List of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation characters

The following is a list of characters for the CBS television series, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

Contents

Regular cast

In the original cast, William Petersen plays the Las Vegas Police Department (LVPD) crime lab's night-shift supervisor Dr. Gil Grissom, a socially awkward entomologist. Marg Helgenberger plays Catherine Willows, a single parent, and former stripper, who worked her way through the ranks from a Lab Technician to CSI and upon Grissom's departure, to supervisor. George Eads plays Nick Stokes, a CSI Level 2 from Texas, who was eager to show his worth to Grissom. Stokes became a CSI Level 3 at the end of the pilot episode. Gary Dourdan was cast as Warrick Brown, a CSI Level 2 who initially has a gambling addiction that indirectly leads to the death of rookie Holly Gribbs. Brown was promoted to CSI Level 3 mid-way through the first season. Jorja Fox joined the cast in the second episode as San Francisco CSI Sara Sidle, brought in to investigate the death of Gribbs at Grissom's invitation. Sara was promoted to CSI Level 3 in between the first and second seasons. Paul Guilfoyle, was cast as Detective Captain Jim Brass, a LVPD Detective who originally ran the crime lab but was transferred back to Homicide following Gribbs' death.

Early recurring cast members included Eric Szmanda as DNA Tech Greg Sanders, who aspires to be a CSI, and Robert David Hall, introduced early in the first season as Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Albert Robbins, a double-amputee. Both became regular cast members in the first episode of season 3. Later in the series, Sanders transfers to the field as a rookie Crime Scene Investigator and begins progressing through the ranks. Louise Lombard joined the cast in season 5 as the Day Shift Supervisor, but was subsequently transferred to Grissom's team. Sofia Curtis became a Detective in season 6. After a single appearance in season 8, Lombard left the cast with no explanation.

When William Petersen who took a hiatus to do a play in season 7, Liev Schrieber joined the cast for a four-episode arc as Mike Keppler, a criminalist assigned to the grave shift. Keppler was eventually revealed to be a dirty cop who killed a man he believed had raped his girlfriend. Keppler was shot and killed after confronting his girlfriend's father, who he had discovered was the real rapist, saving Catherine's life.

In season 8, Wallace Langham as David Hodges became a series regular after appearing on a recurring basis since the third season. Hodges is a know-it-all trace tech who he rubs people the wrong way, but always gets results. Later in the season Jorja Fox would be the first original cast member to leave the show, when Sara suffers severe burn-out and leaves Vegas. Fox returned for several guest appearances in the ninth season, she eventually departs again, this time for Costa Rica. Also in season 9, Gary Dourdan and William Petersen departed the cast. Dourdan's Warrick Brown was murdered by a corrupt undersheriff, while Petersen's Grissom retired and left for Costa Rica, to find Sara. The two would later marry.

Grissom's supervisory position was filled by a newly promoted Catherine Willows (Helgenberger), and Laurence Fishburne joined the cast as CSI Dr. Ray Langston. Lauren Lee Smith briefly played CSI Riley Adams, but left shortly after in the season 9 finale. Adams' exit interview would cause tension throughout the team, and eventually lead to Willows to promoting Stokes to Assistant Supervisor.

Liz Vassey, who first appeared in season 6 as DNA Tech Wendy Simms and David Berman who first appeared in season 1 as Assistant Medical Examiner David Phillips, became regular cast during the tenth season. Jorja Fox returned on a part-time basis before rejoining the main cast in the eleventh season. Vassey left the cast in the second episode, and Laurence Fishburne departed in the season finale. William Petersen and Louise Lombard made brief appearances; Sofia had risen through the ranks of the LVPD and was now the Deputy Chief, while Petersen's Grissom was only seen via webcam talking to his mother Betty, and Sara.

Following Fishburne's departure, Ted Danson was cast as the new CSI Supervisor DB Russell, replacing Helgenberger's Willows, who had been demoted following the events of Season 11. Elisabeth Harnois, who had guest starred one episode in season 11, joined the regular cast, playing former LAPD SID officer Morgan Brody, the daughter of Conrad Ecklie.

Marg Helgenberger will depart the cast in episode 12, and be replaced by Elisabeth Shue in episode 14.

