DAVID CARUSO
Name: David Stephen Caruso
Born: 7 January 1956 Forest Hills, Queens, New York, U.S.
David Stephen Caruso (born January 7, 1956) is an American film and television
actor. He is perhaps best known to audiences at present for his role as
Lieutenant Horatio Caine on the TV series CSI: Miami.
Caruso was born in Forest Hills, Queens, New York, the son of Joan, a librarian,
and Charles Caruso, a magazine and newspaper editor. He is of Italian and
Irish descent and was raised Catholic. Caruso attended elementary and
middle school at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs in Forest Hills, Queens, the same
primary school attended by Ray Romano and Pia Zadora. He later attended
Archbishop Molloy High School in Queens, NY, graduating in 1974. In 1987, Caruso
was called upon to fill in for the leading role of Jean Valjean in Les
Misérables on Broadway for 6 months.
His first film appearance was in the 1980 film Getting Wasted, in which he
played the part of Henry. Caruso then spent the better part of the next decade
in supporting roles on the big screen, appearing in such films as An Officer and
a Gentleman, Blue City, Thief of Hearts, and China Girl. Caruso also appeared in
1982's First Blood, the very first Rambo film, as one of the sheriffs, Mitch,
who is clearly impressed with the fugitive John Rambo's skills. Caruso is also
seen in a few scenes in Twins, as a parking lot attendant, with Danny DeVito and
Arnold Schwarzenegger. Caruso also appears (with heavy hair dye) as Kit-Kat in "Hudson
Hawk" (1991).
In television he had a recurring role as the gang leader of "The Shamrocks" on
Hill Street Blues in the early 1980s. He also had a memorable two-episode
appearance on the television series Crime Story, which ran from 1986 to 1988 on
NBC.
Strong supporting roles in the crime films King of New York (1990) and Mad Dog
and Glory (1992), in which both his characters were cynical streetwise cops,
made Hollywood really sit up and take notice. Both films ultimately helped pave
the way for his breakthrough starring role on TV.
Said breakthrough role came in 1993, when he landed the part of Detective John
Kelly on the new series NYPD Blue. After garnering much praise (TV Guide, listed
him as one of the six new stars to watch in the '93-'94 season) and award
nominations for his work, Caruso made news by leaving the highly-rated show the
following year (only four episodes into the second season) to pursue a career in
film, but was unable to really establish himself as a leading man movie star
despite starring in the crime thrillers Kiss of Death (which was critically well-received
but only did so-so financially, 1995) and Jade (1995) (which was panned and
flopped outright).
In 1997, Caruso returned to television as the star of the short-lived CBS law
drama series Michael Hayes, in which he played a Big Apple-based federal
prosecutor. It ran for only one season. In the first episode of South Park, "Cartman
Gets an Anal Probe", Kyle urges his brother to jump from the open cargo-bay door
of a hovering alien spaceship by saying, "Quick, Ike, do your impersonation of
David Caruso's career," in reference to his then-lack of success after leaving
NYPD Blue. This scene was widely used in promos for the series.
Caruso returned to the silver screen with a supporting role as Russell Crowe's
mercenary sidekick in the movie Proof of Life in 2000. (Although the film was
only a moderate success, critics noted Crowe and Caruso's chemistry and banter
as veteran soldiers-for-hire.) In 2001, he had a lead role in the horror film
Session 9.
Since 2002, he has starred as Lt. Horatio Caine in the popular CSI spin-off
series CSI: Miami. On CSI: Miami, Caruso is known for frequently using one-liners,
many of which include him putting on his sunglasses mid-sentence. A comical
compilation has been available on YouTube. Caruso's sunglasses and one-liners
are constantly ridiculed on the television program The Soup by host Joel McHale.
On an episode of the Late Show with David Letterman that aired on March 8, 2007
comedian Jim Carrey satirically impersonated Caruso. Carrey asked for an “intense
close-up” from the camera, spoke in a deep voice and put sunglasses on. Paul
Schaffer and the CBS Orchestra played the CSI: Miami theme and Carrey ran off
screen.
