Det. Elliot Stabler | Christopher Meloni

Christopher Meloni returns to the cast of Wolf Films/Universal Media Studios' "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" for his 12th season as Detective Elliot Stabler. Meloni was nominated for his first Emmy Award during his eighth season as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.

Meloni's recent film credits include, "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men," a drama starring Julianne Nicholson, Timothy Hutton, Bobby Cannavale and directed by John Krasinski, which was nominated for the Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize; and Paramount's apocalyptic thriller "Carriers," in which he stars with Chris Pine and Piper Perabo. He has also been seen in "Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay," the sequel to the hit comedy "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle," in which he also appeared; and "Nights in Rodanthe" with Diane Lane and Richard Gere, who previously worked with Meloni and Julia Roberts in "Runaway Bride." Starring with Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper and Paul Rudd in the 2001 independent comedy "Wet Hot American Summer," Meloni was singled out for his performance as a temperamental chef cooking at a summer camp. "Best of all is Christopher Meloni's Gene, the Vietnam-veteran camp cook whose delusions and fetishes grow ever more outrageous," wrote Daily Variety. His other feature films include two with director Terry Gilliam, "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and "Twelve Monkeys," along with The Wachowski Brothers' "Bound," and Ivan Reitman's "Junior."

On the opposite side of the spectrum, Meloni portrayed duplicitous inmate Chris Keller for five seasons on HBO's intense prison drama "Oz." Additionally, he starred in Nickelodeon's "Gym Teacher," as a humiliated former gold medal contender-turned-gym teacher who finally gets a shot at redemption.

His other work in television includes guest appearances on "NYPD Blue," "Homicide: Life on the Street," and "Scrubs." He also starred in the series "Leaving L.A.," and in several miniseries, including "In a Child's Name" and "Mario Puzo's The Last Don."

On the live stage, Meloni received critical praise for his 2005 starring role as Eddie Carbone in Arthur Miller's "A View From the Bridge" at Dublin's prestigious Gate Theatre. He was honored as Best Actor in Ireland's highest theater awards from the Irish Times, which called him "...the real thing, tremendously forceful presence with all the confidence fame brings and none of the self-indulgence."

He is a native of Washington, D.C. and lives in New York with his wife and children.