William Petersen

William Petersen: Biography in Details

Who is William Petersen?

William Petersen is an American actor and producer.

He is best recognized for appearing as Gil Grissom in CBS’ drama series ‘CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,’ for which he earned a Golden Globe Award nomination and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

He also garnered three Primetime Emmy Award nominations as the producer of the show.

William Petersen: Age, Parents, Siblings, Nationality, Ethnicity

William Petersen was born in Evanston, Illinois, United States on February 21, 1953. His birth name is William Louis Petersen and he is currently 67 years old.

His father’s name is Arthur Edward Petersen, Sr. and his mother’s name is Helen June Hoene.

William Petersen has five siblings namely, Arthur Petersen, Jr., Elizabeth Petersen, Mary Kay Petersen, Anne Petersen, and Robert Petersen. William holds American citizenship and mixed (Danish-German-French) ethnicity. His birth sign is Pisces.

Moreover, he is a big fan of the Chicago Cubs.

Education, School/ College University

Talking about William’s educational history, he graduated from Bishop Kelly High School in Boise, Idaho, in 1972.  He was accepted to Idaho State University on a football scholarship.

William Petersen: Professional Life, Career

Talking about his profession, in 1985, William Petersen received his first break when he played a Secret Service agent gone rogue to avenge his mentor in William Friedkin’s 1985 action film To Live and Die in L.A.

In the year 1986, he played FBI agent Will Graham in the first Hannibal Lecter film, Manhunter.

Likewise, William Petersen also claims to have done this because, while rehearsing for a play in Chicago, his dialogue was always coming out like Graham’s; he dyed his hair so he could look in the mirror and see a different person.

Additionally, he 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 HBO made-for-TV movie Long Gone a minor league baseball player and manager named Cecil “Stud” Cantrell.

In addition, Petersen was offered the role of Henry Hill in the film Goodfellas but turned it down. In the year 1990, Petersen also portrayed the infamous Patrick Floyd “Pat” Garrett in Young Guns II.

Similarly, in 1993, William Petersen appeared in a CBS TV miniseries, Return to Lonesome Dove as former Ranger Gideon Walker. Also, he played Steven Walker in Fear (1996).

In fact, Petersen played Governor Jack Hathaway, an unscrupulous candidate for vice president following the death of the incumbent, in The Contender in 2000.

Whereas, he appeared uncredited in the noir thriller Mulholland Falls as a character who finds himself on the violent receiving end of a Los Angeles police squad’s tactics.

Likewise, in 1999, William Petersen starred in Kiss the Sky as “Jeff”.  He appeared as part of an all-star cast in a remake of the 1997 film 12 Angry Men.

On May 30, 2007, he 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 (Chicago) on the South Side of Chicago.

Moreover, Petersen renewed his contract with CBS to appear on CSI for the 2008-09 season, reportedly for $600,000 per episode.

William Petersen remained an executive producer of the show. Therefore, he reprised his role of Gil Grissom in the eleventh-season episode “The Two Mrs. Grissoms” (aired February 3, 2011).

Awards, Nomination

William Petersen was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series- Drama for CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000) at Golden Globe Awards, Primetime Emmy Awards, PGA Awards, and Golden Satellite Award.

He won Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series for CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000) at Screen Actors Guild Awards.

William Petersen: Net Worth, Salary

William Petersen has an estimated net worth of around $40 million (as per 2022 data) and he has earned up to $500,000 per episode.

William Petersen: Rumors and Controversy

He has been successful in keeping himself far from rumors and controversies in his personal and professional life.

Body Measurements: Height, Weight

William Petersen has a height of 5 feet 10 inches and he weighs 76 kg.

His hair color is salt and pepper and his eye color is blue.

Social Media

William Petersen doesn’t have an official page on any social sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Also, read the affair, salary, net worth, controversy, and bio of Wes Brown, Kristoffer Cusick, and Marg Helgenberger.

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William Petersen's Birthday Dates