A native of Washington, D.C., Christopher Meloni returns to the cast of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” for his fifth season as Detective Elliot Stabler.

Meloni is well known to television audiences for his portrayal of the duplicitous inmate Chris Keller on HBO’s hard-hitting critically praised series “Oz”. Additionally, he has appeared in a series of memorable guest-starring roles on some of network television’s most acclaimed series such as “Homicide: Life on the Street” as well as “NYPD Blue”, in which Meloni played Jimmy Liery, the volatile undercover target of Emmy Award winner Kim Delaney’s Detective Russell. Meloni also starred in the series “Leaving L.A”, several miniseries including “In A Child’s Name” and “Mario Puzo’s The Last Don”, and the telefilms “Shift” and “Dominick Dunne Presents: Murder in Greenwich.”

Meloni’s film credits include “Runaway Bride” in which he appeared as Julia Roberts’ fiancé. He has also been seen in such diverse films as “Bound”, “12 Monkeys”, “Junior”, “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” and “Wet Hot American Summer”, co-starring Janeanne Garofalo and David Hyde Pierce. Meloni also recently finished shooting “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle”, which is scheduled for release in 2004.

An avid traveler, Meloni has explored from Turkey to Bali and is searching for points in-between to visit. He also enjoys weightlifting, playing basketball, football, and chess and is a martial arts enthusiast. Meloni resides in New York with his wife and daughter.