Although he comes from either Quaternary generation Danish immigrant option, he attended the Catholic high, Bishop Kelly High School, inside Boise, Idaho. Petersen attended Idaho State University on a football scholarship. Late, withdraw to Chicago, he became the member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company.

His film career began using the little a share in the 1981 film Thief, and within 1986 he starred as Will Graham in Manhunter (later to be remade when Red Dragon). Around the move perchance declarative of his career options, Petersen is alleged to develop passed within the a portion in Oliver Stone's Platoon, as it would use saved him out of his personal. Instead, he worked on the 1987 made-for-TV movie Long Gone.

In the 2000 release The Contender, Petersen played a role of Governor Jack Hathway, the candidate for Vice President resulting the dying of the officeholder.

From either 2000 to the present, Petersen hwhen starred as Gil Grissom in the successful CBS crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

Petersen, world health organization has 1 baby from either the former marriage, married longtime girlfriend Gina Cirone around June of 2003.

Trivia

Within his motion-picture show, is ordinarily credited forgoing his middle initial.

While Gary Sinise didn't get a section of Richard Risk inside To Live and Die in L.A., he recommended Petersen to William Friedkin. Ironically, Sinise is currently the star of CSI: NY, the spin-off of Petersen's TV series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

Fallowing C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation, Petersen said he plans to return to Chicago, Illinois for his first love: theater which gave him his start.