Overview

Please Note: Current cast members are listed in credit order, while former cast members are ordered by their final episode count

Character Position Actor First Episode Final Episode Duration Episodes
CSI D.B. Russell CSI Level 3 Supervisor Ted Danson 73 Seconds 12x01-
CSI Catherine Willows CSI Level 3 Assistant Supervisor Marg Helgenberger Pilot 1x01-
CSI Nick Stokes CSI Level 3 George Eads Pilot 1x01-
CSI Sara Sidle CSI Level 3 Jorja Fox Cool Change 1x02-8x07; 9x01-9x10; 10x01-
CSI Greg Sanders Senior CSI Level 3 Eric Szmanda Pilot 1x01-
Dr. Al Robbins Chief Medical Examiner Robert David Hall Who are You? 1x06-
Lab Tech David Hodges Trace Tech Wallace Langham Recipe for Murder 3x11-
Dr. David Phillips Assistant Medical Examiner David Berman Friends & Lovers 1x05-
CSI Morgan Brody Senior CSI Level 2 Elisabeth Harnois Cello and Goodbye 11x21-
Capt. Jim Brass LVPD Detective Captain Paul Guilfoyle Pilot 1x01-
CSI/Dr. Gil Grissom CSI Level 3 Supervisor William Petersen Pilot The Two Mrs. Grissoms 1x01-9x10; 11x13 194
CSI Warrick Brown CSI Level 3 Gary Dourdan Pilot For Warrick 1x01-9x01 183
Lab Tech Wendy Simms DNA Tech Liz Vassey Secrets and Flies Pool Shark 6x06-11x02 78
CSI/Dr. Raymond Langston CSI Level 2 Laurence Fishburne 19 Down In a Dark, Dark House 9x09-11x22 61
Sofia Curtis LVPD Deputy Chief Louise Lombard Formalities Father of the Bride 5x07-8x01; 11x20 52
CSI Riley Adams CSI Level 2 Lauren Lee Smith Art Imitates Life All In 9x03-9x24 22
CSI Michael Keppler CSI Level 3 Liev Schreiber Sweet Jane Law of Gravity 7x12-7x15 4

Recurring characters

Please Note: current recurring/notable cast members are listed in order of first appearance, while former cast members are ordered by their final episode count.

Law enforcement

Character Position Actor First Episode Final Episode Duration Episodes
Joe Metcalf LVPD Officer Joseph Patrick Kelly Pilot 1x01–
Conrad Ecklie Day Shift Supervisor
CSI Assistant Director
Clark County Undersheriff		 Marc Vann Blood Drops 1x07–2x17; 5x07–
Mandy Webster Fingerprint Tech Sheeri Rappaport Anonymous 1x08–
Archie Johnson A/V Tech Archie Kao Chaos Theory 2x02–
Luis Vartann LVPD Detective Alex Carter Grissom Versus the Volcano 4x09–6x23; 9x03–
Andy Akers LVPD Officer Larry Sullivan Compulsion 5x17–
Henry Andrews Toxicology Tech
DNA Tech		 Jon Wellner Iced 5x23–
Mitchell LVPD Officer Larry Mitchell Room Service 6x02–
Bobby Dawson Ballistics Tech Gerald McCullough Cool Change Take My Life, Please! 1x02–10x20 36
Ray O'Riley LVPD Detective Sgt. Skip O'Brien Pilot Homebodies 1x01–4x03 24
Sam Vega LVPD Detective Geoffrey Rivas Too Tough to Die Crime After Crime 1x16–9x23
12x08		 20
Judy Tremont Secretary Victoria Prescott Blood Lust Goodbye and Good Luck 3x09–8x07 12
Chris Caviliere LVPD Detective Jose Zuniga Getting Off Say Uncle 4x16–9x06 12
Mia Dickerson DNA Tech Aisha Tyler Harvest Grave Danger Vol. 2 5x03–05x25 12
Jeffrey McKeen Clark County Undersheriff Conor O'Farrell Grave Danger Vol. 1 For Warrick 5x24–09x01 11
Cyrus Lockwood LVPD Detective Jeffrey D. Sams Primum Non Nocere Inside the Box 2x16–3x22 9
Brian Mobley Clark County Sheriff Glenn Morshower Blood Drops Overload 1x07–2x03 7
Rory Atwater Clark County Sheriff Xander Berkeley Invisible Evidence Formalities 4x07–5x07 5
Teri Miller Forensic Anthropologist Pamela Gidley Who Are You? Snuff 1x06–1x22; 3x08' 5
Ronnie Lake CSI Jessica Lucas Go to Hell Goodbye and Good Luck 8x03–8x07 4
Frankie Reed LVPD Detective Katee Sackhoff Cold Blooded All That Cremains 11x06–11x14 3
Holly Gribbs CSI Chandra West Pilot Cool Change 1x01–1x02 2

