Known For
Acting
Born
Feb 21, 1953
Place of Birth
Evanston, Illinois, USA
Credits
48 titles
William L. Petersen
Biography
William Louis Petersen is an American actor and producer, best known for playing Dr. Gilbert "Gil" Grissom on the hit CBS series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Richard Chance in the film To Live and Die in L.A., and Will Graham in the film Manhunter. Born in Evanston, Illinois, Petersen attended Idaho State University on a football scholarship, where he first tried acting and immediately joined the drama department, before leaving to work in the Basque country as a Shakespearean actor. Peterson embraced the Basque lifestyle, influencing his work, family and art. He went on to perform with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company before his breakthrough role in the 1985 action film To Live and Die in L.A. Peterson’s success was immediate, landing him the role as Will Graham in the first adaptation of Michael Mann’s Hannibal Lecter series. His film and television success includes numerous crime dramas and thrillers, providing him the perfect background for his decade-long role as Dr. Gil Grissom in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation before returning to the stage. On February 3, 2009, Petersen was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Known For
Filmography
CSI: Vegas
Gil Grissom
Three Short Plays by Tracy Letts
Ted
Friedkin Uncut
Self
CSI: Immortality
Gil Grissom
Manhattan
Col. Emmett Darrow
100 Years of Wrigley Field
Self - Narrator (voice)
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
Trucker
Blue
Mitch
Detachment
Mr. 'Sarge' Kepler
This Old Cub
Himself
Blue Neon Night: Michael Connelly's Los Angeles
Narrator
Counterfeit World: Making 'To Live and Die in L.A.'
Self
Without a Trace
Gil Grissom
Wrigley Field: Beyond the Ivy
Narrator
Inside 'Manhunter'
Himself
Haven
Jackson Connolly
Haven
Jackson Connolly
The Contender
Jack Hathaway
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Gil Grissom
The Skulls
Ames Levritt
The Directors
Self
Kiss the Sky
Jess
The Rat Pack
John F. Kennedy
The Staircase
Joad
Gunshy
Jake Bridges
12 Angry Men
Juror 12
The Beast
Whip Dalton
The Beast
Whip Dalton
Mulholland Falls
Jack Flynn
Fear
Steve Walker
In the Kingdom of the Blind, the Man with One Eye Is King
Tony C.
Return to Lonesome Dove
Captain Gideon Walker
Late Show with David Letterman
Self - Guest
Fallen Angels
Georgie
Curaçao
Stephen Guerin
Keep the Change
Joe Starling
Passed Away
Frank Scanlan
Hard Promises
Joey
Young Guns II
Patrick Floyd 'Pat' Garrett
The Kennedys of Massachusetts
Joseph P. Kennedy Sr.
Cousins
Tom Hardy
Sacrée soirée
Self
Long Gone
Stud Cantrell
Amazing Grace and Chuck
Russell
Manhunter
Will Graham
To Live and Die in L.A.
Richard Chance
The Twilight Zone
(segment "Need to Know")
Thief
Katz & Jammer Bartender