Biography
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...
Known For
Complete Filmography
Three Short Plays by Tracy Letts
2021
as Ted
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...
Friedkin Uncut
2018
as Self
An introspective insight into the life and artistic journey of William Friedkin, an extraordinary and offbeat director of cult films such as The Frenc...
CSI: Immortality
2015
as Gil Grissom
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...
CSI: Immortality
2015
Executive Producer
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...
100 Years of Wrigley Field
2014
as Narrator
100 Years of Wrigley Field celebrates a century of the greatest moments and best personalities of the ballpark on Chicago's North Side.
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
2012
as Trucker
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...
Detachment
2011
as Mr. 'Sarge' Kepler
A chronicle of three weeks in the lives of several high school teachers, administrators and students through the eyes of substitute teacher, Henry Bar...
This Old Cub
2004
as Himself
Jeff Santo explores the life and career of his father, Chicago Cub great Ron Santo.
Blue Neon Night: Michael Connelly's Los Angeles
2004
as Narrator
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...
Counterfeit World: Making 'To Live and Die in L.A.'
2003
as Self
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...
Wrigley Field: Beyond the Ivy
2001
as Narrator
Actor William Petersen narrates this documentary about Chicago's venerable baseball stadium, Wrigley Field, focusing on a variety of quirky fans who'v...
Inside 'Manhunter'
2001
as Himself
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 ...
Haven
2001
as Jackson Connolly
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...
The Contender
2000
as Jack Hathaway
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...
The Skulls
2000
as Ames Levritt
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 ...
Kiss the Sky
1998
as Jess
Two professionals, Jeff and Marty, take a business trip to the Philippines. Their deep dissatisfaction with their lives leads them to forsake their fr...
The Rat Pack
1998
as John F. Kennedy
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 ...
The Staircase
1998
as Joad
A mysterious carpenter appears just as a church is in need of repair.
Gunshy
1998
as Jake Bridges
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 ...
12 Angry Men
1997
as Juror 12
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 ...
The Beast
1996
as Whip Dalton
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...
Mulholland Falls
1996
as Jack Flynn
In 1950s Los Angeles, a special crime squad of the LAPD investigates the murder of a young woman.
Fear
1996
as Steve Walker
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...
In the Kingdom of the Blind, the Man with One Eye Is King
1995
as Tony C.
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...
Curaçao
1993
as Stephen Guerin
Cornelius Wettering and Stephen Guerin are expatriates living in Curaçao. They're bound together by an understanding that each is hiding from a danger...
Keep the Change
1992
as Joe Starling
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...
Passed Away
1992
as Frank Scanlan
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...
Hard Promises
1992
as Joey
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. ...
Hard Promises
1992
Producer
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. ...
Young Guns II
1990
as Patrick Floyd 'Pat' Garrett
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 ...
Cousins
1989
as Tom Hardy
Two couples go to a mutual friend's wedding and end up swapping partners.
Long Gone
1987
as Stud Cantrell
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...
Amazing Grace and Chuck
1987
as Russell
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...
Manhunter
1986
as Will Graham
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...
To Live and Die in L.A.
1985
as Richard Chance
When his longtime partner on the force is killed, reckless U.S. Secret Service agent Richard Chance vows revenge, setting out to nab dangerous counter...
Thief
1981
as Katz & Jammer Bartender
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...