William Louis Petersen (born February 21, 1953) is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his role as

Gil Grissom Gilbert Arthur Grissom (born August 17, 1956), Ph.D. is a fictional character portrayed by William Petersen on the CBS crime drama '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' and its sequel, '' CSI: Vegas''. Grissom is a forensic entomologist and for t ...

in the CBS drama series ''

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', also referred to as ''CSI'' and ''CSI: Las Vegas'', is an American procedural forensics crime drama television series that ran on CBS from October 6, 2000, to September 27, 2015, spanning 15 seasons. This wa ...

'' (2000–2015), for which he won a

Screen Actors Guild Award Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1952 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...

and was nominated for a

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...

; he was further nominated for three

Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

as a producer of the show. He reprised his role as Gil Grissom in the sequel '' CSI: Vegas'', which premiered on October 6, 2021. He also starred in the films '' To Live and Die in L.A.'' (1985), '' Manhunter'' (1986), ''

Young Guns II ''Young Guns II'' is a 1990 American Western film and a sequel to '' Young Guns'' (1988). It stars Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips, and Christian Slater, and features William Petersen as Pat Garrett. It was written ...

'' (1990), ''

Fear Fear is an intensely unpleasant emotion in response to perceiving or recognizing a danger or threat. Fear causes physiological changes that may produce behavioral reactions such as mounting an aggressive response or fleeing the threat. Fear ...

'' (1996), '' The Contender'' (2000), '' Detachment'' (2011), and ''

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World ''Seeking a Friend for the End of the World'' is a 2012 American apocalyptic romantic comedy-drama film, written and directed by Lorene Scafaria, in her feature directorial debut. The film stars Steve Carell and Keira Knightley as a pair of st ...

'' (2012).

Early life

Petersen was born in

Evanston, Illinois Evanston ( ) is a city, suburb of Chicago. Located in Cook County, Illinois, United States, it is situated on the North Shore along Lake Michigan. Evanston is north of Downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, ...

, the youngest of six children of June (née Hoene; 1909–2006) and Arthur Edward Petersen (1907 – 2004), who worked in the furniture business. Of Danish and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

descent, he was raised in the Roman Catholic faith of his mother. He has two brothers, Arthur Jr. and Robert, and three sisters, Anne, Mary Kay, and Elizabeth. He graduated from

Bishop Kelly High School Bishop Kelly High School is a private Roman Catholic secondary school in Boise, Idaho, operated by the Diocese of Boise. One of two Catholic high school in the state of Idaho, its school colors are black and gold and the mascot is a knight. His ...

in Boise,

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Monta ...

, in 1972. He was accepted to

Idaho State University , mottoeng = " The truth will set you free" , established = , former_names = Academy of Idaho(1901–1915)Idaho Technical Institute(1915–1927) University of Idaho—Southern Branch(1927–1947)Idaho Sta ...

on a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

scholarship. While at Idaho State, Petersen took an acting course, which changed the direction of his life. He left schoolGabettas, Chris
"William Petersen: From ISU to CSI"
isu.edu, Spring 2010 Issue, accessed April 10, 2016. along with his wife, Joanne, in 1974, and followed a

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

professor to the Basque country, where he studied as a

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

an actor. Petersen was interested in Basque culture: He studied the Basque language and gave his daughter the Basque name "Maite Nerea" ("My Beloved"); she was born in Arrasate/Mondragón in 1975. Petersen returned to Idaho with the intention of being an actor. Not wanting to work a nonacting job in Idaho, he returned to the Chicago area, living with relatives. He became active in the theater and earned his Actors' Equity card. He performed with the

Steppenwolf Theatre Company Steppenwolf Theatre Company is a Chicago theatre company founded in 1974 by Terry Kinney, Jeff Perry, and Gary Sinise in the Unitarian church on Half Day Road in Deerfield, Illinois and is now located in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood on ...

, of which he has been an ensemble member since 2008, and was a co-founder of the Remains Theater Ensemble, which also included other prominent Chicago actors

Gary Cole Gary Michael Cole (born September 20, 1956) is an American television, film and voice actor. Cole began his professional acting career on stage at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company in 1985. On television, he has had starring roles in the ...

and Ted Levine.

