Karnes fit the role nicely. His nuanced, realistic performance - coupled with his everyday looks and rumpled wardrobe – provided a sharp contrast with the standard square-jawed authority figures featured in most cop shows.
Born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, Karnes originally had his sight set on being a lawyer, and studied political science at the University of Kansas at Lawrence. But he also studied theater, and while studying for his LSAT, in preparation for law school, that he made what would become a life-changing decision: auditioning for the Nebraska Shakespeare Festival. The bold move won him paying parts in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “Hamlet,” and soon enough, plans for law school were shelved.
From there, Karnes joined several repertory companies, including a Los Angeles Shakespeare company, and it was during a performance in “Romeo & Juliet” as Mercutio that he was discovered by television producer Joe Stern, best known for “Law & Order” and “Judging Amy.” Stern cast him in another play, “The Tavern,” with the Matrix Theater Company. Soon thereafter, Karnes met his wife, Julia Campbell.
In short order, Karnes worked his way through a slew TV guest appearances– showing up in small parts on shows as varied as “Star Trek: Voyager” (UPN) and “The Pretender” (NBC) to “Ally McBeal” (Fox) and “Judging Amy” (CBS). On the big screen, he took a lead role in “The Joyriders” (1999) and appeared in “The Next Best Thing” (2000).
In landing his role of the shrewd but all-too-human “Dutch,” whose full name is Holland Wagenbach, Karnes brought a more human dimension to the mostly corrupt police precinct. Besides holding his own against rogue cop Vic Mackey, played by series star Michael Chiklis, Dutch was partnered with the strong-willed Det. Claudette Wyms, played by CCH Pounder, in one of the more original--and believable--police pairings on television.