William Petersen Biography

William Louis Petersen is an American actor born on February 21, 1953, in Evanston, Illinois.

Of German and Danish ancestry, Petersen attended a Catholic high school in Boise, Idaho, followed by Idaho State University (on a football scholarship). Originally intending to boost his grade point average, Petersen took an acting course which changed the direction of his life. With his wife, he dropped out of school and followed a drama professor to Spain where he developed his acting skills as a Shakespearean actor. Petersen went back to Idaho with dreams of being an actor but couldn't focus on holding down a job.
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He went to Chicago to live with relatives which introduced him to the theater scene which he abundantly became part of, earning his actor's Equity card. He performed with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company and was a co-founder of the Remains Theater Ensemble which also included other prominent Chicago actors Gary Cole and Ted Levine.

His film career began with a small part in the 1981 film Thief, and in 1986 he starred as Will Graham in Manhunter (later to be remade as Red Dragon). In a move perhaps indicative of his career choices, Petersen is alleged to have passed on a part in Oliver Stone's Platoon, as it would have kept him away from his family. Instead, he worked on the 1987 made-for-TV movie Long Gone.

In the 2000 release The Contender, Petersen played the role of Governor Jack Hathway, a candidate for Vice President following the death of the incumbent.

From 2000 to the present, Petersen has starred as Gil Grissom in the successful CBS crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Due to heart problems, Petersen's role on CSI is currently reduced to a minimum.

Petersen, who has one child from a previous marriage, married longtime girlfriend Gina Cirone in June of 2003.

WILLIAM PETERSEN PICTURES

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WILLIAM PETERSEN BIOGRAPHY