Christopher Meloni's Son Dante Has Grown Up To Be His Dad's Twin

Christopher Meloni is an actor best known for starring as Detective Elliot Stabler on NBC's hit crime drama "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and its spin-off, "Law & Order: Organized Crime." He's also a doting husband and father; since 1995, Meloni has been married to his wife, production designer Doris Sherman, and the couple shares two kids, Sophia and Dante. Sophia, the elder of the two siblings, was born in 2001, while Dante was born in 2004. Speaking to People about his family in 2022, Meloni said, "I always knew I wanted kids, as did my wife. ... 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."

In 2014, Meloni spoke to USA Today about his unique parenting experience and revealed that he is quite the disciplinarian. "I think my kids would call me a little crazy," he laughed. "I'm very physical, very affectionate. [But] I'm also very disciplined and focused on education. That's one thing that was instilled in me, one place in life where there's no compromise." The "Oz" actor said he has always supported his children by empowering them to make their own decisions in life. "Power helps kids mature, and it requires critical thinking on their part," he told the outlet. "They feel engaged in a decision, which makes them feel engaged in the family process." This has helped Meloni foster a close relationship with both Sophia and Dante — the latter of whom is growing up to look just like the TV star. 

Seeing double. Christopher Meloni's son, Dante, is all grown up and is the spitting image of his famous father. In 2022, the "Man of Steel" actor took to Instagram to celebrate Dante on his 18th birthday by sharing a sweet snapshot of the pair standing close with their arms around each other. "18 today. I love you young man — heart and soul and everything in between," Meloni wrote in a caption under the post. While some were quick to wish Dante a happy birthday, others could not help but notice the striking resemblance between the handsome duo, with one commenter penning, "Goddamn Stabler, He Looks Just Like You Man," referring to Melone's character on "SUV." Meanwhile, another fan wrote, "Looks just like him with hair!"

Of course, this isn't the only time that fans of Meloni have pointed out how closely he and his son resemble each other. After the actor shared a new snap of the pair on Instagram in January 2023, in celebration of Dante's 19th birthday, many of his followers described the boy as his clone. "TWINS!!" exclaimed one fan, while another said, "You do you definitely look just like your dad" A third commenter agreed, saying, "Wow, he does look like you! Good looking boy Chris!"

Not only do they exhibit a strong family resemblance, but Christopher Meloni and his son Dante also share a strong passion for fitness. The father-and-son duo loves exercising and hitting the gym together, as seen in recent photos Meloni has shared of Dante on social media. In April 2023, the "SVU" star captioned a photo of himself with Dante during a sweaty gym sesh on Instagram, writing, "So this was my day: I worked out with this one @dante_melonii. The other one @sophiaemeloni [referring to his daughter, Sophia], face timed. Then I arrived home to be greeted by this beauty that was baked by the greater/greatest beauty @sherman.meloni [his wife]." He then said, "Grateful for health. Grateful for my family. Grateful for the time I have. Grateful for the ppl that surround me. Grateful for all the well-wishes."

In 2022, Meloni also posted a snapshot of him and Dante, taken inside an elevator on their way to the gym. "Sunday morn workout with the kid," he captioned his post. Once again, fans took to the comments section to praise Dante, with some saying he looks just like the younger version of his handsome dad. "Mini you," a fan wrote. "That's definitely you as a teenager I'm scared," another wrote. Meanwhile, others were glad to see Meloni and his son spending quality time together.