Name: David Stephen Caruso
Born: 7 January 1956 Forest Hills, Queens, New York, U.S.
David Stephen Caruso (born January 7, 1956) is an American film and television
actor. He is perhaps best known to audiences at present for his role as
Lieutenant Horatio Caine on the TV series CSI: Miami.
Caruso was born in Forest Hills, Queens, New York, the son of Joan, a librarian,
and Charles Caruso, a magazine and newspaper editor. He is of Italian and
Irish descent and was raised Catholic. Caruso attended elementary and
middle school at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs in Forest Hills, Queens, the same
primary school attended by Ray Romano and Pia Zadora. He later attended
Archbishop Molloy High School in Queens, NY, graduating in 1974. In 1987, Caruso
was called upon to fill in for the leading role of Jean Valjean in Les
Misérables on Broadway for 6 months.
His first film appearance was in the 1980 film Getting Wasted, in which he
played the part of Henry. Caruso then spent the better part of the next decade
in supporting roles on the big screen, appearing in such films as An Officer and
a Gentleman, Blue City, Thief of Hearts, and China Girl. Caruso also appeared in
1982's First Blood, the very first Rambo film, as one of the sheriffs, Mitch,
who is clearly impressed with the fugitive John Rambo's skills. Caruso is also
seen in a few scenes in Twins, as a parking lot attendant, with Danny DeVito and
Arnold Schwarzenegger. Caruso also appears (with heavy hair dye) as Kit-Kat in "Hudson
Hawk" (1991).
In television he had a recurring role as the gang leader of "The Shamrocks" on
Hill Street Blues in the early 1980s. He also had a memorable two-episode
appearance on the television series Crime Story, which ran from 1986 to 1988 on
NBC.
Strong supporting roles in the crime films King of New York (1990) and Mad Dog
and Glory (1992), in which both his characters were cynical streetwise cops,
made Hollywood really sit up and take notice. Both films ultimately helped pave
the way for his breakthrough starring role on TV.
Said breakthrough role came in 1993, when he landed the part of Detective John
Kelly on the new series NYPD Blue. After garnering much praise (TV Guide, listed
him as one of the six new stars to watch in the '93-'94 season) and award
nominations for his work, Caruso made news by leaving the highly-rated show the
following year (only four episodes into the second season) to pursue a career in
film, but was unable to really establish himself as a leading man movie star
despite starring in the crime thrillers Kiss of Death (which was critically well-received
but only did so-so financially, 1995) and Jade (1995) (which was panned and
flopped outright).
In 1997, Caruso returned to television as the star of the short-lived CBS law
drama series Michael Hayes, in which he played a Big Apple-based federal
prosecutor. It ran for only one season. In the first episode of South Park, "Cartman
Gets an Anal Probe", Kyle urges his brother to jump from the open cargo-bay door
of a hovering alien spaceship by saying, "Quick, Ike, do your impersonation of
David Caruso's career," in reference to his then-lack of success after leaving
NYPD Blue. This scene was widely used in promos for the series.
Caruso returned to the silver screen with a supporting role as Russell Crowe's
mercenary sidekick in the movie Proof of Life in 2000. (Although the film was
only a moderate success, critics noted Crowe and Caruso's chemistry and banter
as veteran soldiers-for-hire.) In 2001, he had a lead role in the horror film
Session 9.
Since 2002, he has starred as Lt. Horatio Caine in the popular CSI spin-off
series CSI: Miami. On CSI: Miami, Caruso is known for frequently using one-liners,
many of which include him putting on his sunglasses mid-sentence. A comical
compilation has been available on YouTube. Caruso's sunglasses and one-liners
are constantly ridiculed on the television program The Soup by host Joel McHale.
On an episode of the Late Show with David Letterman that aired on March 8, 2007
comedian Jim Carrey satirically impersonated Caruso. Carrey asked for an “intense
close-up” from the camera, spoke in a deep voice and put sunglasses on. Paul
Schaffer and the CBS Orchestra played the CSI: Miami theme and Carrey ran off
screen.