William Petersen
Born: 1953-02-21 in Evanston, Illinois, USA
Known For: Acting
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.
Filmography
2021
- CSI: Vegas as Gil Grissom
- Three Short Plays by Tracy Letts as Ted
2018
- Friedkin Uncut as Self
2015
- CSI: Immortality as Gil Grissom
2014
- Manhattan as Col. Emmett Darrow
- 100 Years of Wrigley Field as Narrator
2012
- Blue as Mitch
- Seeking a Friend for the End of the World as Trucker
2011
- Detachment as Mr. 'Sarge' Kepler
2004
- This Old Cub as Himself
- Blue Neon Night: Michael Connelly's Los Angeles as Narrator
2003
2002
- Without a Trace as Gil Grissom
2001
- Haven as Jackson Connolly
- Inside 'Manhunter' as Himself
- Wrigley Field: Beyond the Ivy as Narrator
2000
- CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as Gil Grissom
- The Skulls as Ames Levritt
- The Contender as Jack Hathaway
1999
- The Directors as Self
1998
- The Staircase as Joad
- Gunshy as Jake Bridges
- The Rat Pack as John F. Kennedy
- Kiss the Sky as Jess
1997
- 12 Angry Men as Juror 12
1996
- Fear as Steve Walker
- The Beast as Whip Dalton
- Mulholland Falls as Jack Flynn
- The Beast as Whip Dalton
1995
1993
- Curaçao as Stephen Guerin
- Fallen Angels as Georgie
- Return to Lonesome Dove as Captain Gideon Walker
1992
- Hard Promises as Joey
- Passed Away as Frank Scanlan
- Keep the Change as Joe Starling
1990
- Young Guns II as Patrick Floyd 'Pat' Garrett
- The Kennedys of Massachusetts as Joseph P. Kennedy Sr.
1989
- Cousins as Tom Hardy
1987
- Sacrée Soirée as Self
- Long Gone as Stud Cantrell
- Amazing Grace and Chuck as Russell
1986
- Manhunter as Will Graham
1985
- The Twilight Zone as (segment "Need to Know")
- To Live and Die in L.A. as Richard Chance
1981
- Thief as Katz & Jammer Bartender