Here's a breakdown of actor William Petersen's career thus far. William Petersen started acting in Chicago theatre productions and made his movie debut in Michael Mann's 1981 thriller Thief, where he plays a bartender who tries to confront James Caan's title character. Petersen's first lead was in William Friedkin's cult thriller To Live And Die In L.A., where he played a vengeful Secret Service agent chasing Willem Dafoe's counterfeiter. Petersen made for a great anti-hero and the movie is notable for a huge car chase sequence.

Despite good reviews To Live And Die In L.A. only did modest business. William Petersen reunited with Michael Mann for 1986's Manhunter, an adaptation of Thomas Harris' novel Red Dragon. Petersen played FBI profiler Will Graham, who can get deep in the mindset of the killers he chases. The movie also marked the first screen appearance of Hannibal Lecter, played by Brian Cox. Manhunter is considered something of a classic now, but the film was a bomb upon release which did little for Petersen's career. He later appeared in an episode of the 1980s reboot of The Twilight Zone and had a supporting role in Ted Danson romantic comedy Cousins.

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William Petersen started the 1990s with sequel Young Guns II, playing Pat Garrett to Emilio Estevez's Billy The Kid. The film was considered better than the original, and Petersen followed with an assortment of movies and TV films. This includes 1992 romantic comedy Hard Promises with Sissy Spacek, miniseries Return To Lonesome Dove and The Beast, an adaptation of Jaws author Peter Benchley's novel. He also starred in 1996 thriller Fear, which featured one of Mark Wahlberg's first leading roles.

to live and die in l.a. william petersen

In the early 2000s, he appeared in The Skulls and The Contender with Gary Oldman, before landing what would become a defining role on CSI. His character Gil Grissom is a crime scene investigator who is something fo an oddball genius. The show's use of science to solve crimes proved to be a major hit with audiences, with the series spawning spinoffs like Miami and New York, in addition to video games. Gil became something of a beloved character too, with Petersen departing from the show after season 9, though he made guest appearances in later series.

While William Petersen appeared in movies like Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World following his CSI exit, it appears he's essentially retired from screen acting. His last credit was a recurring role in historical drama Manhattan and in a 2017 interview with the Chicago Tribune, he revealed he's busy raising his children and has lost his appetite for acting work outside the theater. That same year he appeared in a Steppenwolf Theatre production of Tracy Letts' play The Minutes.

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