Bio
David Caruso is an American actor best known for his role as Lieutenant Horatio Caine on the television police procedural series CSI: Miami, from 2002-2012.
Caruso was born in Forest Hills, Queens, New York, the son of Joan, a librarian, and Stepfather Charles Caruso, a magazine and newspaper editor. He is of Irish and Italian 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 sheriff's deputies, 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.
His breakthrough role came in 1993, when he landed the part of Detective John Kelly on the 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.
From 2002-2012 he 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.
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.
Caruso is a co-owner of Steam, a clothing and furniture store in Miami, Florida. He has a daughter, Greta (born June 1, 1984), with his second wife, Rachel Ticotin.
In 1994, (according to court record) ex-girlfriend Paris Papiro filed a palimony suit. Caruso paid an undisclosed sum in early 1995.
He and his girlfriend Liza Marquez have two children together: a son, Marquez Anthony (born September 15, 2005), and daughter, Paloma Raquel (born October 16, 2007).