The Truth About William Petersen's First Marriage
"CSI" star William Petersen helped launch the original series that built the franchise. Deadline reported that the CBS series about forensic investigators was one of the most-watched television shows in the world in 2010. Petersen starred on the original "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" series as Dr. Gil Grissom from 2000 through 2013, earning $600,000 per episode as an actor and additional money for his role as executive producer. Celebrity Net Worth puts Petersen's net worth at $40 million. His character in the popular series, Dr. Grissom, was not the typical hero. Some TV fans believe Grissom has Aspergers Syndrome. On the "CSI" subreddit, one Redditor shared, "H has quirks and needs things a certain way. He's also socially awkward."
After years out of the spotlight, the popular TV series got a reboot in 2021 with "CSI: Las Vegas," which brought Grissom and his wife Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox) back to the crime lab. Series fans were ecstatic about Grissom's return, although Entertainment Weekly reported Petersen had to be hospitalized in August for exhaustion. Petersen talked to ET about why he joined the "CSI" franchise reboot, saying, "The idea of coming back in the land of science, I thought, was really a great opportunity. And it's different because it's 20 years later. It's different because it's all new people too and that's all very exciting."
Petersen's career is well-known, but details about the 68-year-old actor's personal life are sparse. So, what do we know about his first marriage?
Information on William Petersen's first wife is limited
"CSI" star William Petersen is extremely private. The "CSI: Vegas" actor holds no social media accounts and keeps a very low profile. There is almost no information on Petersen's first wife, Joanne Brady. Cheat Sheet reported that the actor married Brady in 1974, and the couple's daughter Maite was born in 1975. Brady and Petersen divorced in 1981, and there is no public information on why the couple divorced. Petersen has never talked about Brady in any interviews, and there are no photographs of the couple. Just like her mother, there is very little about Maite. She has one credit on IMDb, playing a schoolgirl in the 1987 film her dad starred in, "Amazing Grace and Chuck."
Maite made Petersen a grandfather in 2003 when she welcomed her son Mazrik to the world. Maite's second son Indigo was born in August 2009, per SheKnows. It turns out that 2003 was a big year for Petersen! Entertainment Weekly reported in June 2003 the" CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" star wed his longtime girlfriend, Gina Cirone, in Italy. Like Brady, there is little public information about Petersen's second wife, Cirone. According to SheKnows, Cirone was a biology teacher, but no reputable sources with additional details about her.
While the actor is mum about his personal life, the "CSI" star will discuss Gil Grissom's marriage to Sara Sidle. Petersen told TVInsider, "Our attraction to each other was always based on the work."
Inside William Petersen's family life today
William Petersen's family life today still remains out of the spotlight. When "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" star was 58 years old, he and his wife Gina Cirone welcomed twins. People reported in July 2011 that the celebrity couple's son and daughter were born via surrogate. Although the babies were born premature, Petersen told People, "The babies are doing great and are improving every day and we can't wait for them to come home." Fast-forward 10 years, and there is very little known about the twins. As mentioned, the "CSI: Vegas" star has no social media accounts, but his wife has an Instagram account that she's posted to a whopping 17 times over three years.
Cirone's Instagram page has no photos of their children, but it appears the former biology teacher is putting her background to use by homeschooling the twins. In September 2020, Cirone posted a video on Instagram that read, "My homeschooling project of the day was to make a PSA to vote. #vote #homeschoollife." The publicity-shy Petersen went "wild" in 2020 and posted a social media message ... on his wife's account. On October 6, 2020, Peterson posted a photo of the original "CSI" cast on Cirone's Instagram that read, "Happy 20th Anniversary #CSI! I was honored to have worked with many talented actors and crew. You became my family...Peace, Billy."
Petersen keeps his family out of the limelight, but fans are at least happy to see him back on TV!