Relatives of law enforcement

Character Related to Relation Actor First Episode Final Episode Duration Episodes
Lindsey Willows Catherine Willows Daughter Madison McReynolds, Kay Panabaker Pilot 1x01–
Sam Braun Catherine Willows Father Scott Wilson Burked Built to Kill, Part 2 2x01–7x02 9
Eddie Willows Catherine Willows ex-Husband Timothy Carhart Who are You? Lady Heather's Box 1x06–3x15 4
Gloria Parkes Ray Langston ex-Wife Tracee Ellis Ross All That Cremains In a Dark, Dark House 11x14–11x22 4
Lily Flynn Catherine Willows Mother Anita Gillette Weeping Willows The Case of the Cross-Dressing Carp 5x22–8x04 3
Dr. Tina Brown Warrick Brown ex-Wife Meta Golding Shooting Stars For Warrick 6x04–9x01 3
Ellie Rebecca Brass Jim Brass Adoptive Daughter Nicki Aycox, Teal Redmann Ellie Way to Go 2x10–6x24 3
Judge Bill Stokes Nick Stokes Father Andrew Prine Grave Danger Vol. 1 Grave Danger Vol. 2 5x24–05x25 2
Jillian Stokes Nick Stokes Mother Lois Chiles Grave Danger Vol. 1 Grave Danger Vol. 2 5x24–5x25 2

Recurring villains

Character Alias Crime Actor First Episode Final Episode Duration Episodes
Paul Millander The Bathtub Killer First-degree murder,
4 counts		 Matt O'Toole Pilot Identity Crisis 1x01–2x13 3
Kevin Greer The Blue Paint Killer First-degree murder,
6 counts		 Taylor Nichols The Execution of Catherine Willows What's Eating Gilbert Grissom? 3x06–5x06 2
'John Mathers The Blue Paint Killer (exonerated posthumously) First-degree murder,
1 count		 Victor Bevine The Execution of Catherine Willows What's Eating Gilbert Grissom? 3x06–5x06 2
Hannah West First-degree murder,
2 counts		 Juliette Goglia The Unusual Suspect Goodbye and Good Luck 6x18–08x07 2
Marlon West First-degree murder,
2 counts		 Doug Smith The Unusual Suspect Goodbye and Good Luck 6x18–8x07 2
Natalie Davis The Miniature Killer First-degree murder,
5 counts		 Jessica Collins Living Doll Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda 7x24–9x07 3
Warner Thorpe Nate Haskell/DJK First-degree murder,
23 counts		 Bill Irwin 19 Down In a Dark, Dark House 9x09–11x22 9
Jason McCann First-degree murder,
2 counts		 Justin Bieber Shock Waves Targets of Obsession 11x01–11x15 2
Sqweegel/Ian Moone First-degree murder,
3 counts		 Daniel Browning Smith Sqweegel 11x04

