Celebrity Nooz: William Peterson

William Peterson (Actor) - CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

Updated: 12/05/18

Name: William Peterson

Birth Name: William Louis Petersen

Born: February 21, 1953 in Evanston, Illinois, USA

Nickname: Billy

Claim To Fame: William Petersen is an American actor and producer best known for his role as Gil Grissom in the CBS drama series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000-2015), and for starring roles in films To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) and Manhunter (1986).

Family Life: He has been married to Gina Cirone since June 14, 2003. They have two children. He was previously married to Joanne Brady; together they have one child.

Info: Started at Idaho State University on a football scholarship, where he found acting.

Co-founder of the Remains Theater Ensemble.

He has a production company called High Horse.

An avid Chicago Cubs fan, he sings "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the seventh-inning stretch at Wrigley Field every year and also narrated the documentary Wrigley Field: Beyond the Ivy (2001) about Wrigley Field.

Trivia: Attended Bishop Kelly High School in Boise, Idaho. He wears his old football jersey from that school in most of his movies.

Testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on increased funding for crime labs.

Attended the renowned Steppenwolf Company.

Because his role in Manhunter (1986) was so emotionally exhausting, he did everything he could to rid himself of the Will Graham character after filming was completed. This included cutting his hair and dyeing it blonde, and shaving off his beard.

Where Are They Now: Peterson has not been on TV since 2015, with series Manhattan. It seems that he's returned to the stage, in 2017 with The Minutes, although he's regular appeared there his entire career.

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