Christopher Meloni knew his wife, Sherman Meloni, was special the first time he laid eyes on her.
The pair first crossed paths in 1989, when Christopher starred in an HBO series that Sherman did production design for. Although the Washington D.C. native immediately found his future wife “cool, funny [and] sexy,” she had a boyfriend at the time. The pair didn’t date for another two years.
Sherman recalled how the Wet Hot American Summer actor impressed her on their first date.
“We went to three parties, given by three sets of my friends,” she told Your Tango. “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 duo tied the knot in July 1995 and later welcomed daughter Sophia in March 2001 and son Dante in January 2004.
Scroll through to see Christopher and Sherman’s relationship over the years:
The pair met on the set of an HBO series, but they didn’t start dating until two years later.
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Christopher and Sherman tied the knot in Malibu, California.
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The couple welcomed their daughter, Eva.
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The Melonis expanded their brood with the birth of son Dante.
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Sherman revealed that she wasn’t a big SVU fan.
“The show takes a toll; it’s hard for me to watch it,” she admitted to Your Tango. “If Chris wasn’t on it, I don’t know that I’d watch. I turn off a lot of news and don’t read many newspaper articles.”
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“Every love story is beautiful, but ours is my favorite,” the Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas actor captioned a throwback photo with his wife.
Courtesy of Christopher Meloni/Instagram
“To my gurl on her bday: just floating down the river of love, keeping it weird for 28 years,” the Oz alum captioned a selfie with Sherman.
Courtesy of Christopher Meloni/Instagram
The lovebirds posed for a beach selfie.
Courtesy of Christopher Meloni/Instagram
The duo enjoyed an outing to a vineyard.
Courtesy of Christopher Meloni/Instagram
“How it started … how it’s goin. 26 years of …well … it’s hard to explain #partnerincrime #keepingitweird,” Christopher wrote via Instagram alongside photos of him with the painter, including a shot from their wedding day.
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The Emmy nominee credited his wife with their marriage’s success.
“It’s her patience with me, and I really mean that,” he told People. “She’s allowed me to grow at my speed, because she’s always been more mature and more levelheaded in many ways.”
Christopher also gushed about his wife’s artistic talent. “She paints, and I go in her studio, and it just makes me happy. We have her work all over the house. She wants to buy art, and I’m like, ‘I don’t want that. I want yours,’” he said.
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The Runaway Bride actor wished his wife a happy birthday and admired her decision to wear stiletto heels for the occasion.
“So, this happened,” he captioned a carousel of Instagram photos, including snaps of Sherman’s shoes. “My gurl. Ageless. Timeless. Steppin’ out with the young-uns to show ’em how it’s done.”
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The couple looked fashionable when they attended a Gucci event in New York City.
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Sherman was by her husband’s side when he celebrated the 25th anniversary of Law & Order: SVU at a New York City event.
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