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William Petersen
February 25th, 2010 by Lynn DeVries

William Petersen: Plays Gil Grissom

Full Name: William Louis Petersen

[Photo: ©2010 CBS Broadcasting Co.]
Birth Date: February 21, 1953
Astrological Sign: Pisces
Birth Place: Evanston, IL
Spouse(s):
  • Joanne Brady (1974-1981)
  • Gina Cirone (2003-)
College:
  • Attended Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID
Awards:
  • Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards
    • 2001 Won Alan J. Pakula Award for: The Contender (2000)
      Shared with: Rod Lurie (screenwriter), Gary Oldman, Joan Allen, Jeff Bridges, Christian Slater, Sam Elliott, Saul Rubinek, Philip Baker Hall, Mike Binder, Robin Thomas, Mariel Hemingway
      For artistic excellence by illuminating issues of great social and political importance.
  • Emmy Awards
    • 2004 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Drama Series for: "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (2000)
      Shared with: Jerry Bruckheimer (executive producer), Carol Mendelsohn (executive producer), Jonathan Littman (executive producer), Anthony E. Zuiker (executive producer), Ann Donahue (executive producer), Danny Cannon (executive producer), Cynthia Chvatal (executive producer), Naren Shankar (co-executive producer), Andrew Lipsitz (co-executive producer), Josh Berman (supervising producer), Louis Shaw Milito (producer), Kenneth Fink (producer), Richard J. Lewis (producer), Bruce Golin (producer), Elizabeth Devine (producer)
    • 2003 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Drama Series for: "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (2000)
      Shared with: Jerry Bruckheimer (executive producer), Carol Mendelsohn (executive producer), Ann Donahue (executive producer), Anthony E. Zuiker (executive producer), Danny Cannon (executive producer), Jonathan Littman (co-executive producer), Cynthia Chvatal (co-executive producer), Naren Shankar (co-executive producer), Andrew Lipsitz (supervising producer), Louis Shaw Milito (producer), Josh Berman (producer), Kenneth Fink (producer), Richard J. Lewis (producer)
    • 2002 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Drama Series for: "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (2000)
      Shared with: Jerry Bruckheimer (executive producer), Carol Mendelsohn (executive producer), Ann Donahue (executive producer), Anthony E. Zuiker (executive producer), Sam Strangis (co-executive producer), Jonathan Littman (co-executive producer), Cynthia Chvatal (supervising producer), Danny Cannon (supervising producer)
  • Golden Globes, USA
    • 2004 Nominated Golden Globe Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama for: "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (2000)
  • PGA Golden Laurel Awards
    • 2004 Nominated Television Producer of the Year Award in Episodic Drama for: "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (2000)
      Shared with: Jerry Bruckheimer, Carol Mendelsohn, Anthony E. Zuiker, Ann Donahue, Jonathan Littman, Danny Cannon, Cynthia Chvatal, Louis Shaw Milito
    • 2003 Nominated Television Producer of the Year Award in Episodic Drama for: "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (2000)
      Shared with: Jerry Bruckheimer, Carol Mendelsohn, Ann Donahue, Anthony E. Zuiker, Cynthia Chvatal, Danny Cannon, Jonathan Littman, Sam Strangis
  • Satellite Awards
    • 2002 Nominated Golden Satellite Award Best Performance by an Actor in a Series, Drama for: "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (2000)
  • Screen Actors Guild Awards
    • 2005 Won Actor Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series for: "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (2000)
      Shared with: Gary Dourdan, George Eads, Jorja Fox, Paul Guilfoyle, Robert David Hall, Marg Helgenberger, Eric Szmanda
    • 2004 Nominated Actor Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series for: "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (2000)
      Shared with: Gary Dourdan, George Eads, Jorja Fox, Paul Guilfoyle, Robert David Hall, Marg Helgenberger, Eric Szmanda
    • 2003 Nominated Actor Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Seriesfor: "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (2000)
      Shared with: Gary Dourdan, George Eads, Jorja Fox, Paul Guilfoyle, Robert David Hall, Marg Helgenberger, Eric Szmanda
    • 2002 Nominated Actor Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series for: "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (2000)
      Shared with: Gary Dourdan, George Eads, Jorja Fox, Paul Guilfoyle, Robert David Hall, Marg Helgenberger, Eric Szmanda
  • TV Guide Awards
    • 2001 Nominated TV Guide Award Actor of the Year in a New Series for: "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (2000)
