Ruling network crime series for over a decade, David Caruso appeared in multiple TV projects across CBS, ABC, and NBC. His career began in the early 1980s with uncredited roles and minor appearances until playing a major supporting role in 1982’s An Officer and a Gentleman.
In almost every role, Caruso stands out for his expert delivery of one-liners and dramatic pauses before tension-relieving sunglasses adjustments. Whether typecasting or a natural ability with a detective badge, Caruso spent most of his career playing detectives, police officers, and undercover characters. Many of his projects have high rankings in the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, cementing him as a modern icon of the big and small screens.
10 ‘Session 9’ (2001)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 66%
Before he locked in for the long haul with TV, Caruso starred in this horror movie. Session 9 is about an asbestos cleaning crew servicing a former psychiatric hospital where the horrors of its past begin to weigh on the team. Co-starring alongside Caruso are Stephen Gevedon, Paul Guilfoyle, and Josh Lucas.
With a career-long foot in the police and crime drama genre, stepping into a horror movie was a change of pace for fans of Caruso. The feature scored 63% from audiences, with a consensus that the tension-building atmosphere successfully built a creepy energy versus relying on gore.
9 ‘CSI: Miami’ (2002-2012)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 66%
His portrayal of Horatio Caine remains Caruso’s legacy role. Leading the Miami-Dade Police Department CSI unit, Caine and his team analyze the circumstances and solve the mysteries surrounding various cases. CSI: Miami earned five Emmy nominations in the technical categories and secured two wins.
Horatio’s signature black glasses are his most distinctive feature and a running gag throughout CSI. Caruso appeared in all 232 episodes of the series airtime, including a few crossover episodes with other CSI franchise series. This is the role Caruso is most known for and the last project he worked on.
8 ‘Kiss of Death’ (1995)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 68%
A bomb with audiences (38%) but a satisfying “okay” with critics, Kiss of Death featured Caruso playing opposite legends like Nicolas Cage and Samuel L. Jackson. After ending up back in prison for a heist gone wrong, Jimmy (Caruso) is offered a deal to go undercover and help bring in the dangerous crime lord Little Junior Brown (Cage).
Arguably a 90s neo-noir-style crime movie, Kiss of Death is a great throwback to 90s action excess. The ensemble cast provides excellent performances even if the plot leaves more to be desired. Caruso would translate his leading man chops to TV a few years later with a legal drama.
7 ‘King of New York’ (1990)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 70%
Before being a household name in TV crime dramas, Caruso gained feature film experience in the same genre. The 1990 neo-noir gangster film King of New York saw him starring alongside Christopher Walken, Laurence Fishburne, Victor Argo, and Wesley Snipes. Caruso stars as Dennis Gilley, a police detective determined to bring the “reformed” drug lord Frank White (Walken) back into custody by any means necessary.
King of New York is a great, underrated gangster movie that deserves more attention from modern audiences. Moreover, it was essential to Caruso’s career, helping pave the way for his more famous future roles and cementing him as a familiar name for audiences.
6 ‘Mad Dog and Glory’ (1993)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 78%
Caruso holds his own among a star-studded cast in the crime comedy Mad Dog and Glory. It features Robert De Niro as Wayne “Mad Dog” Dobie, a Chicago detective, and Bill Murray as Frank Milo, a gangster Wayne inadvertently saves from a mugging. As repayment and a thank you, Frank sends Glory (Uma Thurman), a beautiful young woman in his debt, to spend the week with Wayne.
Caruso stars as Mike, Wayne’s best friend and the one who nicknamed the soft-spoken detective “Mad Dog.” This feature debuted just before Caruso’s TV career began to take off, meaning it sometimes gets lost in his resumé. However, it’s a funny and satisfying crime comedy that showcases Caruso’s lighter side.
5 ‘CSI: Crime Scene Investigation’ (2002)
Rotten Tomatoes Scores: 88%
Following the successful launch of CSI: Miami, Caruso appeared as Lieutenant Caine for one episode late in season two of the original CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Lieutenant Caine also guest starred in CSI: NY for one episode in early season two.
While there’s no critical consensus for the original CSI, the average from the four available seasons is 88%, proving how influential and game-changing the show was. Crossover episodes are extremely popular among universe series, and audiences always enjoy seeing their favorite characters step into a different realm. Caruso’s Horatio is arguably the biggest star in the CSI franchise; thus, bringing him to other shows within the same universe was a no-brainer.
4 ‘NYPD Blue’ (1993-1994)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%
This Emmy-winning series featured Caruso as Detective John Kelly and was a jumping-off point for his TV career in police and crime dramas. NYPD Blue focuses on New York’s 15th Precinct as they investigate homicide cases. Detective Kelly appeared in 26 total episodes in the series beginning. The role offered Caruso up as an unconventional sex symbol to viewers of the 90s.
Caruso starred alongside Dennis Franz through the series’ breakout first season and the first few episodes of the second. His exit remains somewhat controversial, with co-creators alleging negative attitudes, on-set behavior, and contract demands that led to Caruso being released from his contract to pursue other projects.
3 ‘Michael Hayes’ (1997-1998)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%
This legal drama only made it through one season before getting canceled by CBS. Caruso stars as the titular character, an idealistic yet hardened ex-cop who takes a job at the U.S. Attorney’s office before unexpectedly getting appointed as Acting U.S. Attorney.
The series arrived in Caruso’s career after several not-so-successful movies following his NYPD Blue exit. Until this point in his career, Caruso had yet to fully lead a long-running network series. Despite its cancelation, Michael Hayes proved he could do so, opening the door for his future success in the CSI franchise.
2 ‘Hill Street Blues’ (1981-1983)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
Caruso’s first recurring TV role happened in one of the most popular police series of all time, Hill Street Blues. Caruso starred as Tommy Mamm, the leader of an Irish gang called the Shamrocks. Caruso guest starred in seven episodes over three years during the show’s run from 1981 to 1987. While his few episodes were just a blip on the 144-episode tenure of the series, Caruso’s performance was certainly memorable.
The series was known for its wide range of guest stars who were either highly successful at the time or went on to make a name for themselves. Caruso’s performance as the gang leader with a warm smile is a prime example of a “before they were famous” role.
1 ‘First Blood’ (1982)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%
The highest-rated movie on Caruso’s resume is the action classic First Blood. The Sylvester Stallone-led feature is based on the David Morrell novel about a veteran named John Rambo, who is subjected to the brutality of a local sheriff and his deputies. Forced into the mountains, he must fight them off one by one.
Caruso stars as Mitch, one of the local deputies who initially shares the same cruelty toward Rambo. However, he repents upon seeing Rambo’s scars. Without spoiling the fate of Caruso’s character, First Blood was an excellent example of Caruso’s supporting role abilities and remains one of his first high-profile movies – and a classic of 1980s action.
