# Carmine Giovinazzo
**Carmine Giovinazzo** (full name Carmine Dominick Giovinazzo) is an American actor and writer best known for playing Detective Danny Messer on the CBS crime drama *CSI: NY* from 2004 to 2013. He is also known as the first actor to appear in all three series of the *CSI* franchise.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1973, Staten Island, New York City, New York, USA[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0320547/bio/) |
| Signature role | Detective Danny Messer on *CSI: NY* (CBS, 2004–2013)[2](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/CSI%3A_NY) |
| Franchise distinction | First actor to appear in all three *CSI* series: the original *CSI*, *CSI: Miami*, and *CSI: NY*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0320547/bio/) |
| Path to acting | A back injury ended his college baseball career at Wagner College, where he had a baseball scholarship[3](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/carmine-giovinazzo.html) |
| Writing credit | Wrote one episode of *CSI: NY* (season 6, episode 14, 2009)[4](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-105121/filmographie/) |
| Recent work | Sonny Grosso in *The Offer* (2022), Nick Gatchi in *High Desert* (2023), Ivan Pugliesi in *The Pitt* (2025)[4](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-105121/filmographie/) |
## Early life and baseball
Giovinazzo was born in 1973 in [Staten Island](https://www.edgepedia.org/staten-island), New York, the son of Dominick, a police officer, and Nancy Giovinazzo[5](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/giovinazzo-carmine-1973). [Law enforcement](https://www.edgepedia.org/law-enforcement) ran in the family: his father and his sister were both NYPD officers, and his brother-in-law was a detective assigned to former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani[6](https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/FOID/Special_Collection/Donald_Rumsfeld_Snowflakes_Litigation_Release/11-L-0559_Fourteenth_Release_Bates_51366-51865.pdf).
His own ambitions were athletic. He graduated from Port Richmond High School in 1991[7](https://www.cinemagia.ro/actori/carmine-giovinazzo-37481/), was an all-star shortstop, and earned a baseball scholarship to [Wagner College](https://www.edgepedia.org/wagner-college), where he also studied acting; he was invited to work out for the [Chicago Cubs](https://www.edgepedia.org/chicago-cubs)[3](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/carmine-giovinazzo.html) • [8](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/carmine-giovinazzo/umc.cpc.37yty0dwr19wkechdwftol6eu). After three years of college ball, a back injury ended his baseball plans, and he turned to acting, studying at HB Studios in New York City[3](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/carmine-giovinazzo.html) • [5](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/giovinazzo-carmine-1973).
## Early career
In 1997 Giovinazzo moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting[8](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/carmine-giovinazzo/umc.cpc.37yty0dwr19wkechdwftol6eu). His first major role came in the pilot of *Buffy the Vampire Slayer* (1997), "Welcome to the Hellmouth," in which, credited only as "Boy," he played the show's first on-screen victim[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0320547/bio/).
Guest spots followed on series such as *Pacific Blue* and *Providence*, and in 1999 he won a leading role in the short-lived UPN comedy *Shasta McNasty* (also known as *Shasta*), playing Scott, a slacker musician, from 1999 to 2000[5](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/giovinazzo-carmine-1973). His film work in this period included supporting roles in the [Kevin Costner](https://www.edgepedia.org/kevin-costner) baseball drama *For the Love of the Game* (1999) and [Ridley Scott](https://www.edgepedia.org/ridley-scott)'s *Black Hawk Down* (2001), a part he described as a source of great pride[9](https://www.fandango.com/people/carmine-giovinazzo-245101/biography) • [8](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/carmine-giovinazzo/umc.cpc.37yty0dwr19wkechdwftol6eu). Earlier, the independent film *No Way Home* (1996), in which he played Frankie Hamm, won the Grand Special Prize at the Deauville Film Festival[5](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/giovinazzo-carmine-1973).
## CSI: NY and the CSI franchise
Giovinazzo's connection with the *CSI* franchise began with a 2002 guest appearance on the original *CSI: Crime Scene Investigation*, playing a street racer named Thumpy G in the episode "Revenge is Best Served Cold"[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0320547/bio/). In 2004 he appeared as Detective Danny Messer in the *CSI: Miami* episode "MIA/NYC Nonstop," the backdoor pilot for *CSI: NY*, and then carried the role into the new series as a main cast member for its entire run, 2004 to 2013[2](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/CSI%3A_NY) • [10](https://csi.fandom.com/wiki/Danny_Messer).
