Caruso, David

▪ 1995

      After emerging from virtual obscurity in late 1993 to become the actor labeled "TV's hunkiest tough guy" by early 1994 only to be branded a television pariah by late summer, Golden Globe winner David Caruso experienced firsthand the seesawing fortunes of a U.S. actor—all in one dizzying year. The up-from-the-streets, flame-haired Method actor helped propel the unconventional television drama "NYPD Blue" into the ratings stratosphere in its first season with his portrayal of John Kelly, a tough-on-the-outside, in-control homicide detective with a tormented yet sensitive soul. When the show, produced by Steven Bochco, first debuted in the fall of 1993, it generated strident condemnations from religious leaders and other conservatives, boycotts by affiliates of parent company ABC, and cancellations by major commercial advertisers because of its unabashed use of explicit language, sexual situations, and posterior nudity. These taboos had not been extensively breached before on a prime-time network television show. As the season progressed, however, the show won kudos from Viewers for Quality Television, the People's Choice awards, the Golden Globe awards, and Humanitas. By the end of the season, in May 1994, the show had set new standards of excellence for the medium, and it had garnered a record 26 Emmy-award nominations.

      During the summer of 1994 the industry was abuzz with the news that the reportedly temperamental and headstrong Caruso had demanded a hefty pay raise. Though he had proven his star quality with an Emmy nomination for best actor in a drama, Caruso's demand was not met. His character, facing banishment to another precinct, quit the force and was written out of the show after the first four episodes. It was not only the salary dispute that prompted Caruso to leave, however, but also the hope of following in his matinee idols' footsteps. Like two other famous Hollywood redheads, James Cagney and Spencer Tracy, who influenced his acting style, Caruso wanted to make good as a leading man in feature films. Many wondered if the somewhat baby-faced actor could make the transition smoothly, when many other performers had failed. In the meantime, Caruso had filmed two yet-to-be-released motion-picture thrillers for which he reportedly received between $1 million and $2 million each. One feature, Kiss of Death, was a remake of the 1947 classic, which had made a star of unknown Richard Widmark.

      Caruso was born on Jan. 17, 1956, in New York City to an Italian-American father and an Irish-American mother. He had no formal training as an actor but earned cash by posing as an extra in police lineups—his first "acting jobs." In 1978 he moved to California, where he spent the next 15 years playing bit parts in such films as First Blood (1982), An Officer and a Gentleman (1982), and Mad Dog and Glory (1993) before his meteoric rise in "NYPD Blue." (SUSAN RAPP)

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