In 2015, the CSI franchise came to an end after fifteen years. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation premiered on October 6, 2000 and became an instant pop culture phenomenon. It went on to last fifteen seasons and 337 episodes before concluding on September 27, 2015.
It also spurned numerous spin offs. with CSI: Miami being the most popular of them all, spanning 232 episodes between 2002 and 2012. There's also CSI: NY, which lasted just under two hundred episodes between 2004 and 2013, and finally CSI: Cyber, which was cancelled after just two seasons and 31 episodes. And within those shows is an incredible cast full of interesting stories. These are ten things you never know about the cast of CSI.
William Petersen Was A Football Player
William Petersen was one of the OG CSI regulars, having remained a series regular since the show's inception in 2000. He played Gil Grissom and was nominated for both a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild award for his efforts (the latter of which he won). Petersen actually attended Idaho State on a football scholarship but eventually found a love for acting after taking a random drama class. He decided to drop out of school and studied as a Shakespearean actor. Roughly fifteen years later, he landed the role of Gil.
George Eads Worked As A Salesman
It's amazing to see what people have done before striking it big. Eads played Nick Stokes for all fifteen years of CSI, but before that, he was a modest salesman. Eads graduated from Texas Tech with a degree in marketing but quickly found himself in the sales business. He sold a variety of items, including first aid supplies and copy machines. Growing tired of the sales life, Eads borrowed his stepfather's pickup truck and drove to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. Needless to say, it worked out well.
Gary Dourdan's Brother Died When He Was Six
Gary Dourdan played Warrick Brown, who appeared in 183 episodes of the series between 2000 and 2008. Long before that, he was just another child from Philadelphia. He was actually one of five children, and the second youngest.
His mother Sandy was a fashion designer and his father managed local jazz musicians. Tragedy struck the family in the early 70s, when Gary was just six years old. His older brother, Darryl, was researching the family's lineage in Haiti when he fatally fell from a balcony.
Eric Szmanda's Great Uncle Was "The Menards Guy"
Eric Szmanda is another CSI regular, having played Greg Sanders for all fifteen seasons of the show. But as a child, he was simply the great nephew of his "famous" Uncle Ray Szmanda. Ray served as the spokesperson for Menards, a popular chain of home improvement stores located throughout the Midwest. He became famous in the region for his wild and enthusiastic advertisements. Unfortunately, Mr. Szmanda passed away in May 2018 at the age of 91.
Robert David Hall Is An Accomplished Musician
Robert David Hall actually holds the record for most appearances in the franchise, having starred as coroner Al Robbins in 327 episodes. While he obviously holds an interest in acting, he also loves music. Hall has held down numerous jobs in the music industry, including professional musician and radio DJ. He is also an accomplished musician, and it is said that Hall is proficient in the guitar, piano, percussion, and mandolin. Longtime CSI fans may have seen some of Hall's talents on display, as Al Robbins sometimes sings while performing his autopsies.
Wallace Langham Used To Go By Wally Ward
You recognize the name Wallace Langham. He played David Hodges from season three to fifteen. But you probably don't recognize the name "Wally Ward." In fact, Langham once used that moniker as a stage name. Langham earned seven film credits as Wally Ward, including Weird Science, Soul Man, The Invisible Kid, The Chocolate War, and Martians Go Home. He dropped the moniker beginning in 1990, as he was transitioning to more adult roles and wanted to be taken more seriously.
Lauren Lee Smith Was The Cousin Of Myles Ferguson
Lauren Lee Smith did not appear on CSI for long. She played Riley Adams, a former St. Louis police officer, for 22 episodes throughout season nine. Smith was the cousin to Canadian actor Myles Ferguson, who tragically passed away in a car accident on September 29, 2000.
Ferguson provided "additional voices" for Stuart Little but also starred in numerous films and television shows, including Poltergeist: The Legacy, Highlander, and Edgemont.
David Berman Was Also The Show's Head Researcher
When it comes to CSI, few people were as important as David Berman. Berman was one of the longest-running series regulars, having starred as David Phillips for 287 of the show's 337 episodes. You'd think he would be plenty busy enough, but Berman also served as the show's head researcher. His duties included verifying facts, researching various pieces of technology, and maintaining realistic crime scene procedures. It's certainly an important job, especially for a show so steeped in science and up-to-date technologies. Did he do a good job? You be the judge.
Ted Danson's Father Was The Director Of The Museum Of Northern Arizona
Ted Danson had a relatively privileged upbringing. His father, Ned Danson, Jr., was both an archaeologist and the director of the Museum of Northern Arizona between 1959 and 1975. The small museum is still functioning in Falstaff and serves as a way to commemorate Indigenous material within the Colorado Plateau. There is evidently some good money in it, as Ted attended a private prep school in Connecticut and later attended Stanford University. It was there that he found an interest in acting, and the rest is history.
Elisabeth Shue Is A Descendant Of William Brewster
Elisabeth Shue has a lot of history in her blood. Her mother, Anne Brewster, was a vice president at the Chemical Banking Corporation. She is also a distant descendant of William Brewster, a popular passenger who sailed on the Mayflower back in 1620. William Brewster was one of the ship's 102 passengers and served as the only university-educated member of the Plymouth Colony. Because of this, he served as the colony's religious leader and head preacher. He also served as the adviser to Governor William Bradford. Brewster continued to preach until his death on April 18, 1644.