Gil Grissom
Gilbert Arthur Grissom (born August 17, 1956[1]), Ph.D. is a fictional character portrayed by William Petersen on the CBS crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and its sequel, CSI: Vegas. 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 193 episodes of the original series, where he was succeeded by Raymond Langston (Laurence Fishburne) and later D.B. Russell (Ted Danson). Grissom returned in the sequel series, CSI: Vegas, in 2021.
Not to be confused with Gus Grissom.Gil Grissom
October 6, 2000
(CSI 1x01, "Pilot")
December 8, 2021
(CSI: Vegas 1x10, "Signed, Sealed, Delivered")
Crime Scene Investigator
University Lecturer
Wildlife Advocate
Entomologist
CSI Level III Supervisor
Entomology Specialist
Governmental Consultant
Freelance Consultant
2000–2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2021
August 17, 1956
Santa Monica, California
Creation[edit]
Anthony E. Zuiker, who created the show, loosely based Grissom on real life Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department criminalist Daniel Holstein.[2] Zuiker was "fascinated" by Holstein, who, like Grissom, kept maggots and pig's blood in his refrigerator.[3] Holstein worked as a consultant for the show.[2] Zuiker originally named the character Gil Sheinbaum,[4] 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.[5] The name Gil came from one of the actor's hobbies, fishing.[5]
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.[6] Petersen has said that many TV shows were offered to him over the years, but he "didn't want to get locked down."[6] However, he was impressed with the complexity of Grissom's character and he decided to audition.[6] It was the second time Petersen portrayed a forensic scientist, having portrayed Will Graham in the 1986 film Manhunter.[7]
Development[edit]
Gil Grissom first appears in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in the pilot episode. After this he appeared in almost every single episode of the show's first eight years, except in "Hollywood Brass", from season five, an episode that turns entirely around Jim Brass; besides him, only three other regular characters appear.[8] William Petersen did not appear during the season six episode "Gum Drops." This episode was originally going to be how Grissom was convinced that an abduction victim was still alive. When Petersen's nephew died, he flew home and was unavailable for the filming of the episode, which was rewritten to be centered on Nick.[9] During 2007 (CSI's season seven), William Petersen took a break from CSI to appear in a five-week run of the Trinity Repertory Company production of Dublin Carol in Providence, Rhode Island, resulting in Grissom taking a sabbatical, being replaced by Liev Schreiber, as Michael Keppler, who developed a small story arc through "Sweet Jane", "Redrum", and "Meet Market". Also in 2007, the character appeared in a two-part crossover with another CBS series, Without a Trace. It was the sixth episode of the sixth season, entitled "Where and Why." The plot of the crossover involved a serial killer that had eluded capture in Nevada and had escaped to New York City. Gil Grissom was brought in to assist in the apprehension.
Character background[edit]
Early life[edit]
Grissom was born as an only child to a middle-class family in Santa Monica, California. Grissom's father taught botany at a local college and passed his enthusiasm for natural sciences onto his son. His father died when Grissom was nine years old. Grissom recalls the day his father died to Catherine Willows in the episode "Still Life", "He came home from school, one hot humid day, laid down on the couch. I was watching TV, my mom brought in some cold drinks, but she couldn't wake him up. No one would tell me why." Consequently, as a young child, Grissom "played doctor" by performing necropsies on small, deceased animals in the local area.
Gil's mother, Betty, who became deaf as a result of the genetic disorder otosclerosis, was responsible for his love of books. As a result of his mother's deafness, Gil became fluent in American Sign Language in order to be able to communicate with her.
In the earlier seasons of CSI, it becomes clear that Gil is also beginning to lose his hearing as well; eventually he requires surgery to fully restore his hearing.
Grissom earned his Bachelor of Science degree in biology magna cum laude from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and his Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Chicago.[10] He became a forensic entomologist. In the episode "Grissom vs. the Volcano", Catherine tells the story of losing at a science competition as a child against a "kid with some lame red ants." Later in the episode Nick also reveals that he lost a science competition and Grissom tells him to let it go. In his childhood science competition, Grissom was the kid with the ants.
