Anthony Caruso, a square-jawed, broad-shouldered, and gravelly-voiced actor, spent over three decades playing convincing mobsters, gamblers, and racketeers in films and television episodes, starting from 1941.
Born to Italian-American parents, Caruso initially considered a career as an opera singer but instead joined a stock company in Long Beach, California, and later the Pasadena Playhouse in 1935.
He began his film career as a bit player, commenting that MGM offered a higher quality of lunch compared to other studios. His first film was Johnny Apollo (1940),where he played a henchman named Joe.
Caruso played a variety of roles, including henchmen with names like Fingers, Dapper Dan Greco, Chips Malloy, Pinky Luiz, and Lucky Grillo, often portraying ethnic characters such as Italians, Mexicans, Latinos, Greeks, and Russians.
He was a close friend of actor Alan Ladd and appeared in eleven of Ladd's films, starting with Lucky Jordan (1942). In 1954, he joined Ladd's stock company, Jaguar Films.
When not playing underworld figures, Caruso was effectively employed as Native American chiefs in films like Drum Beat (1954),Cattle Queen of Montana (1954),and The Lawless Eighties (1957).
On television, he had a popular recurring role as the charming but lethal Comanchero El Lobo on The High Chaparral (1967).
Even in the Star Trek (1966) universe, Caruso played crime boss Bela Oxmyx, using James T. Kirk and his crew to eliminate a rival gang and take control of the government.
In stark contrast to his screen image, Caruso was a devoted family man in private life, happily married for 63 years and enjoying simple pleasures like gardening and cooking.