Fast Facts:
  • Attended Idaho State University on a football scholarship.
  • An avid Chicago Cubs fan.
  • Has a production company with Cynthia Chvatal called High Horse.
  • Made his Broadway debut on March 21, 1996, in a revival of Tennessee Williams’ play The Night of the Iguana.
  • A great TV criminologist on CSI, he wasn’t much of a science student in school. "Terrible," he told TV Guide in 2003. "I’m not sure I ever passed a science test… I didn’t see it applying to my life in any way."
  • Billy has a dog named Bruno, who appeared with him on CSI’s episode Leapin’ Lizards.
  • William chose his CSI character’s last name, Grissom, as a tribute to Virgil "Gus" Grissom, one of the three American astronauts who were killed in the Apollo 1 launchpad fire in 1967.
  • Billy was runner up for “Sexiest Boss” in TV Guide’s The Sexy Issue (2007).
  • Billy refused to appear in any other versions of CSI.
  • After college, Billy and his then wife, Joanne, spent time in Spain, where they started a Shakespeare company in the Basque region.
  • Billy met his first wife, Joanne, when the two attended the same high school in Boise, Idaho.
  • Billy’s grades were so poor in college that he wasn’t allowed to play football. He began taking theater classes to raise his Grade Point Average.
  • When he was 15 Billy ran away to Boise, Idaho, to live with an older brother.
  • Petersen played football, baseball and basketball while in high school.
  • William Petersen’s parents owned a furniture stor in Evanston, Illinois.
  • William’s role as Gil Grissom shares the number 82 spot with Catherine Willows in "Bravo’s 100 Greatest TV Characters".
  • He is of Danish descent.
  • He turned down a major part in Michael Mann’s Heat
  • He appeared uncredited in the noir thriller Mulholland Falls.
  • Petersen’s favorite pigout food is the Double cheeseburgers at the Gaslight on Halsted Street in Chicago.
  • Petersen had the nickname of "Wild Man" in high school.
  • When William was younger he was into rock concerts, drinking and the usual pot smoking. He called it "General brattiness."
  • William really likes to golf. His golfing partner is CSI co-star George Eads.
  • William declined the offer to produce CSI: Miami (2002), the spin-off of his series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000).
  • William recently testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on increased funding for crime labs.
  • William has one child, a daughter named Maite. She was born in 1975.
  • Billy became a grandfather in October 2003. He has a grandchild named Mazrik William.
  • William’s nickname is Billy.
  • Billy attended the renowned Steppenwolf Company in the early years of his career.
  • William is approximately 5′11" tall.
Quotes:
  • (On Grissom’s revelation of his romance with Sara) I’m not even sure that Grissom realized that he was saying it or that at the moment, he didn’t realize that everybody was hearing it. It was a revelation on his part. And again more importantly that’s really what has come to pass on this season is the realization on Grissom’s part that…he loves someone.
  • (On the CSI season 7 finale) The best way to put this is that, you know, i’m not a huge fan of cliffhangers endings. However I think because of what we’ve done with the whole minituare killer story line that in a way we’ve earned this ending, you know? It’s not something that you can just wrap up quickly and walk away from it.
  • (on taking a break from CSI to do a stage play) I had the feeling that if I didn’t get back on stage, I wouldn’t want to go back. It’s happened to a lot of actors where the further away from the theater you get, the more terrified of it you become.
  • (On Lady Heather) She’s sort of the-the quintessential anthropological study for Grissom. You know she’s-she’s just so fascinating to him because she’s so…out there.
  • (On the criminalists on the show) They’re scientists and nerds, but with DNA and other scientific investigation techniques, they’re like Sherlock Holmes for the new millennium.
  • I was horrible at science and math. I couldn’t pass a test to save my life! I’m surprised that it didn’t take me until I was 20 to graduate. That’s why my role is so cool – Grissom is the complete opposite of me.
  • Grissom is pretty asexual. He’s not that interested in anything other than work – except for Lady Heather. She’s the closest to getting his heart of anyone.
  • (On Grissom’s beard) The beard is here because I got tired of shaving and Grissom, subsequently, got tired of shaving. Grissom, like any other 50-year-old man, is going through a series of mid-life changes. Who knows, he may start drinking.
Important Links:
William Petersen

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