William L. Petersen

Known for ActingBorn 1953-02-21 (age 73)Evanston, Illinois, USA

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.Read more

Movies & web series

This Old Cub

Wrigley Field: Beyond the Ivy

Blue Neon Night: Michael Connelly's Los Angeles

CSI: Vegas

Detachment

Counterfeit World: Making 'To Live and Die in L.A.'

The Kennedys of Massachusetts

12 Angry Men

The Staircase

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

The Twilight Zone

CSI: Immortality

Friedkin Uncut

Without a Trace

Blue

Manhattan

Thief

Inside 'Manhunter'

To Live and Die in L.A.

Keep the Change

Return to Lonesome Dove

Manhunter

Haven

The Contender

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World

Fear

Young Guns II

Curaçao

Late Show with David Letterman

The Beast

Fallen Angels

The Directors

Long Gone

Mulholland Falls

The Beast

Cousins

The Rat Pack

The Skulls

Hard Promises

Amazing Grace and Chuck

Sacrée soirée

Kiss the Sky

Gunshy

Passed Away

In the Kingdom of the Blind, the Man with One Eye Is King

Three Short Plays by Tracy Letts

100 Years of Wrigley Field