Career

In 1985, Petersen received his first break when he played a Secret Service agent gone rogue to avenge his mentor in

William Friedkin William "Billy" Friedkin (born August 29, 1935)Biskind, p. 200. is an American film and television director, producer and screenwriter closely identified with the " New Hollywood" movement of the 1970s. Beginning his career in documentaries in ...

's 1985 action film '' To Live and Die in L.A.'' In 1986, he played FBI agent Will Graham in the first Hannibal Lecter film, '' Manhunter''. Because his role was so emotionally exhausting, he did everything he could to rid himself of Graham after finishing

principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as ...

. He shaved off his

beard A beard is the hair that grows on the jaw, chin, upper lip, lower lip, cheeks, and neck of humans and some non-human animals. In humans, usually pubescent or adult males are able to grow beards. Throughout the course of history, societal at ...

, cut his hair, and bleached it blond. He also claims to have done this because, while rehearsing for a play in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, his dialogue was always coming out like Graham's; he dyed his hair so he could look in the mirror and see a different person. He declined a part in

Oliver Stone William Oliver Stone (born September 15, 1946) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. Stone won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay as writer of '' Midnight Express'' (1978), and wrote the gangster film remake '' Sc ...

's ''

Platoon A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two or more squads, sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the branch, but a platoon can be composed of 50 people, although specific platoons may rang ...

'', as it would have kept him in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, away from his family. Instead, he worked on the 1987 HBO made-for-TV movie ''Long Gone'' as a minor league baseball player and manager named Cecil "Stud" Cantrell. Petersen was offered the role of Henry Hill in the film ''

Goodfellas ''Goodfellas'' (stylized ''GoodFellas'') is a 1990 American biographical crime film directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Nicholas Pileggi and Scorsese, and produced by Irwin Winkler. It is a film adaptation of the 1985 nonfiction book '' W ...

'', but turned it down. An exposé about the film in the May 2015 issue of ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's Lifestyle magazine, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from H ...

'' claims that Petersen turned down the audition altogether. In a 1990 ABC three-part miniseries, '' The Kennedys of Massachusetts'', Petersen played U.S. President John F. Kennedy's father, Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy. The film won an Emmy and a Golden Globe from eight and two nominations, respectively. Also in 1990, Petersen portrayed the infamous Patrick Floyd "Pat" Garrett in ''

''. In 1993, Petersen appeared in a CBS TV miniseries, ''

Return to Lonesome Dove ''Return to Lonesome Dove'' is a 1993 American four part television miniseries, written by John Wilder involving characters created in Larry McMurtry's Western novel ''Lonesome Dove'' which was broadcast by CBS and first aired on November 14–1 ...

'', as former Ranger Gideon Walker. He played Steven Walker, a father who stops at nothing to break up the relationship between his daughter and her vicious boyfriend in ''

'' (1996). Petersen played Governor Jack Hathaway, an unscrupulous candidate for vice president following the death of the incumbent, in '' The Contender'' in 2000. He appeared uncredited in the noir thriller '' Mulholland Falls'' as a character who finds himself on the violent receiving end of a Los Angeles police squad's tactics. In 1999, he starred in '' Kiss the Sky'' as "Jeff." He appeared as part of an all-star cast in a remake of the 1997 film ''

12 Angry Men ''Twelve Angry Men'' is an American courtroom drama written by Reginald Rose concerning the jury of a homicide trial. It was broadcast initially as a television play in 1954. The following year it was adapted for the stage. It was adapted for a ...

'' (as Juror #12, a.k.a. "the Snob"). From 2000 to 2009, he played Dr.

in the CBS crime drama ''

''. Petersen took a break from CSI in 2006 to appear in a five-week run of the Trinity Repertory Company production of ''Dublin Carol'' by Conor McPherson, in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts ...

