William Petersen
William Louis Petersen is an American actor and producer, best known for playing Dr. Gilbert "Gil" Grissom on the hit CBS series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Richard Chance in the film To Live and Die in L.A., and Will Graham in the film Manhunter. Born in Evanston, Illinois, Petersen attended Idaho State University on a football scholarship, where he first tried acting and immediately joined the drama department, before leaving to work in the Basque country as a Shakespearean actor. Peterson embraced the Basque lifestyle, influencing his work, family and art. He went on to perform with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company before his breakthrough role in the 1985 action film To Live and Die in L.A. Peterson’s success was immediate, landing him the role as Will Graham in the first adaptation of Michael Mann’s Hannibal Lecter series. His film and television success includes numerous crime dramas and thrillers, providing him the perfect background for his decade-long role as Dr. Gil Grissom in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation before returning to the stage. On February 3, 2009, Petersen was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Known For | Acting |
---|---|
Most Rating | 10.194 |
Birthday | 1953-02-21 |
Place of Birth | Evanston, Illinois, USA |
Also Known As | William L. Petersen, William Peterson , William Louis Petersen, |
1996
Fear
6.4/820
Nicole Walker always dreamed of being swept away by someone special — someone strong, sexy and sensitive who would care for her more than anything els...
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Fear
1996
Mulholland Falls
5.9/275
In 1950s Los Angeles, a special crime squad of the LAPD investigates the murder of a young woman.
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Mulholland Falls
1981
Thief
7.167/681
Frank is an expert professional safecracker, specialized in high-profile diamond heists. He plans to use his ill-gotten income to retire from crime an...
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Thief
2021
Three Short Plays by Tracy Letts
0/0
These plays, all written by Tony and Pulitzer-winning playwright and Steppenwolf ensemble member Tracy Letts, share at least one thread: a world off-k...
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Three Short Plays by Tracy Letts
1986
Manhunter
7.008/1333
FBI Agent Will Graham, who retired after catching Hannibal Lecter, returns to duty to engage in a risky cat-and-mouse game with Lecter to capture a ne...
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Manhunter
2000
The Skulls
5.769/542
A senior at an Ivy League college, who depends on scholarships and working on the side, gets accepted into the secret society The Skulls. He hopes it...
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The Skulls
1989
Cousins
6/53
Two couples go to a mutual friend's wedding and end up swapping partners.
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Cousins
1998
The Rat Pack
5.9/39
After a brief flash-forward to Frank Sinatra as an old man, saying "I miss my guys," the movie's main narrative begins during high points in the solo...
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The Rat Pack
1997
12 Angry Men
7.662/361
During the trial of a man accused of his father's murder, a lone juror takes a stand against the guilty verdict handed down by the others as a result...
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12 Angry Men
1990
Young Guns II
6.5/525
Three of the original five "young guns" — Billy the Kid, Jose Chavez y Chavez, and Doc Scurlock — return in Young Guns, Part 2, which is the story of...
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Young Guns II
1985
To Live and Die in L.A.
7.1/643
A fearless Secret Service agent will stop at nothing to bring down the counterfeiter who killed his partner.
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To Live and Die in L.A.
1992
Passed Away
5.4/14
Thrown for a loop by the unexpected news that Dad has suddenly gone to his reward, the grieving eccentric Scanian clan are drawn together in a test of...
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Passed Away
1998
Kiss the Sky
5.6/6
Two professionals, Jeff and Marty, take a business trip to the Philippines. Their deep dissatisfaction with their lives leads them to forsake their fr...
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Kiss the Sky
2011
Detachment
7.7/1666
A chronicle of three weeks in the lives of several high school teachers, administrators and students through the eyes of substitute teacher, Henry Bar...
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Detachment
1987
Amazing Grace and Chuck
5.7/16
Average American boy Chuck Murdock goes on a school outing to a nuclear weapons facility, where he learns about the destructive power that sits at the...
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Amazing Grace and Chuck
2012
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
6.6/2021
As an asteroid nears Earth, a man finds himself alone after his wife leaves in a panic. He decides to take a road trip to reunite with his high school...
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Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
1987
Long Gone
6.6/13
Story of the Tampico Stogies, a low minor-league baseball team, and its star player and manager, Stud' Cantrell, as they battle for the league champio...
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Long Gone
1992
Hard Promises
5.1/8
A man who doesn't like stable work environments has been away for too many years, and finds out his wife has divorced him and is planning to remarry....
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Hard Promises
1998
The Staircase
7.5/4
A mysterious carpenter appears just as a church is in need of repair.
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The Staircase
2001
Haven
6.9/10
Based on the true story of a woman named Ruth Gruber who travels to Europe to help escort 1000 Jewish War victims to the United States. She comes to l...
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Haven
1998
Gunshy
5.1/18
When the New York journalist Jake Bridges catches his girlfriend with another guy, he goes to Atlantic City to drink himself to oblivion. He is saved...
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Gunshy
1993
Curaçao
6.9/7
Cornelius Wettering and Stephen Guerin are expatriates living in Curaçao. They're bound together by an understanding that each is hiding from a danger...
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Curaçao
2001
Inside 'Manhunter'
7/1
A DVD Special Feature documentary on the experience of turning the chilling novel "Red Dragon" into a motion picture, all told through the actors and...
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Inside 'Manhunter'
2004
Blue Neon Night: Michael Connelly's Los Angeles
0/0
Bestselling author Michael Connelly, one of the biggest names in crime fiction, is featured in this documentary as he talks about the city of Los Ange...
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Blue Neon Night: Michael Connelly's Los Angeles
1996
The Beast
0/0
Mysterious things happen at the coast of Graves Point: An empty boat lies at the shore, divers vanish. The sea biologist Dr. Talley thinks he knows th...
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The Beast
2000
The Contender
6.6/236
The vice president is dead, and as the president makes his choice for a replacement, a secret contest of wills is being waged by a formidable rival. W...
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The Contender
2014
100 Years of Wrigley Field
0/0
100 Years of Wrigley Field celebrates a century of the greatest moments and best personalities of the ballpark on Chicago's North Side.
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100 Years of Wrigley Field
2015
CSI: Immortality
7.1/63
An explosion inside a casino brings Catherine Willows back to Las Vegas to investigate. And when the crime is tied to Lady Heather, Gil Grissom is bro...
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CSI: Immortality
1992
Keep the Change
6/2
A struggling artist visits his family on their Montana ranch and finds that his former flame, daughter of a family foe, is now married to an old frien...
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Keep the Change
1995
In the Kingdom of the Blind, the Man with One Eye Is King
3.5/2
Al is caught between his loyalty to the police force and his love for his brother in a tense setting. It seems that his brother, Rudy, was involved in...
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In the Kingdom of the Blind, the Man with One Eye Is King
2003
Counterfeit World: Making 'To Live and Die in L.A.'
8/2
The magic and creation behind the making of William Friedkin's classic action film To Live and Die in L.A. (1985). It follows cast, crew and the direc...
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Counterfeit World: Making 'To Live and Die in L.A.'
2018
Friedkin Uncut
7.2/39
An introspective insight into the life and artistic journey of William Friedkin, an extraordinary and offbeat director of cult films such as The Frenc...
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Friedkin Uncut
2001
Wrigley Field: Beyond the Ivy
0/0
Actor William Petersen narrates this documentary about Chicago's venerable baseball stadium, Wrigley Field, focusing on a variety of quirky fans who'v...
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Wrigley Field: Beyond the Ivy
2004
This Old Cub
0/0
Jeff Santo explores the life and career of his father, Chicago Cub great Ron Santo.
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