Danny Messer is a New York Crime Lab detective whose specialty is trace evidence analysis[10](https://csi.fandom.com/wiki/Danny_Messer). Giovinazzo said the part appealed to him first because the character was a native New Yorker, something he rarely saw in the roles offered to him, and he drew on his family's law-enforcement background for questions about procedure and interrogations[11](https://www.csifiles.com/interviews/carmine_giovinazzo.shtml). Through the role he became the first actor to appear in all three *CSI* series[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0320547/bio/). He also wrote one episode of *CSI: NY*, broadcast in 2009 during the show's sixth season[4](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-105121/filmographie/).
In a 2005 interview with the *Los Angeles Times*, Giovinazzo described the unusual arrangement of a New Yorker living in Los Angeles while costarring in a series called *CSI: NY* that was filmed mainly in southern California[12](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-dec-22-wk-fav22-story.html).
## Later work
After *CSI: NY* ended, Giovinazzo continued with television guest and recurring roles, including *[Graceland](https://www.edgepedia.org/graceland-tv-series)* (2014), *Criminal Minds* (2015), *Chicago Med* (2019), and *Batwoman* (2019)[4](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-105121/filmographie/). More recent credits include Sonny Grosso in the [Paramount+](https://www.edgepedia.org/paramount) miniseries *The Offer* (2022), Kenneth Pierce in the film *Breaking* (2022), Nick Gatchi in *High Desert* (2023), and Ivan Pugliesi in two episodes of *The Pitt* (2025)[4](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-105121/filmographie/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0320547/bio/).
In 2025 and 2026 he rejoined two of his *CSI: NY* castmates on podcasts: AJ Buckley's shows featured conversations with Giovinazzo and [Eddie Cahill](https://www.edgepedia.org/eddie-cahill) about their years on the series and their friendship with [Gary Sinise](https://www.edgepedia.org/gary-sinise)[13](https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/aj-buckley-show/eddie-cahill-carmine-ghtZDy4fArJ/).
## Personal life
Giovinazzo married actress [Vanessa Marcil](https://www.edgepedia.org/vanessa-marcil) on July 11, 2010; the marriage ended in divorce in March 2013[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0320547/bio/). His cousin is the actor [Larry Romano](https://www.edgepedia.org/larry-romano)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0320547/bio/). Outside acting he paints, writes poetry, plays guitar, and follows sports including roller hockey, golf, and tennis[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0320547/bio/).
## References
1. [Carmine Giovinazzo – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0320547/bio/)
2. [CSI: NY – Wikiquote (cast list, 2004–2013)](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/CSI%3A_NY)
3. [Carmine Giovinazzo – Famous Birthdays](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/carmine-giovinazzo.html)
4. [Carmine Giovinazzo : Filmographie, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-105121/filmographie/)
5. [Giovinazzo, Carmine 1973–, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/giovinazzo-carmine-1973)
6. [CSI: New York Cast Bios, U.S. Department of Defense document](https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/FOID/Special_Collection/Donald_Rumsfeld_Snowflakes_Litigation_Release/11-L-0559_Fourteenth_Release_Bates_51366-51865.pdf)
7. [Carmine Giovinazzo – Actor, CineMagia.ro](https://www.cinemagia.ro/actori/carmine-giovinazzo-37481/)
8. [Carmine Giovinazzo Movies and Shows, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/carmine-giovinazzo/umc.cpc.37yty0dwr19wkechdwftol6eu)
9. [Carmine Giovinazzo Biography, Fandango](https://www.fandango.com/people/carmine-giovinazzo-245101/biography)
10. [Danny Messer, CSI Fandom](https://csi.fandom.com/wiki/Danny_Messer)
11. [Carmine Giovinazzo interview, CSI Files (October 21, 2004)](https://www.csifiles.com/interviews/carmine_giovinazzo.shtml)
12. [A Los Angeles career, a New York state of mind, Los Angeles Times (December 22, 2005)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-dec-22-wk-fav22-story.html)
13. [Eddie Cahill & Carmine Giovinazzo: The Untold CSI:NY Stories, AJ Buckley Show, Listen Notes](https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/aj-buckley-show/eddie-cahill-carmine-ghtZDy4fArJ/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames G to Gl*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license