Acting · Evanston, Illinois, USA · Born February 21, 1953
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.
TVCSI: Vegas
2021
as Gil Grissom
MovieThree Short Plays by Tracy Letts
2021
as Ted
MovieFriedkin Uncut
2018
as Self
MovieCSI: Immortality
2015
as Gil Grissom
TVManhattan
2014
as Col. Emmett Darrow
Movie100 Years of Wrigley Field
2014
as Self - Narrator (voice)
MovieSeeking a Friend for the End of the World
2012
as Trucker
TVBlue
2012
as Mitch
MovieDetachment
2011
as Mr. 'Sarge' Kepler
MovieThis Old Cub
2004
as Himself
MovieBlue Neon Night: Michael Connelly's Los Angeles
2004
as Narrator
MovieCounterfeit World: Making 'To Live and Die in L.A.'
2003
as Self
TVWithout a Trace
2002
as Gil Grissom
MovieWrigley Field: Beyond the Ivy
2001
as Narrator
MovieInside 'Manhunter'
2001
as Himself
MovieHaven
2001
as Jackson Connolly
TVHaven
2001
as Jackson Connolly
MovieThe Contender
2000
as Jack Hathaway
TVCSI: Crime Scene Investigation
2000
as Gil Grissom
MovieThe Skulls
2000
as Ames Levritt
TVThe Directors
1999
as Self
MovieKiss the Sky
1998
as Jess
MovieThe Rat Pack
1998
as John F. Kennedy
MovieThe Staircase
1998
as Joad
MovieGunshy
1998
as Jake Bridges
Movie12 Angry Men
1997
as Juror 12
MovieThe Beast
1996
as Whip Dalton
TVThe Beast
1996
as Whip Dalton
MovieMulholland Falls
1996
as Jack Flynn
MovieFear
1996
as Steve Walker
MovieIn the Kingdom of the Blind, the Man with One Eye Is King
1995
as Tony C.
TVReturn to Lonesome Dove
1993
as Captain Gideon Walker
TVLate Show with David Letterman
1993
as Self - Guest
TVFallen Angels
1993
as Georgie
MovieCuraçao
1993
as Stephen Guerin
MovieKeep the Change
1992
as Joe Starling
MoviePassed Away
1992
as Frank Scanlan
MovieHard Promises
1992
as Joey
MovieYoung Guns II
1990
as Patrick Floyd 'Pat' Garrett
TVThe Kennedys of Massachusetts
1990
as Joseph P. Kennedy Sr.
MovieCousins
1989
as Tom Hardy
TVSacrée soirée
1987
as Self
MovieLong Gone
1987
as Stud Cantrell
MovieAmazing Grace and Chuck
1987
as Russell
MovieManhunter
1986
as Will Graham
MovieTo Live and Die in L.A.
1985
as Richard Chance
TVThe Twilight Zone
1985
as (segment "Need to Know")
MovieThief
1981
as Katz & Jammer Bartender
