Elias koteas christopher meloni

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His mannerisms and facial expressions in that movie are so on point that for a moment, I thought De Niro had snuck in for a secret cameo. Then, out of nowhere, he morphs into a DeNiro look-alike with those classic furrowed brows and methodical expressions. The resemblance between these two is so striking that many folks are convinced they’re twin brothers.

If you’ve ever mistaken one for the other, don’t worry, you’re not alone. His voice, his mannerisms—everything about him screams Bob. It’s almost like he’s De Niro’s shadow, popping up in similar gritty, intense roles.

Take Shutter Island, for example.

Still, both Koteas and Meloni handled the material well, giving performances that rivaled performances often reserved for HBO, AMC, Netflix, and the rest.

Meloni's career began with small parts in television movies, eventually moving on to parts in television shows like Dinosaurs (voiced Spike for 11 episodes) and a four-episode arc on NYPD Blue.

In 1999, he landed the role as Stabler on Law and Order: SVU, appearing in 272 episodes until his exit from the show in 2011.

He even wears a jacket that looks like something Travis Bickle would wear in Taxi Driver. Sure, he’s got those intense eyes and the familiar furrowed brow, but it’s more than that. Maybe they play a couple of retired guys who open a bar on the beaches of Hawaii. The remainder of the ‘80s saw Elias appear in the biographical romantic drama “Onassis: The Richest Man in the World” and the biographical action “Malarek” both in 1988, and the 1990 romantic crime drama “Backstreet Dreams”.

In 1992, he portrayed Wally Smith in the drama “The Habitation of Dragons”, which starred Frederic Forrest and Brad Davis, and was directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg; it follows two brothers who’ve been confronting each other all the time since their father’s death.

This missed opportunity could be easily rectified by placing Meloni and Koteas in a show together.

Olinsky. Detectives at large. Picture this: you’re watching a movie, and for a split second, you’re convinced it’s De Niro on the screen. During that time, he also appeared on the critically acclaimed Oz.

Most recently, Meloni appeared on The Handmaid's Tale.

His comedic side also shined bright over the years.

It’s his whole vibe. It follows a group of astronauts as they’re being killed off by a mysterious force on Mars – the movie was nominated for four awards.

Some of Elias’ most recent film roles have been in the 2017 romantic drama “My Days of Mercy”, the 2022 crime action “The Baker”, and the 2023 drama “Janet Planet”.

Roles in TV series

Elias’ debut TV series role was playing Jerry Travers in the 1988 episode “Roadrunner” of the action mystery “Crime Story”, and his following role came in 2002, when cast to portray Dominic Palladino in the episode “The Strong, Silent Type” of the crime drama “The Sopranos”.

In 2004, he played Mike McKay in all three episodes of the crime thriller mini-series “Traffic”, which starred Nelson Lee and Ritchie Coster, and follows three men from Seattle who’ve become involved in the world of drugs, weapons and human trafficking; the mini-series won one of its 14 award nominations.

Seriously, it’s almost like he’s their long-lost twin brother or something.

Elias has this wild ability to look like Christopher Meloni one moment, especially with that intense gaze and rugged jawline. For the longest time, social media has been buzzing with comments and memes about the two actors. After their highly decorated careers -- both real and fictional -- the two have them have certainly earned it.

Meloni.

Meet Elias Koteas, the actor who has everyone scratching their heads because of his uncanny resemblance to not one, but two Hollywood heavyweights. You know, the kind that makes you think they’re about to solve a crime or deliver an Oscar-worthy monologue.