 'SVU')
I think they do a great job with writing the scripts and kinda portraying, you know, all the dynamics of these horrible crimes. Combine that with the fact that I'm a father ... now I can't read about children disappearing or dying, that sort of thing. I can't-- on the personal side of things I don't deal with it anymore. I just-- I don't read the paper. I don't read those stories in the paper. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on fatherhood)
I had no expectations about fatherhood, really, but it's definitely a journey I'm glad to be taking. Number one, it's a great learning experience. When my mother told me it's a 24/7 job, she wasn't kidding. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on fame)
It's just nice to work hard and be rewarded, which is having lots of people watch. And the icing on the cake is for me is to be able to walk around with pride, feeling that the product you put out is worthy of being watched. But honestly, it's not a big deal. I don't put too much stock in fame or celebrity anyway. I don't put it in the 'important' box. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on language censorship in 'SVU')
At times, we stoop to very pedestrian standards when we don't use language that's fitting to the scene and the emotional content of what's being expressed. It doesn't have to be [the F word], or anything like that, but a good 'shit' and a 'goddamn' can go a long way. For me as a viewer, [not having dialogue like that] takes me out of a scene. This is not the world we live in generally, and especially not at a police station. These people are under duress and stressed out. But aside from that, I feel as though I've got a good handle on what to do at 'SVU/. I know who we're playing and what it's all about. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on switching between playing Stabler in 'SVU' and Keller in 'Oz')
Actually, if I had my way, I think it'd be easier for me to go from 'OZ' to 'SVU'. It's easier to have the aperture wide open for the Keller character and then tighten it up for Stabler, as opposed to going from a very tight, linear character into a more openly expressive guy. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on Chris Keller's relationship with Tobias Beecher in 'Oz')
It's a unique element to the show. I was just playing one script at a time, one scene at a time. I'm not one to look too further or too grander than that. So I was surprised by their popularity and have found it wonderfully curious. It's the only ongoing relationship and semblance of romance in this twisted world that Tom (Fontana, OZ's creator) has painted. Anybody who does have a relationship in Oz ends up getting raped, killed or blinded. Beecher and Keller have definitely had their ups and downs, but at least their relationship is going strong. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on doing both 'Oz' and 'SVU' at once)
It's been exceedingly difficult for me. I never wanted to admit that before. But it's true. I think that part of the problem is I lived with just the detective for nine months out of the year and then all of the sudden while I'm still playing this detective, I'm asked to be this other entity. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on doing both 'Oz' and 'SVU' at once)
Both productions have been more than kind in my desire to do both shows. What happens is usually I'll film all my stuff on 'OZ' on Friday mornings. That means that if I wrap at three in the morning on Friday at 'SVU', I get about two hours of sleep, and then I have to wake up and catch the bus to the 'OZ' set, work for about six hours there, and then go straight back to 'SVU' for another fun-filled, 20-hour day. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on Chris Keller's sexuality in 'Oz')
I never know. I always thought of him as omni-sexual. I think he actually said, 'Any port in a storm.'

But in these circumstances, that's where he goes. It's a men's prison. But I think that's his appeal. His sexuality is not bounded by any special societal structures or what's considered right and appropriate ... He goes anywhere. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on what attracted him to the role of Chris Keller in 'Oz')
I knew nothing about the character. I just let it roll. The deeper it went down the homosexual route, I was like, 'This is a treat.' That sort of thing is not afforded actors, even in film, because you have to tell a story in two hours. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on fans reactions to Chris Keller in 'Oz')
The most letters that Tom Fontana ... received was when my character pissed in a bucket. Tom's like 'He's forced boys to give him blowjobs and twisted their heads off and they're worried about him peeing into the bucket?' Murder we can handle! Bodily functions cross the line! (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on fatherhood)
The surprising thing about fatherhood was finding my inner mush. Now I want to share it with the world. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on Chris Keller's sexual appetite in 'Oz')
Whatever's in front of him is fair play and while it's happening or within that context, it's about what he can get. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on Kathy Bates directing for 'Oz')
With Oz there's a kind of structure to (telling the stories), and you've got to get it done. And it's driven more emotionally than with wacky camera shots and that stuff. So, when you have an actor directing, they understand how to tell a story emotionally. So there's an instant rapport and an instant communication between the actor who's acting and the actor who's directing. And Kathy Bates - what a ballsy, beautiful, forthright, smart woman. I fell in love with her, Jesus Christ. She directed the episode where I first grabbed Beecher's cock. As an actor that was the first time I'd ever grabbed another guy's cock! (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on the characterisation of Chris Keller in 'Oz')
It's the genius of Tom Fontana. He forces you to look at the worse behavior possible and then he turns it around and tried to give you examples of goodness (in the character). All of these elements reside in all human beings and you just have to put it into context of where we are. It's just a brutal environment. So, people can understand hey, he's good and he's bad, as we all are.
(edit) Christopher Meloni: (on fellow 'Oz' actor Rita Moreno, who plays Sister Peter Maree)
She's been at this for so long - that's not to age her at all because she's still so youthful and dynamic and beautiful - and I think a big part of (our chemistry) was the great insidious set-up Tom gave to our relationship, that very manipulative psychological tormenting. People look forward to it. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on being naked in 'Oz')
It was never a question or a problem. You either commit to it, to where you are and what you're doing, or you don't. It's not like the required titty shot. I don't know. I've never had any problem with it whatsoever. I understood it for me, and for the character. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on Chris Keller and Tobias Beecher's relatinship in 'Oz')
It's like any relationship - you've got good times, you've got bad times - it's just extreme due to the nature of where they are and what they have to do to survive and the dynamics of the social structure within 'Oz'. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on Chris Keller and Tobias Beecher's relatinship in 'Oz')
People get off on the relationship and get a kick out of it because so many people are caught up in a relationship of, "I love you and I know I shouldn't, but God help me I can't help myself." (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on Chris Keller and Tobias Beecher's relatinship in 'Oz')
Through his relationship with Beecher, Keller is trying to find truth within himself and who he is and the elements that it takes to make up a relationship; what they are, and where they reside within himself, be it intimacy or conflict or communication. (edit) Christopher Meloni: (on Chris Keller in 'Oz' and the reaction of fans)
That I've reached someone, and they give me feedback that's positive is always great. More important are occasional e-mails through my Web site or fan letters -- whatever people are feeling or getting out of either the character or my character's relationship with Beecher. The best part is anytime it affects people profoundly. You know, as people say it's nice to show a multifaceted gay relationship, to have people talking about a strong gay character. Because so often you'll have the ga