CSI Star William Petersen Embraces Quiet Life After Decades in Hollywood

As of November 1, 2025, veteran actor William Petersen, 72, has happily embraced retirement after a long and successful Hollywood career. Petersen, best known for his nine-season stint as Gil Grissom on the hit TV series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, says he has no plans to return to acting, even though his agent hasn't had any work for him in the past 15 years.

Petersen explains that he is now content to spend his time in his hometown of Chicago, where he first launched his career as a theater actor. There, he is focused on his family, including a daughter from his first marriage and teenage twins with his current wife, as well as his close circle of friends. Petersen notes that he is also "kind of monitoring the end of lives around" him as his loved ones grow older.

The actor, who got his big break in the 1985 film To Live and Die in L.A., admits that his Hollywood success was entirely unexpected. He says he never intended to pursue a career in movies or television, only wanting to be a theater actor. But with the help of a referral from his friend Gary Sinise, Petersen found himself starring in a string of successful films and TV shows, including the franchise-launching CSI. Despite his unexpected fame, Petersen remained rooted in Chicago, only briefly moving to Los Angeles for work.

Now, Petersen is simply grateful for the opportunities he's had and the life he's been able to live. "I couldn't be more fortunate as a human being, quite frankly," he says.