so a million, billion years ago, @songlyricsincludingthewordfjord requested some meta about grissom’s biography, and i am just now getting around to posting it.

as anyone who has ever looked up c.s.i. character biographies can tell you, there are typically numerous biographies for each character, some of them conflicting.

for instance, the earliest biographies for catherine state that she was raised in montana and moved to vegas as a teenager, but later biographies for catherine, and indeed the show itself, have catherine born and raised in vegas, as the daughter of a vegas showgirl and a casino mogul.

oftentimes, an actor will have generated a biography for their character, only to later have it contradicted by an “official” release from the show or from c.b.s. or by semicanonical promotional or supplemental material (such as information which appears in the c.s.i. novel series). more often still, the show will contradict its own official character biographies—which were, once upon a time, posted on the c.s.i. website—with information revealed during various episodes. 

and because this is the case, going over a character’s biography is not an exact science; we have to extrapolate a lot.

so if you’re up for a lot of extrapolation, i put it after the cut.

__________

almost every source i’ve looked at states that gilbert arthur grissom was born in santa monica, california on august 17th, 1956. in episode 08x15 “the theory of everything,” we learn that grissom was raised in nearby marina del rey, california.

grissom’s father’s name is unknown. as we learn in episode 06x10 “still life,” he taught botany. since botany is not a usual high school subject at american public schools, we can presume that he either worked at a private school or—more likely—at a college or university. some biographies i’ve found confirm that he worked at a local college. 

when grissom was growing up during the 1960s, there were two colleges/universities in the marina del rey area:

• marymount college (which is now loyola marymount university)
  
• otis college of art and design

given that otis wouldn’t have offered botany courses as part of its curriculum, it seems most likely that grissom’s father worked at marymount.

grissom’s mother is named betty, and, according to most biographies, she worked as the curator of an art gallery in venice and often took grissom with her to work when he was a little boy. 

in episode 01x20 “sounds of silence,” grissom reveals (while speaking in a.s.l. to dr. gilbert) that his mother lost her hearing at the age of eight. we learn later on in the show that she lost her hearing due to otosclerosis, a genetic disorder which grissom eventually inherits from her.

while most people with otosclerosis tend to develop the condition as adolescents or adults (such as is the case with grissom himself), betty apparently developed otosclerosis in childhood. 

interestingly, whereas her son develops the more treatable variety of the disorder—which begins with the small bones of the inner ear—betty developed the untreatable variety—which begins around the otic capsule.

as depicted on the show, betty is completely deaf and communicates using american sign language (see episode 11x13 “the two mrs. grissoms”). she is very active in the deaf community, promoting arts and cultural activities. 

the fact that she has been deaf since age eight means that grissom grew up as a c.o.d.a., or the hearing “child of (a) deaf adult,” and likely learned spoken english and a.s.l. simultaneously when he was first developing his language capabilities.

it is unknown whether or not grissom’s father was also deaf or hard of hearing. however, given that grissom always states that he learned sign language from his mother, it seems likely that a.s.l. was not his father’s primary language, even if he was deaf or hard of hearing.

(particularly during the early twentieth century, when grissom’s father would have been growing up, many deaf and hard of hearing persons were denied the opportunity to learn sign language as children and were instead forced to read lips and learn to speak spoken english. many of these persons never learned sign language or only learned it as adults. it is therefore possible that grissom’s father could have been a member of the deaf and hard of hearing community who nevertheless did not use a.s.l. as his primary means of communication.)

whether grissom’s father was hearing or deaf, it seems likely that he would have been able to communicate with betty in a.s.l., just as grissom did. however, if he was hearing, it is also likely that he communicated with grissom primarily in spoken english.

in any case, whether he had one deaf parent or two, grissom grew up both bilingual and bicultural and likely experienced some of the difficulties associated with being a c.o.d.a., particularly after the death of his father, which occurred when grissom was nine years old, his father coming home from work “one hot, humid day” and falling asleep on the couch, never to awaken.

