A native of Washington state, Caviezel was born in Mount Vernon in 1968, one of five children in a devoutly Catholic family. After making his film debut with a bit part as an airline clerk in Gus Van Sant's My Own Private Idaho (1991), Caviezel went on to have a similarly minor role in Diggstown the next year. Subsequently accepted at Juilliard, he declined the school's offer in favor of a supporting role in Lawrence Kasdan's 1994 Wyatt Earp. Unfortunately, the film turned out to be a fairly major flop and Caviezel remained stuck in either minor roles in large films like The Rock (1996) and G.I. Jane (1997) or more substantial roles in complete turkeys such as Ed (1996). Fortunately, Terrence Malick came calling, and, in 1998, Caviezel had his breakthrough role in The Thin Red Line. The film received a number of Oscar nominations, and its stellar ensemble cast, which included Ben Chaplin, Sean Penn, George Clooney, and Nick Nolte, earned almost unanimous acclaim. The following year, Caviezel gained further recognition with his role as one of a group of renegade Civil War soldiers in Ang Lee's Ride With the Devil and his portrayal of a football coach's embittered son in Oliver Stone's Any Given Sunday.

In 2000, Caviezel starred in the supernatural thriller Frequency, playing the son of a long-dead man (Any Given Sunday co-star Dennis Quaid) with whom he is able to communicate over a ham radio. Later that year, he starred in Pay It Forward, which cast him as a homeless junkie who is befriended by a young boy (Haley Joel Osment). A role opposite Jennifer Lopez in the heady romantic drama Angel Eyes (2001) did little to increase Caviezel's name recognition when the film died a quick death at the box office. The following year, he took the lead in the period adventure The Count of Monte Cristo (2002), and though the film did draw favorable reviews from critics, it didn't necessarily attract audiences. Before embarking on a blood-soaked revenge spree in Highwaymen (2004), Caviezel took a turn as a mysterious former Marine in High Crimes and a lower-key role in the Paul Feig drama I Am David.