In the season two episode "Bully for You", he told Warrick that in high school he was a "ghost" (meaning that he did not belong to any group in particular).[11] When he was in college, Grissom financed his first body farm with his winnings from a high-stakes poker game.[12] At the same time, he also attended boxing matches to learn about the patterns of bruise formations on bodies and eventual blood spatters from the injuries.
Career[edit]
Grissom became a crime scene investigator around 1985 (Grissom mentioned in "Living Doll", which first aired on May 17, 2007, that he had been a crime scene investigator for 22 years). Grissom once mentioned losing a body while in Minneapolis, implying he spent time there before taking a job in Las Vegas.[13] This was mentioned again when he works with his former mentor, Dr. Phillip Gerard, played by Raymond J. Barry, stating that he used to work for him in Hennepin County, whose seat is Minneapolis.[14]
He became the night shift team supervisor for the Las Vegas CSI unit on the second episode of the series, after Jim Brass was demoted following the death of co-worker Holly Gribbs.[15] In season seven, Grissom took a sabbatical to teach a class at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, for four weeks.[16] Prior to his sabbatical, Grissom had been showing signs of "burnout." Upon his return, however, he appeared reinvigorated and told Warrick Brown that he "missed" Las Vegas.[17] After the resignation of Sara Sidle, his fiancée, from the lab, and the murder of Warrick Brown, his burnout seemed to be resurfacing. This is particularly evident in "Say Uncle", where, at the end of the episode, he expressed deep regret over solving a particularly depressing case.
Grissom announced his retirement just as evidence comes to light that the Dick and Jane Killer, a serial killer from the 1990s currently serving two life sentences, did not act alone and that his accomplice had begun killing again. Rather than leave in the middle of a case, Grissom stayed on to help solve it, and ultimately proved instrumental in saving the life of a woman who would have been the killer's latest victim. The case closed, Grissom, having already had a series of one-on-one farewells with his co-workers, silently left the crime lab and departed for Costa Rica for a reunion with fiancée Sara Sidle, an allusion perhaps to his comments in a season one episode that when he left, people would not throw a party for him because he was not the sort of person whom people would get deeply involved with. He also says to Warrick in season two ("Ellie") that when he left there would not be a cake in the break room—he would just pick up and leave.
Departure[edit]
After reuniting with Sara Sidle, Grissom presumably remains in Costa Rica for a short time, before guest-lecturing at the Sorbonne, as noted in the tenth season. During the series' eleventh season, Grissom begins consulting for the Peruvian government on the etymology and physicality of the Inca . It is during this time that Sara and Grissom divorce, citing geographical differences. He later joins a group dedicated to protecting fish and wildlife in the Pacific, a role described as a "CSI at sea." After his activities lead him to the Port of San Diego, Grissom reunites with Willows and the CSI team in order to consult on a series of bombings in Las Vegas. During this case, he reconciles with Sidle, and the two sail off together in order to continue his work as a wildlife advocate.
Return[edit]
Grissom and Sidle both returned in the sequel series CSI: Vegas.
Characterization[edit]
Personality[edit]
Early episodes revealed Grissom to be a witty, enthusiastic, and quirky scientist who had some sense of humor. He flirted regularly and seemed to be constantly in a hyperactive state.[18][19]
Reception[edit]
This fictional character has an extensive fan base. There are more than one thousand videos made using the character on sites such as YouTube and a thousand more depicting his relationship with Sara Sidle.
Of more than 25,000 fan fictions written about CSI on FanFiction.Net, more than half include Gil Grissom.[59] There are also many other sites that update daily news about either Gil Grissom's status on CSI or William Petersen's activities in real life.[60][61]
On September 27, 2007, after CSI's season eight premiered, a miniature model of Gil Grissom's office (which he was seen building during season seven) was put up for auction on eBay. The auction ended on October 7 with the prop being sold for US$15,600, which CBS donated to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse Association.[62]
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation executive producer and showrunner Carol Mendelsohn considers Grissom the center of the show.[63] Grissom has received positive responses from critics, ranking number 82 on Bravo's 100 Greatest TV Characters list, along with Catherine Willows.[64] He was ranked at number 9 on Sleuth Channel's poll of America's Top Sleuths.[65] AOL TV named him one of TV's Smartest Detectives.[66] Grissom's final episode as a regular drew over 23 million viewers.[67]