Christopher Meloni made a name for himself on the small screen solving crimes as passionate detective Elliot Stabler in Law and Order: Special Victims Unit and Law and Order: Organized Crime – but in real life, he’s just as passionate about being a family man.

In Touch reveals everything fans need to know about Christopher’s family.

Who Is Christopher Meloni’s Wife?

The actor met production designer Doris Sherman Williams – who goes by Sherman – in the 1980s when they were both working on the same television show.

“On our first date, we went to three parties, given by three sets of my friends,” Sherman said while speaking with Your Tango back in 2006. “The first was in West Hollywood. Every guy there was gay. Chris passed with flying colors. Next, we went to a party given by Beverly Hills snootballs. Chris kept his manners in check and held his own. Then, we went to a costume designer’s party in the Hills, where we drank beers from a tub on the porch. And I thought: I can take him anywhere.”

The pair tied the knot in 1995.

While Christopher has since remained in the entertainment industry as an actor, Sherman shifted her career to work as both a painter and an art director in New York City.

Does Christopher Meloni Have Any Kids?

Christopher and Sherman share two children – Dante Amadeo and Sophia Eva – who were both born via surrogacy.

“I always knew I wanted kids, as did my wife,” the actor told People in October 2022. “My mother always used to say to me, ‘I’ve learned so much from you kids,’ and I didn’t get it. Now I get it.”

“One is more of an old soul,” he noted. “I never used that term until they came out of the womb and I looked in their eyes. I was like, ‘Holy cow, look at you. You’re here to teach me.’ As well as the other one, who’s a young soul. It’s ever-evolving and a complete fulfillment of my life.”

How Christopher Meloni’s Family Was Affected by Lyme Disease

Christopher, who is a celebrity ambassador for the Global Lyme Alliance, revealed his family had been personally affected by Lyme disease “in a very dramatic way” in a 2023 interview with People.

The illness is caused by “borrelia bacteria” often spread by tick bites, according to the Mayo Clinic, and the symptoms can include joint stiffness, pain in the back, hands, feet, hips or tissues of the eye. Complications can result in arthritis, memory issues and other problems related to the immune system.

“It was a whole big learning curve because it took us two years to get the correct diagnoses. It was pretty heartbreaking,” he explained at the time. “Witnessing the ones you love more than anything in the world being relentlessly tortured before your eyes … it gets really dark. There’s no other light that I see, it’s the bleakest thing to either experience or to witness.”

Although he didn’t clarify who in his family had been diagnosed with the disease, he credited his wife for being the “driving force” to helping combat the issue.

“She left no stone unturned,” he continued. “She was relentless. She’s the hero of all of this.”