(the show implies that his father may have died from heat stroke.)

various grissom biographies state that it was grissom’s father who encouraged his love for the natural sciences and his mother who encouraged his love for reading and the humanities. 

based on what grissom says in episode 05x24 “grave danger,” pt. i, he may have learned to read and write by the age of four.

in episode 02x20 “cats in the cradle,” grissom states that even though his mother was deaf, “she was always the boss.” when we later meet betty in season eleven, we see that she does indeed have a forceful personality and that she doesn’t shy away from making her opinions known. 

it is unknown what type of personality grissom’s father might have had, but one can imagine that he was maybe more passive than betty—a complement to her. it is possible that grissom takes more after his father in terms of his personality than he does his mother.

given that grissom’s father most likely worked at a college, grissom would have been exposed to the academic culture of which he would later become part from a very young age. it is likely that his father held a master’s degree and/or phd, as would his son after him.

it is unknown what religious beliefs grissom’s father held, if any, but betty was a catholic and seemingly raised her son catholic, as well. in adulthood, grissom would leave the church, though he still believed in “ritualizing certain aspects of everyday life and imbuing them with a spiritual intensity they might not otherwise possess” and kept his mother’s rosary beads in his desk at work (see episode 07x05 “double-cross”).

given that his father worked in academia and his mother worked in the arts and that, after 1965, the household was down to a single income, grissom probably grew up as part of the lower middle class, economically speaking.

we know that grissom loved bugs even from a young age (see episodes 04x09 “grissom vs. the volcano” and 06x23 “bang-bang”). we also know that he was a cowboy aficionado (see episodes 05x24 “grave danger,” pt. i, and 08x11 “bull”).

grissom mentions in episode 02x04 “bully for you” that he was a “ghost” during his school days. while his personality undoubtledly contributed to him being a “ghost,” it is also possible that his family situation did, as well, as children who experience the death of a parent are often ostracized by their peers, as are c.o.d.a.s who attend school with children from hearing families.

as i talk about here, grissom’s high intelligence also likely contributed to him being a social pariah:

i can’t fully substantiate this claim, but i tend to think that that’s because prior to the start of the show, when grissom is growing up, he doesn’t really have a circle of people who love and accept him as he is.

he has his mother with whom he has a close relationship, but in his own words, he is “a ghost” going through school (see episode 02x04 “bully for you”), so it seems like he probably doesn’t have many friends outside the home.

and really, that’s not uncommon for someone as intelligent as he is. as a kid, he likely outpaces most of his peers and doesn’t share many common interests with them. it’s probable his school lessons bore him. so, in the absence of social interactions and schoolwork that keeps his interest, he retreats into books and doing his own experiments for fun (e.g., in episode 08x15 “the theory of everything,” hodges quotes a newspaper article which says that, as a child, grissom used to perform necropsies on dead animals he found in his neighborhood), activities which then just make him even more of a pariah with his peers in the long run.

as stated above, grissom has very particular social needs—i.e., a few close friends who accept and love him as he is—but that doesn’t mean it isn’t difficult for him to grow up so isolated.

he probably wants friends but doesn’t know how to relate to kids his age. and when people want something without being able to have it, they tend to develop coping mechanisms.

—and his coping mechanism seems to be trying to convince himself that he doesn’t need human interaction, even though he does.

so over the years? he tells himself over and over and over again that people are unreliable and relationships are messy and that it is better to build his life around what is quantifiable and understandable, rather than something as potentially hurtful and disappointing as other human beings.

some of grissom’s oldest character biographies mention that, when he was in junior high school, he befriended some cops and began hanging around the local police precinct, interested in the “mysteries” being investigated there. 

it was in this setting that the young grissom first encountered dr. phillip gerard, one of the pioneers of american forensic science, who mentored him and made him an “unofficial intern” at the l.a. county coroner’s office. 

recognizing grissom’s remarkable abilities, gerard encouraged betty to accelerate her son’s schooling; according to most biographies, grissom graduated high school at age sixteen and immediately matriculated as an undergraduate at u.c.l.a., where gerard sometimes taught courses.

as had been the case with him during his public schooling education, at u.c.l.a., grissom focused almost entirely on his studies, ignoring the social aspects of college life. he quickly completed his undergraduate degree (likely a b.s. in biology) and was immediately admitted into a phd program.

