CSI: Miami star looks unrecognizable in rare sighting after quitting acting 12 years ago

Former CSI Miami star David Caruso looked unrecognizable as he was pictured for the first time in a year in LA on Monday.

The retired actor, 68, who played the iconic Horatio Caine on the show from 2002-2012, sported flowing red locks and swapped his famous shades for glasses as he worked at his art gallery.

The Golden Globe winner cut a remarkably slimmer figure in a black top and jacket paired with green slacks as he made a low-key outing while accompanied by a female companion.

Caruso has only been seen twice in the past eight years, in December 2023 he was seen near his home in LA’s San Fernando Valley.

Caruso decided he had had enough of fame when his CSI spinoff was canceled in 2012.

He had appeared in all 232 episodes of CSI: Miami and was known for biting one-liners, as well as his sharp attire and – of course – talent for crime.

He also became famous for the way he used his sunglasses thanks to his habit of taking them off or putting them on while delivering a witty line.

It became so remarkable that the New York Times called him ‘the most dedicated contemporary practitioner of the spectacle business’, adding: he had ‘spent a decade wearing sunglasses to punctuate his crude puns on fresh corpses’.

After acting, Caruso briefly opened an art gallery in the LA suburb of Westlake Village, but has since closed it and now lives off the $35 million fortune he amassed during his acting career. He also opened a clothing store in Miami.

But even though he’s no longer acting, Caruso hasn’t completely said goodbye to his thespian past, and a source told DailyMail.com last year that he has framed pictures of himself in character inside his garage.

The insider said: ‘He has a picture of himself from his time on CSI Miami and another from Proof of Life – two of his biggest hits. Both are hung in his garage.’

His acting career was not a single success. Two of his early film appearances in the 1995 thrillers Kiss of Death and Jade earned him the Golden Raspberry for Worst New Star.

But he put that setback aside to appear alongside Russell Crowe and Meg Ryan in 2000’s Proof of Life before making his mark on the small screen.

He is best known for his TV cop roles – his short-lived NYPD Blue role earned him a Golden Globe in 1994 for Best Actor in a TV Drama Series. He was also nominated for an Emmy for the same role.

He only appeared in the first season and four episodes of the second before his character was written out because Caruso demanded more money.

Away from the screen, Caruso has led an interesting personal life with three divorces under his belt.

He was first married in 1979 to actress Cheri Maugans, best known for her roles in Dallas and Friday the 13th Part III, but it ended in 1984.

That same year he married another actress, Rachel Ticotin, and their daughter Greta, now 39, arrived, but the marriage fell apart within three years and they divorced in 1987.

Greta is now an author and co-wrote The Secret Society of Aunts and Uncles with actor Jake Gyllenhaal – a children’s picture book about the power of aunts and uncles – which was published in August this year.

Caruso’s longest marriage came in 1996 when he tied the knot with producer Margaret Buckley, but by 2004 the couple had separated and the actor was dating Liza Marquez – mother of his two youngest children, Marquez and Paloma.

That relationship ended in a lawsuit – since settled – with Marquez claiming she was subjected to a ‘barrage of tirades’ through their ‘marriage-like relationship’.

She also claimed that after she gave birth to their second child in October 2007, Caruso dumped her by serving her with a paternity suit accompanied by a note from his lawyer stating: “reconciliation is not an option”.

She also accused him of cheating on her during their relationship – all allegations Caruso denied.

In a statement released to Access Hollywood after the lawsuit was filed, he said: ‘Last month, David became concerned for the welfare of his children and sought legal assistance to redefine David and Liza’s custody.

‘It now appears that Liza has decided to retaliate by making false claims against David, which David finds unfortunate as these claims will divert the attention of the parties and the court away from the best interests of the children.’

Caruso then began dating Amina Tyrone, with the couple going public with their relationship in May 2008.