Laurence Fishburne has officially joined the cast of “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” after the departure of Actor William Petersen last season.
Petersen continues as an executive producer of the show.
Fishburne will first appear in the ninth episode of the upcoming “CSI” season. Variety reports that he will star as a former pathologist turned college lecturer who focuses on why people turn violent, including traits he’s disturbed to find in himself. The character joins the Las Vegas Crime Lab as a Level 1 CSI after assisting in a murder investigation.
“CSI” Executive Producers Carol Mendelsohn and Naren Shankar said Fishburne topped their “dream list.” John Malkovich and Kurt Russell were also considered for the part.
“He is a powerful and intense actor, with an incredible range,” they said in a joint statement.
Fishburnes’s TV credits include “Pee Wee’s Playhouse,” “Miss Evers’ Boys,” which scored him an Emmy Award, and “The Tuskegee Airmen.” He also earned an Emmy for a guest spot on Fox’s short-lived series “Tribeca.” The actor is most famous for his roles in The Matrix series, Boyz n the Hood and What’s Love Got to Do with It, in which he was nominated for an Oscar.
The new season of “CSI” airs on CBS on October 9th, 2008.
Source: Variety
