Who Is Christopher Meloni's Wife? All About Sherman Williams

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Christopher Meloni and Sherman Williams' relationship has stood the test of time.

The pair first met in the 1980s on the set of a TV show they were both working on. They went on to get married in 1995 and welcome two children: daughter Sophia and son Dante. Decades later, Meloni and Williams are still going strong, which the Law & Order: SVU star credits to his artist wife's "patience." However, he still sometimes can't believe how long it's been.

"It doesn't feel like it's been 27 years," he told PEOPLE in October 2022. "When the hell did that happen?"

So, who is Christopher Meloni's wife? Here is everything to know about Sherman Williams.

Her full name is Doris Sherman Williams

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While Williams prefers to go by her middle name Sherman, her full name is Doris Sherman Williams. Her earlier work credits in the 1980s are shown using her full name.

She used to work as a production designer

Meloni may be the star on screen, but Williams has years of experience in the entertainment industry. She began working as a production designer and art director in the early '80s and has tons of credits under her name, including the films The Chase, The Locusts and Automatic, among many others.

She now works as a painter and art director

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Before she began working on film sets, Williams studied Fine Art at the California College of the Arts, according to her website. After working in the entertainment industry for 14 years, she moved to New York City and studied at Parsons School of Design, the Art Students League of New York and the National Academy School. She now works as a painter and specializes in portraits.

Meloni is very supportive of her work as an artist, telling PEOPLE, "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.' "

She met her husband on the set of a TV show

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In 1989, Williams was working as the production designer on the set of an HBO show that Meloni had a small role in. She was in her 20s and was sporting short, bleached hair. She also rode a Harley motorcycle to work. In an interview with YourTango, Meloni recalled thinking, "This I gotta meet." He was instantly attracted to Williams, finding her "cool, funny, sexy," but she had a boyfriend at the time.

The pair continued to run into each other at industry parties in L.A., but it took a while after this first meeting for the couple to start dating.

"On our first date, we went to three parties, given by three sets of my friends," Williams told YourTango. "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.' "

She and Meloni got married in 1995

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A few years after their first meeting on set, Meloni and Williams began dating. Four years later, they got married on July 1, 1995, on a beach in Malibu, California. Their wedding wasn't an ordinary beach wedding, though — the nuptials had a medieval theme. The ceremony was performed by a non-denominational minister, and the couple had goblets to toast their marriage.

On their 26th anniversary, Meloni shared a photo from their wedding day on social media to commemorate the milestone. Alongside a photo of them kissing on the beach and a more recent photo of the couple posing in front of a wall spray-painted with the words "let's get weird," Meloni wrote, "How it started… how it's goin. 26 years of…well… it's hard to explain #partnerincrime #keepingitweird."

She and Meloni have two children

Christopher Meloni Instagram

Williams and Meloni share two children: daughter Sophia and son Dante. According to Meloni, the couple always wanted to raise a family together. "I always knew I wanted kids, as did my wife," he 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."

Meloni describes one of their children as an old soul, while the other is a young soul. "One is more of an old soul. 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," he added.

The kids are often featured on Meloni's social media accounts.

She designed her family's N.Y.C. apartment

Much of the early days of Meloni and Williams' relationship involved back-and-forth journeys between N.Y.C. and L.A., with periods of long distance due to their careers. While Williams preferred the West Coast life, she eventually agreed to live full-time in N.Y.C., and put her set design skills to use to create the perfect space for their family, which she and Meloni showed off during a tour for Architectural Digest.

She was able to turn their uptown Manhattan apartment into a "modern but comfortable haven." She told the outlet, "Right now we feel we can just stay put — and it's a good feeling. Finally, we've found a place where we're in no hurry to move."

Her patience is the secret to their marriage

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Meloni and Williams' marriage has stood the test of time, and the Wet Hot American Summer star gives a lot of credit to Williams.

"We're doing good. It's her patience with me, and I really mean that. She's allowed me to grow at my speed, because she's always been more mature and more level headed in many ways," Meloni told PEOPLE.

With nearly three decades under their belt, their love continues to stay strong and Meloni often shows off his wife on Instagram. On Williams' 63rd birthday in January 2023, he shared a series of photos of their family celebrating the special day, including shots of Williams donning black stiletto heels. "My gurl. Ageless. Timeless. Steppin' out with the young-uns to show em how it's done," Meloni captioned the post.

She doesn't mind Meloni's "Zaddy" title

Meloni is often referred to as a "Zaddy" on the internet, and during his cover October 2022 cover story for PEOPLE, he opened up about what Williams and his kids think about the nickname.

"My wife, she's lovely, she gets it, Meaning she's like, 'Eh, whatever,' " he said. "My kids, on the other hand, invariably once a month, it's 'Really? Really?' Their friends will send them a meme that's come out or whatever, but I think secretly in their hearts, they get it."

He continued, "It's cool because we all have a good goof with it. My children's friends bust my chops, but it's all fun. It's an honor."