To pick up extra money between jobs, Caruso offered his services to the New York police department, where his punkish countenance came in handy in line-ups. This same street-smart quality enabled Caruso to win his first semi-regular TV series role in 1981, as the Irish-American gang leader "Shamrock" on Hill Street Blues. Subsequent film and TV assignments were in a similar supporting category (for example, Caruso is the panicky aviation candidate who "washes out" of training early-on in An Officer and a Gentleman [1984]). Caruso's first starring TV gig was on the short-lived 1990 cop series H.E.L.P., as officer Frank Sardoni. He continued in this Law Enforcement vein with the role of Det. John Kelly on TV's NYPD Blue (1993- ) produced by Caruso's old Hill Street Blues boss Stephen Bochco. This was Caruso's breakthrough into full stardom, and he remained with the series for a little over a season. After a highly publicized clash with the producers, David Caruso left NYPD Blue in 1995, parlaying his newfound celebrity into his first starring feature film, Kiss of Death (1995). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Television Personalities