Already one of Hollywood's most successful television actors, Christopher Meloni also stars in a number of diverse feature films and was most recently seen in the summer blockbuster Man of Steel and the hit drama 42 - both from Warner Bros. Pictures.

Meloni next stars in Small Time, with Bridget Moynahan and Dean Norris, scheduled for release in spring. This fall, 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. He also has two other upcoming films: 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. Meloni worked in construction and as a bouncer before breaking into acting, studying his craft in New York with legendary teacher Sanford Meisner. His television breakout role was on NYPD Blue, opposite Kim Delaney. That led to being cast in the gritty cable 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 series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, with Meloni working on both series simultaneously until Oz ended its run in 2003. He continued on Law & Order: SVU for 12 seasons, earning an Emmy® nomination for his performance as "Detective Elliot Stabler." Meloni returned to television last year for a major arc on the award-winning cable series True Blood.

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; and Nights in Rodanthe, with Gere and Diane Lane. Additional credits include Wet Hot American Summer, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle and its first sequel, Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay.

Meloni currently resides in New Canaan, Connecticut, with his wife and two children.