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He is usually credited without his middle initial (i.e. credited as "William Petersen" and not "William L. Petersen"). Because his role in Manhunter was so emotionally exhausting, he did everything he could to rid himself of Will Graham after finishing principal photography. He shaved off his beard, cut his hair and dyed it blonde. He also claims to have done this because, while rehearsing for a play in Chicago, his dialogue was always coming out Will Graham; he dyed his hair so he could look in the mirror and see a different person.[2] In a move perhaps indicative of his career choices, Petersen declined a part in Oliver Stone's Platoon, as it would have kept him in the Philippines, away from his family. Instead, he worked on the 1987 made-for-TV movie Long Gone.

In the 1985 movie To Live and Die in L.A. (film) Petersen appears, briefly, frontally nude. Petersen was offered the role of Henry Hill in the movie Goodfellas, but turned it down. In 1993, Petersen appeared in the mini series "Return to Lonesome Dove," and in 1996, appeared in Fear. Both projects featured him as a character with the surname "Walker."

In the 2000 release The Contender, Petersen played the role of Governor Jack Hathway, an unscrupulous candidate for Vice President following the death of the incumbent. He also appeared uncredited in the noir thriller Mulholland Falls as a character who finds himself on the violent receiving end of Los Angeles police.

(wikipedia.org)