September 2021

A multi-ranged actor with a unique talent for edgy characters, William Petersen continues to rivet audiences with his performances.

Petersen first drew attention with his critically acclaimed performances in William Friedkin’s stylish thriller “To Live and Die in L.A.” with Willem Dafoe, Michael Mann’s haunting “Manhunter,” and his portrayal of a philandering husband in Joel Schumacher’s “Cousins.”

Petersen’s other feature credits include James Foley’s “Fear” with Mark Wahlberg and Reese Witherspoon, Geoff Murphy’s “Young Guns II,” John Progue’s “The Skulls,” opposite Jeff Bridges, Joan Allen, and Gary Oldham in the Dreamworks political thriller, “The Contender” directed by Rod Lurie and in “Seeking a Friend for the End of the World” alongside Steve Carrell and Keira Knightly. His credits also include “Hard Promises” which he also produced along with his partner Cindy Chvatal for his High Horse productions banner.

On the small screen, Petersen has been no less prolific. In 1997, he starred with Jack Lemmon and George C. Scott as “Juror #12” in the Golden Globe winning tele-film, “12 Angry Men” for Showtime, which was directed by William Friedkin, a remake of the 1957 classic.

In 1998, Petersen starred as John F. Kennedy in HBO’s Emmy nominated miniseries “The Rat Pack.” The impressive cast included Don Cheadle, Ray Liotta and Joe Mantegna.

Petersen’s additional television credits include the Golden Globe Award-winning miniseries “The Kennedys of Massachusetts,” NBC’s highly rated mini-series “The Beast,” which was based on the novel by Peter Benchly, “Return of the Lonesome Dove” with John Voight and Barbara Hershey, “Long Gone” for HBO and the WGN America series “Manhattan.” Petersen also starred in the Andy Tennant directed TNT telefilm “Keep the Change” which he also produced for his High Horse productions banner.

His most significant television role was that of ‘Gil Grissom’ in the critically acclaimed CBS drama “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” for which he received three Emmy Award nominations. Petersen starred on the show for 10 seasons and remained for five additional seasons as an executive producer on the hit show which garnered a number one rating position in just two seasons.

In addition to the three Emmy Award nominations for “CSI,” Petersen won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series and he received nominations for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama and he received three nominations for Television Producer of the Year Award in Episodic from the Producers Guild of America.

In 1979, he founded the Remains Theater Ensemble in Chicago with a group of fellow actors, including Steppenwolf ensemble members Gary Cole and Amy Morton. In 1983, Petersen starred as Jack Henry Abbott in “In the Belly of the Beast” which he performed at the Wisdom Bridge Theatre in Chicago, at the Edinburgh Festival and at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. In 1996 Petersen made his Broadway debut in a revival of Tennessee Williams' “The Night of the Iguana.” He has appeared in several regional stage productions, including “A Streetcar Named Desire,” “The Time of Your Life,” “Glengarry Glen Ross,” “Fool for Love” and “Speed-the-Plow.”

Petersen’s other recent stage credits include starring in “Slow Girl” at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, “A Dublin Carol” at the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, at the Victory Gardens Theatre in Chicago in David Harrower’s controversial “Blackbird” and at the Steppenwolf Theatre in “The Endgame” by Samuel Beckett.

Petersen was born in Evanston, Illinois. He first discovered acting while pursuing a football scholarship at Idaho State University.