. Petersen renewed his contract with CBS to appear on ''CSI'' for the 2008–09 season, reportedly for $600,000 per episode. On July 15, 2008, the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. new ...

reported that Petersen was leaving the show as a regular following Season 9's tenth episode in order to pursue more stage-acting opportunities, but that he might return for guest spots. He remained an executive producer of the show. He reprised his role of Gil Grissom in the eleventh-season episode "The Two Mrs. Grissoms" (aired February 3, 2011). He came back in 2015 as a guest in the series finale, "Immortality." In February 2020, Petersen announced to return for a ''CSI'' sequel series along with

Jorja Fox Jorja-An Fox ( ) is an American actress and producer. She first came to prominence with a recurring role in the NBC medical drama '' ER'' as Dr. Maggie Doyle from 1996 to 1999. This was followed by another critical success in the recurring r ...

, before the series was picked up as '' CSI: Vegas''.

Personal life

In 1975, Petersen and his then wife Joanne Brady welcomed a daughter, Maite. In June 2003, Petersen married his longtime girlfriend Gina Cirone. On July 5, 2011, Petersen and Cirone welcomed twins, a daughter and son, via surrogate. Peterson is an avid

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

fan. In 2004, he described to ''

'' a

near-death experience A near-death experience (NDE) is a profound personal experience associated with death or impending death which researchers claim share similar characteristics. When positive, such experiences may encompass a variety of sensations including detac ...

he had in the 1980s which gave him "assurance" that there is an

afterlife The afterlife (also referred to as life after death) is a purported existence in which the essential part of an individual's identity or their stream of consciousness continues to live after the death of their physical body. The surviving es ...

. In August 2021, Petersen was taken to the hospital via ambulance after feeling unwell on the set of '' CSI: Vegas''. He was experiencing symptoms of exhaustion after 12 weeks of shooting, and released from the facility soon after.

Honors

On February 3, 2009, Petersen received a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Calif ...

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Production credits

*''

'' *'' CSI: Vegas'' *'' Keep the Change'' as producer"'Keep the Change' Listing"
allmovie.com, accessed April 11, 2016 *'' Hard Promises'' as producer

Live theatre

Remains Theatre

* ''Indulgences in a Louisville Harem'' (1980) * ''Sixty Six Scenes of Halloween'' (1981) * ''

The Tooth of Crime ''The Tooth of Crime'' is a musical play written by Sam Shepard which made its premiere in London's Open Space Theatre on July 17, 1972. It tells the story of aging rock singer Hoss, doing battle with rival Crow. Plot The play is set in a vaguel ...

'' (1984) as Hoss (nominated by Joseph Jefferson Awards) * '' Balm in Gilead'' (1981–82) as Joe Conroy * ''Moby Dick'' (1984) as Ahab * ''A Class "C" Trial in Yokohama'' * ''Big Time'' (1987) as Paul * '' American Buffalo'' (1991) as Teach * ''Once in Doubt'' (1992) as Painter * ''The Chicago Conspiracy Trial'' (1992) * '' Waiting for Godot'' * ''

The Time of Your Life ''The Time of Your Life'' is a 1939 five-act play by American playwright William Saroyan. The play is the first drama to win both the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award. The play opened on Broadway in 1939. Ch ...

'' as Joe * ''Farmyard'' * ''Traps'' * ''

Speed the Plow ''Speed-the-Plow'' is a 1988 play by David Mamet that is a satirical dissection of the American movie business. As stated in ''The Producer's Perspective'', "this is a theme Mamet would revisit in his later films '' Wag the Dog'' (1997) and ''S ...

'' (1987) as Bobby Gould

Steppenwolf Theatre Company

Source: Steppenwolf * '' Balm in Gilead'' (1981) as Joe Conroy * '' Fool for Love'' (1984) as Eddie * '' Dublin Carol'' (2008) as John Plunkett * '' Endgame'' (2010) as Hamm * ''Slowgirl'' (2013) as Sterling * '' The Minutes'' (2017) as Mayor Superba

Goodman Theatre

* ''Gardenia'' by John Guare (1983) as Unknown"Goodman Theatre Archive, Production History Files, Part 1, 1982-83 Season and 1983-1984 Season"
chipublib.org, accessed April 10, 2016 * ''

'' (1984) as Joe * ''

Glengarry Glen Ross ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' is a play by David Mamet that won the Pulitzer Prize in 1984. The play shows parts of two days in the lives of four desperate Chicago real estate agents who are prepared to engage in any number of unethical, illegal acts ...

