William Petersen is known to Russian viewers for the series CSI: Crime Scene. Want to know when he was born, where he studied and how he got into the big movie? Then we recommend reading the article from beginning to end.
William Petersen: biography
He was born on February 21, 1953 in the American city of Evanston (Illinois). Our hero is the youngest of 6 children. William's parents are not related to cinema. Father and mother were in the furniture business.
Study
William attended Bishop Kelly High School, located in Boise, Idaho. He played in a local soccer team. Coaches predicted a brilliant sporting future for him.
In 1972, William Petersen entered Idaho State University. It was in this institution that he attended acting classes. The guy got a lot of theoretical and practical knowledge. In 1974, Petersen, together with a drama professor, went to the Basque Country, an autonomous region located in northern Spain. There he was trained as an actor of the Shakespearean team. William even mastered the Basque language.
Upon returning from Spain, our hero decides to move to Chicago. In this city, he had relatives who helped William at first.
Theatre
Petersen was not idle in Chicago. He got a job at a local theater. In his creative piggy bank, participation in such productions as "The Time of Your Life", "Iguana Night", "The Essence of Crime" and others.
Thanks to his efforts, the guy from the outback was able to earn an Equity acting card. After that, his career went up. William Petersen signed a contract with the theater company Steppenwolf. After some time, he became the co-founder of Remains Theater Ensemble. Popular Chicago actors collaborated with this company. These include Ted Levine and Gary Cole.
William Petersen: movies
The film debut of our hero took place in 1981. Then the thief action movie was released. He got a small role, which was almost not remembered by viewers. But the actor did not despair. He made every effort to leave a noticeable mark on American cinema.
One of Petersen's most significant works was his role in the film "The Manhunter." William successfully got used to the image of an FBI agent. According to the plot, he was supposed to catch and neutralize the killer maniac.
In 1985, the action movie Live and Die in Los Angeles was released. Petersen played the role of Richard Chance in it. The image he created appealed to many American viewers.
Since 2000, William Petersen has been associated with the crime series CSI: Crime Scene. Our hero got the main role - Dr. Gil Grissom. It is thanks to this series that the actor gained worldwide fame. The size of his fees increased several times.
Career continuation
Today, William Petersen's filmography includes over 40 roles in films belonging to different genres. We list his most striking works for 2000-2013:
- Quiet Harbor (2001) - Jackson Connolly;
- “Without a trace” (TV series) (2002-2009) - Gil Grissom;
- “A Replacement Teacher” (2011);
- “Blue” (TV series) (2012) - Mitch;
- Appomattox (2013) - William Sherman.
Personal life
Our hero has always been popular with women. But he cannot be called a womanizer. The first time the actor married when he was not even 20 years old. The beauty of Joan won the heart of William. Together they attended acting classes and were fond of the Basque culture.
Joan gave her husband a charming daughter. The baby received an interesting name, Might, which means “love” in Basque.
In June 2003, William Petersen married a second time. His chosen one was a longtime girlfriend - Gina Ziron. The couple has no joint children yet.
In October 2003, actor Petersen became a grandfather. Might's only daughter gave birth to his grandson Mazrik. William loves this child, pampers him with expensive gifts and tries to spend as much time with the boy as possible.
Finally
We announced the details of the biography and personal life of William Petersen. Let us wish this wonderful actor bright roles and quiet family happiness!