William Petersen

Acting · Born 1953-02-21 in Evanston, Illinois, USA

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…

Filmography

• Thief as Katz & Jammer Bartender
• Manhunter as Will Graham
• 12 Angry Men as Juror 12
• To Live and Die in L.A. as Richard Chance
• Detachment as Mr. 'Sarge' Kepler
• Fear as Steve Walker
• Mulholland Falls as Jack Flynn
• The Skulls as Ames Levritt
• Cousins as Tom Hardy
• The Rat Pack as John F. Kennedy

TV

• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as Gil Grissom
• The Twilight Zone as (segment "Need to Know")
• CSI: Vegas as Gil Grissom
• Without a Trace as Gil Grissom
• Return to Lonesome Dove as Captain Gideon Walker
• Fallen Angels as Georgie
• The Directors as Self
• The Kennedys of Massachusetts as Joseph P. Kennedy Sr.
• Manhattan as Col. Emmett Darrow
• Blue as Mitch