'' (1984) as James Lingk * ''

The Night of the Iguana ''The Night of the Iguana'' is a stage play written by American author Tennessee Williams. It is based on his 1948 short story. In 1959, Williams staged it as a one-act play, and over the next two years he developed it into a full-length play, p ...

'' (1994) as Reverend Shannon

Victory Gardens Theater (Chicago, Illinois)

* ''Dillinger'' (1978) as

John Dillinger John Herbert Dillinger (June 22, 1903 – July 22, 1934) was an American gangster during the Great Depression. He led the Dillinger Gang, which was accused of robbing 24 banks and four police stations. Dillinger was imprisoned several times an ...

* ''

Heat In thermodynamics, heat is defined as the form of energy crossing the boundary of a thermodynamic system by virtue of a temperature difference across the boundary. A thermodynamic system does not ''contain'' heat. Nevertheless, the term is ...

'' (February 1978)"Production History"
victorygardens.org, accessed April 10, 2016 * ''Towards the Morning'' (October 1978) * '' Flyovers'' (1998) as Ted * '' Blackbird'' (2009) as RayJones, Kenneth
"'Blackbird', with Hawkinson and "CSI" Star Petersen, Makes Chicago Premiere July 3"
playbill.com, July 3, 2009 (won the Jeff Awards)

Wisdom Bridge Theatre (Chicago)

* ''Canticle of the Sun'' (1981) as Unknown * '' In the Belly of the Beast'' (1985) as Jack Henry AbbottWebb, Andrew
"'In The Belly Of The Beast' Searing Tale Of Prison Survival"
''Sun-Sentinel'', June 7, 1985 (Prize Joseph Jefferson Awards Best Actor) * ''

'' (1989) as Bobby Gould

Other stage works

* ''Darkness at Noon'' (1976), Chicago area production * ''

A Streetcar Named Desire ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who, after encountering a series of per ...

'' (1984) as Stanley Kowalski, Stratford Festival of Canada, Stratford, Ontario, Canada, 1984 * ''Days and Nights Within'', by Ellen McLaughlin (1986) as Interrogator, Remains Theatre production at Organic Theatre, Chicago * ''Puntila and His Hired Mano'' (1986) as Matti, Organic Theatre * ''

'' as Bobby Gould, Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. * ''The Night of the Iguana'' (1996) as Reverend T. Lawrence Shannon, Roundabout Theatre Company, Criterion Center Stage Right Theatre, New York City * ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vi ...

'' as Unknown, Illinois Shakespeare Festival * ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 h ...

'' as Unknown, Illinois Shakespeare Festival * ''In Belly of the Beast'' (1983) as Jack Henry Abbott (Ivanhoe Theatre, Chicago, IL, 1985 and John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, D.C., 1985) (nominated for Helen Hayes Awards Non-Resident Acting, 1986) * ''A Class C Trial in Yokohama'', Chicago Theatre Project * ''In The Belly of the Beast: Letters from Prison'', Glasgow, Scotland and London, England, including the American Festival, London, 1985 * ''A Dublin Carol'' by Conor McPherson (2006) as John Plunkett, Trinity Reportory Company (Providence)Hernandez, Ernio
"CSI" Star Petersen Opens McPherson's 'A Dublin Carol' at Trinity Rep"
playbill.com, December 6, 2006 * ''Slowgirl'' by Greg Pierce (2014) (

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

, California, Geffen Playhouse)Boehm, Mike
"William Petersen among friends at Geffen Playhouse's 'Slowgirl'"
''Los Angeles Times'', March 11, 2014 * Appeared in productions at Boise State University and Lewis and Clark College

Stage director

* '' Farmyard'', Remains Theatre, Chicago, c. 1980 * ''Traps'', Remains Theatre, 1983

Accolades

References

External links

*
Screen grabs, press stills and information about Petersen's famous role in Michael Mann's ''Manhunter'' (1986)

Digital Spy, January 9, 2009

at Film Reference
The William Petersen Appreciation Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Petersen, William 1953 births 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors American people of Danish descent American people of German descent Television producers from Illinois Idaho State Bengals football players Idaho State University alumni Living people Male actors from Evanston, Illinois Male actors from Idaho People from Boise, Idaho Steppenwolf Theatre Company players