Gil Grissom
| Gil Grissom | |
|---|---|
| CSI: Crime Scene Investigation character | |
 |
|
| First appearance | "Pilot" |
| Last appearance | "Immortality" |
| Portrayed by | William Petersen |
| City |
Las Vegas Costa Rica Paris Peru |
| Information | |
| Occupation | Crime Scene Investigator University Lecturer Wildlife Advocate |
| Rank | CSI Level III Supervisor Entomology Specialist Governmental Consultant Freelance Consultant |
| Duration | 2000–09, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015 |
| Seasons | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13 |
| Other Appearances |
Immortality Without a Trace (6) |
Gilbert Arthur "Gil" Grissom, Ph.D. is a fictional character on the CBS crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, portrayed by William Petersen. Grissom is a forensic entomologist and, for the series' first nine seasons, a CSI Level III Supervisor employed by the Las Vegas Police Department. He appeared in 198 episodes, and was replaced by Laurence Fishburne and, later, Ted Danson.
Petersen appeared in every episode of the series' first eight seasons, with the exceptions of:
Petersen then appeared in the first ten episodes of the ninth season, before departing the main cast.
Following his departure from the main cast, Petersen reprised his role on five occasions.
Petersen also guest starred in Immortality, CSI's feature-length series finale.
Anthony E. Zuiker, who created the show, loosely based Grissom on real life Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department criminalist Daniel Holstein. Zuiker was "fascinated" by Holstein, who, like Grissom, kept maggots and pig's blood in his refrigerator. Holstein works as a consultant for the show. Zuiker originally named the character Gil Sheinbaum, but after he became part of the cast, William Petersen requested the name to be changed, Petersen and Zuiker decided to rename the character "Grissom," after astronaut Gus Grissom, of whom Petersen was a great admirer. The name Gil came from one of the actor's hobbies, fishing.
In 2000, CBS had bought the pilot script from Zuiker, and Nina Tassler, CBS's head of drama development, passed it on to Petersen, who had a pay or play contract with the network. Petersen has said that many TV shows were offered to him over the years, but he "didn't want to get locked down". However, he was impressed with the complexity of Grissom's character, and he decided to audition. It was the second time Petersen portrayed a forensic scientist, having portrayed Will Graham in the 1986 film Manhunter.
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