Other guest stars

Dakota Fanning in one of her earliest roles, played a molestation victim in Season 1's episode "Blood Drops".
Misha Collins appeared in Season 5's episode "Nesting Dolls", as Vlad.
Marcia Cross, most notable for portraying Bree Hodge on Desperate Housewives, appeared in the episode "Organ Grinder" from Season 2.
Katey Segal notably voices as Turanga Leela in Futurama stars as a famous actress in "Two and a Half Deaths".
Stacey Dash, Clueless star, played a "newbie" lab tech who flirted with Warrick in "Slaves of Las Vegas" from Season 2.
Kelly Rowan (Melinda Clarke's co-star on The O.C.) also appeared in "Slaves of Las Vegas" as Eileen Nelson, the wife of a man who hated her. He made a girl from an underground fetish club act like her, and his violence resulted in him killing her. Coincidentally, Clarke and Rowan appeared in the same episode prior to working together in The O.C., though they did not appear in scenes together.
Stephen Baldwin star of The Usual Suspects appeared as Jesse Acheson, who was investigated in Season 5's "Compulsion".
Roger Daltrey, frontman of The Who guest starred as a missing mob boss who comes back to Las Vegas to pay back his would-be killers in Season 7's episode "Living Legend".
America Ferrera, Ugly Betty and Disney Channel star, had a guest starring role in the Season 5 episode "Harvest".
Frank Gorshin made his last ever TV appearance in "Grave Danger", the season 5 finale.
Faye Dunaway played a prominent ex-showgirl and mob mogul's former flame in the episode "Kiss-Kiss, Bye-Bye" in Season 6.
Danny Bonaduce appeared as Izzy Delancy, the Miniature Killer's first victim, in the two-part Season 7 opener "Built to Kill" as well as "Loco Motives".
Kevin Federline made his guest appearance in the Season 7 episode "Fannysmackin'", starring as a street hoodlum "Pig".
Ned Beatty made a guest appearance in the episode "Sweet Jane" in Season 7, playing a serial killing dentist.
Summer Glau of Firefly and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles played Mandy Cooper in the Season 5 episode "What's Eating Gilbert Grissom?".
Carmine Giovinazzo, prior to becoming a regular on CSI: NY, made a guest appearance in "Revenge Is Best Served Cold", making him one of the several actors to be in all three CSI shows.
Juliette Goglia played Hannah West in two episodes, a child prodigy who muddied the waters in two murder cases her half-brother was involved in. Her cold, calculating actions made Sara Sidle rethink her career choice and she left at the end of the Season 8 episode "Goodbye and Good Luck". Sara left her duty vest for new CSI Ronnie Lake, after removing her name tag and throwing it into the garbage. The first appearance was in the episode "The Unusual Suspect" from Season 6.
Constance Marie played detective Carolina Flores in "Two and a Half Deaths" from Season 8.
Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage of MythBusters appeared as scientists-observers in the Season 8 episode "The Theory of Everything".
Pauley Perrette plays as an aspiring singer who befriends Catherine Willows' husband in "Lady Heather's Box".
Ally Sheedy as Sharon Turner in Season 7 episode "Leapin' Lizards".
Method Man, as Drops, appeared in the episodes "Poppin' Tags", "Big Shots", "Drops Out", and "Pool Shark"
Travis Barker played a rapper also in the Season 6 episode "Poppin' Tags". Rapper Obie Trice and singer Akon make a cameo appearance in the same episode as themselves.
Shanna Moakler, former Miss USA, appeared in the same episode as now ex-husband Travis Barker.
Taylor Swift as Haley Jones in the Season 9 episode "Turn, Turn, Turn".
Holt McCallany was in the Season 9 episode "Young Man with a Horn". He previously played Det. John Hagen on CSI: Miami.
Carlos Alazraqui as a Reno cop in Season 9's "Let It Bleed" (a nod to his role in Reno 911!).
Vince Vieluf stars in three episodes, two as Connor Foster.
Allison Scagliotti-Smith, known for her roles in Drake & Josh and Warehouse 13, played fast food restaurant employee Gemma in the Season 9 episode "Deep Fried and Minty Fresh".
Wil Wheaton guest-starred as homeless murder suspect Walter in Season 5 episode "Compulsion".
Kellan Lutz played Chris Mullins in "Empty Eyes".
Willie Garson plays the "sexy kitty" in season 4's "Fur and Loathing".
D.B. Woodside from Buffy and the second President Palmer from 24 plays a convicted sex offender in the season 5 episode "Harvest".
Nana Visitor who plays Kira Nerys from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine appears as a wrongly convicted murderer's ex-wife in the fifth season episode "Mea Culpa".
Robia LaMorte, Buffy's Jenny Calendar played murder victim Joan Marks in season 2's "You've Got Male".
Courtney Jines from Spy Kids 3-D guest starred as Jessica Rachel Trent who killed an elderly woman for a cat. the sister of Jennette McCurdy, The episode was "Cats in the Cradle".
Cory Hardrict guest starred as Ross Davis, a character whose bike is stolen. The episode was "Early Rollout" from season 4.
Alan Tudyk (Wash from Firefly), plays Carl Fisher, a convicted sex offender in the seventh season episode "Burn Out".
Peter Stormare, the Cosmonaut from Armageddon, John Abruzzi from Prison Break, etc. appears as "Binky" the brothel owner in the seventh season episode "Ending Happy".
Anthony LaPaglia reprises his role as Without a Trace's Jack Malone in the episode "Who and What".
Jesse Plemons stars in the episode "Down the Drain".
Justin Bieber stars in the "Shock Waves" and "Targets of Obsession" in Season 11 as Jason McCann.
Sienna Guillory appeared as bomb-tech Kacey Monahan in "Shock Waves"
Henry Thomas appeared as Jeremy Kent in season 9 episode 21 "If I Had a Hammer..."
Ann-Margret appeared as Margot Wilton in season 11 episode 4 "Sqweegel".
Dita Von Teese appeared as Rita Von Squeeze/Agnes in season 11 episode 12 "A Kiss Before Frying".
Meredith Monroe, Dawson's Creek actress, appears as a nun in the seventh season episode "Double-Cross". Sean Patrick Flanery from Boondock Saints also appears in this episode as a used car salesman.

The members of Rascal Flatts appeared as themselves on the Season 10 episode "Unshockable." Jay Demarcus was the victim, and Joe Don Rooney and Gary LeVox were both persons of interest in the investigation.

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ Internet Movie Database. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov 2011. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1574488
Current Main Characters
Former Main Characters
Recurring Characters
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