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Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Birthday
February 21, 1953
Place of Birth
Evanston, Illinois, USA
Also Known As
- William L. Petersen
- William Peterson
- William Louis Petersen
William Petersen
2.2 Popularity
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
7.8
Gil Grissom
CSI: Vegas
2021
0.0
Ted
Three Short Plays by Tracy Letts
2021
7.0
Self
Friedkin Uncut
2018
7.2
Gil Grissom
CSI: Immortality
2015
7.1
Col. Emmett Darrow
Manhattan
2014
0.0
Narrator
100 Years of Wrigley Field
2014
6.6
Trucker
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
2012
7.1
Mitch
Blue
2012
7.6
Mr. 'Sarge' Kepler
Detachment
2011
0.0
Himself
This Old Cub
2004
Credits
CSI: Vegas
as Gil Grissom
2021
7.8
Three Short Plays by Tracy Letts
as Ted
2021
0.0
Friedkin Uncut
as Self
2018
7.0
CSI: Immortality
as Gil Grissom
2015
7.2
Manhattan
as Col. Emmett Darrow
2014
7.1
100 Years of Wrigley Field
as Narrator
2014
0.0
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
as Trucker
2012
6.6
Blue
as Mitch
2012
7.1
Detachment
as Mr. 'Sarge' Kepler
2011
7.6
This Old Cub
as Himself
2004
0.0
Blue Neon Night: Michael Connelly's Los Angeles
as Narrator
2004
0.0
Counterfeit World: Making 'To Live and Die in L.A.'
as Self
2003
8.0
Without a Trace
as Gil Grissom
2002
7.2
Wrigley Field: Beyond the Ivy
as Narrator
2001
0.0
Inside 'Manhunter'
as Himself
2001
7.0
Haven
as Jackson Connolly
2001
6.8
The Contender
as Jack Hathaway
2000
6.7
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
as Gil Grissom
2000
7.6
The Skulls
as Ames Levritt
2000
5.8
The Directors
as Self
1999
5.8
Kiss the Sky
as Jess
1998
5.3
The Rat Pack
as John F. Kennedy
1998
5.8
The Staircase
as Joad
1998
7.4
Gunshy
as Jake Bridges
1998
5.4
12 Angry Men
as Juror 12
1997
7.7
The Beast
as Whip Dalton
1996
5.7
The Beast
as Whip Dalton
1996
6.3
Mulholland Falls
as Jack Flynn
1996
6.0
Fear
as Steve Walker
1996
6.5
In the Kingdom of the Blind, the Man with One Eye Is King
as Tony C.
1995
2.7
Return to Lonesome Dove
as Captain Gideon Walker
1993
6.9
Fallen Angels
as Georgie
1993
5.9
Curaçao
as Stephen Guerin
1993
6.1
Keep the Change
as Joe Starling
1992
6.0
Passed Away
as Frank Scanlan
1992
5.1
Hard Promises
as Joey
1992
5.5
Young Guns II
as Patrick Floyd 'Pat' Garrett
1990
6.5
The Kennedys of Massachusetts
as Joseph P. Kennedy Sr.
1990
7.2
Cousins
as Tom Hardy
1989
6.0
Sacrée Soirée
as Self
1987
5.1
Long Gone
as Stud Cantrell
1987
5.8
Amazing Grace and Chuck
as Russell
1987
5.6
Manhunter
as Will Graham
1986
7.0
To Live and Die in L.A.
as Richard Chance
1985
7.1
The Twilight Zone
as (segment "Need to Know")
1985
7.8
Thief
as Katz & Jammer Bartender
1981
7.2