William Peterson Biography
Summary
"William Louis Petersen" (born February 21, 1953) is a Golden Globe and Emmy nominated American actor and producer, best known for playing Dr. Gilbert 'Gil' Grissom on the hit CBS series "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation".
Early life
Petersen, the youngest of six children, was born in Evanston, Illinois, to parents who worked in the furniture business. His father is Danish-American, and his mother is German-American. He graduated from Bishop Kelly High School in Boise, Idaho, in 1972. He was accepted to Idaho State University on a football scholarship. While at Idaho State, Petersen took an acting course which changed the direction of his life. He left school along with his wife, Joanne, in 1974 and followed a drama professor to Spain (Basque country) where he studied as a Shakespearean actor. Petersen was interested in Basque culture and he studied the Basque language, "Euskera", and gave his daughter the Basque name "Maite" (meaning love). Petersen returned to Idaho intent on being an actor. Not wanting to work a non-acting job in Idaho, he returned to the Chicago area, living with relatives. He became active in the theater and earned his Actors' 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.
Career
He is usually credited without his middle initial (i.e. credited as 'William Petersen' and not 'William L. Petersen'). Because his role in "Manhunter" was so emotionally exhausting, he did everything he could to rid himself of Will Graham after finishing principal photography. He shaved off his beard, cut his hair and dyed it blonde. He also claims to have done this because, while rehearsing for a play in Chicago, his dialogue was always coming out Will Graham; he dyed his hair so he could look in the mirror and see a different person. In a move perhaps indicative of his career choices, Petersen declined a part in Oliver Stone's "Platoon", as it would have kept him in the Philippines, away from his family. Instead, he worked on the 1987 made-for-TV movie "Long Gone".
In 1985's "To Live and Die in L.A.", Petersen appears frontally nude, briefly. Petersen was offered the role of Henry Hill in the movie "Goodfellas", but turned it down. In 1993, Petersen appeared in the miniseries "Return to Lonesome Dove", and in 1996, appeared in "Fear". Both projects featured him as a character with the surname 'Walker.'
In the 2000 release, "The Contender," Petersen played the role of Governor Jack Hathaway, an unscrupulous candidate for vice president following the death of the incumbent. He also appeared uncredited in the noir thriller "Mulholland Falls" as a character who finds himself on the violent receiving end of Los Angeles police.
Since 2000, Petersen has gained his greatest fame starring as Dr. Gil Grissom in the CBS crime drama "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation". Petersen took a break from CSI to appear in a five-week run of the Trinity Repertory Company production of "Dublin Carol" in Providence, Rhode Island. On the evening of Wednesday, May 30, 2007 Petersen was at Wrigley Field to join WGN radio sportscasters covering a Chicago Cubs - Florida Marlins game and he mentioned he had seen CSI: The Experience at the Museum of Science and Industry on the South Side of Chicago. He was on a nine-week break from the show at the time, and he expressed how he and his castmates were 'blessed? to have such a successful series when he had seen shows starring friends cancelled after only a few episodes.
According to Michael Ausiello of TV Guide, Petersen has renewed his contract with CBS to appear on CSI for the 2008-2009 season, reportedly for $600,000 per episode. On July 15, 2008, the Associated Press reported that Petersen was leaving the show as a regular following Season 9's tenth episode in order to pursue more stage acting opportunities but that he may return for guest spots during the show's run, as needed. He will remain an executive producer of the show.
Personal life
Petersen married longtime girlfriend Gina Cirone in June 2003. He has a daughter, Maite, from his previous marriage. (Maite gave birth to his grandson, Mazrik William, in October 2003.) Petersen is an avid Chicago Cubs fan, and will drop by Wrigley Field at least once a year to sing 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame' during the seventh-inning stretch. In 2004, Petersen described to "Playboy Magazine" a near-death experience he had in the 1980s, which gave him assurance that there is an afterlife.
Filmography
"Thief" (1981) (credited as "William L. Peterson")
"To Live and Die in L.A." (1985) ... Richard Chance (credited as "William L. Petersen")
"Manhunter" (1986) ... Will Graham
"Amazing Grace and Chuck" (1987)
"Long Gone" (TV movie) (1987)
"Cousins" (1989)
"Young Guns II" (1990) ... Pat Garrett
"Passed Away" (1992)
"Return to Lonesome Dove" (mini series) (1993) ... Gideon Walker
"Hard Promises" (1991 in film)...Joey (Credited as " William L. Peterson")
"Deadly Currents" (1993)
"In the Kingdom of the Blind, the Man With One Eye Is King" (1995) ... Tony C.
"Fear" (1996) ... Steve Walker
"The Beast" (1996) (miniseries) ... Whip Dalton
"12 Angry Men" (1997) (TV) ... Juror #12
"Gunshy" (1998) (... more) ... Jake Bridges
"The Staircase" (1998) ... Joad
"The Rat Pack" (TV) (1998) ... John F. Kennedy
"Kiss the Sky" (1999) ... Jeff
"The Skulls" (2000) ... Ames Levritt
"The Contender" (2000) ... Gov. Jack Hathaway
"CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (2000 - 2009) ... Dr. Gilbert 'Gil' Grissom In 192 episodes
Producing Credits
"CSI: Crime Scene Investigation", "Keep the Change", and "Hard Promises".
External links
(William Petersen Bio at CBS - CSI: Crime Scene Investigation)
(Petersen not sad about 'CSI' exit) Digital Spy, January 9, 2009
Credit
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article about William Peterson.