and here’s where things get tricky:

as i discuss here, 

according to most of the csi character biographies i found, gil grissom received his phd from u.c.l.a. when he was twenty-two years old, likely in some form of biology or entomology.

regardless of what phd degree grissom earned, both canon and various biographies confirm that his area of expertise is entomology and nematology, or the studies of insects and roundworms (see episodes 1x10 “sex, lies, and larvae” and 6x06 “secrets and flies”).

while u.c.l.a. does offer phds in both evolutionary biology and integrative biology, to either one of which one could potentially append an emphasis in entomology and nematology, u.c.l.a. does not offer any phd that focuses solely on entomology and nematology (see here).

unlike u.c.l.a., u.c. davis, which is also part of the u.c. system, offers a phd focused solely on entomology and nematology.

the u.c. davis program holds the top ranking in the country and existed during the 1970s, when grissom would have been a student (see here).

it also home to the laidlaw facility, which is the largest apiculture-–or honey bee research–-facility in north america, a notable point in this discussion, considering grissom’s research interests in honey bee behavior and colony collapse syndrome (see episodes 8x03 “go to hell” and 8x04 “the case of the cross-dressing carp”).

it is possible that grissom crafted his course of study for the broad biology phd at u.c.l.a. to focus on entomology and nematology. however, it is also possible that his phd alma mater is not actually u.c.l.a. but instead u.c. davis.

considering that the show states that grissom is one of only about fifteen people in the country to have the type and depth of expertise that he does, it seems more likely that grissom would be considered a top specialist in his field if he had a specialized degree in it rather than a broad degree with a particular emphasis.

however, the type of coursework and faculty mentorship available through both the u.c.l.a. and u.c. davis programs during the 1970s would make all the difference, in terms of what and where grissom potentially studied.

in any case, while the biographies might fudge and say that grissom graduated from u.c.l.a. with his phd, it seems much more likely that grissom graduated from u.c. davis with his phd.

my best guess is that grissom earned his b.s. in biology from u.c.l.a. before earning his phd in entomology and nematology from u.c. davis.

[note: some biographies mention that grissom may have gotten his doctorate degree from the univesity of chicago. however, they seem to do so in error, based on an honorary doctorate degree that is visible hanging on grissom’s wall in episode 01x10 “sex, lies, and larvae.” there is no indication that grissom ever studied in chicago—though chicago is billy petersen’s real life hometown, and he speaks with a noticeable chicago accent—but grissom may have at some point lectured at the university of chicago or conducted a seminar or study through one of their departments, hence why they awarded him the honorary degree.] 

regardless of where grissom earned his degree, almost all of his biographies agree that he graduated from his doctorate program at age twenty-two.

(which, just for the record, is a really impressive accomplishment.)

in episode 09x07 “coulda, woulda, shoulda,” grissom tells catherine that while he was “in college” he “thought” he fell in love with a girl. however, because he kept spending his money on scientific research equiptment, cadavers, etc., he never had the money to woo her. in order to make money, he claims he went to vegas to play poker.

considering that almost all grissom biographies state that he started working as “the youngest coronor in l.a. county history” immediately upon his graduation from his phd program at age twenty-two, it seems likely that when grissom refers to “going to vegas to play poker” while he was in college, he means that he visited vegas rather than that he moved there permanently.

we don’t know the identity of the girl from grissom’s story for certain. however, it is possible that she is julia holden (see episode 11x13 “the two mrs. grissoms”), with whom grissom was once romantically involved.

if grissom met julia while he was in school in california, it might explain how julia came to be acquainted with betty.

in the story grissom tells catherine, “college” could refer to grissom’s undergraduate work or to his graduate work; grissom doesn’t particularly specify.

so now another tricky thing:

in episodes 03x02 “the accused is entitled” and 03x18 “precious metal,” grissom mentions having at some point worked as a c.s.i. in minneapolis, minnesota (i.e., hennepin county) under the tutelage of dr. phillip gerard.

it is unknown when grissom may have worked in minneapolis, particularly as the timeline surrounding his move to vegas is so murky.

on the one hand, in episode 07x24 “living doll,” grissom tells natalie davis that he has been working as a c.s.i. for twenty-two years. 

since episode 07x24 “living doll” takes place in 2007, that means grissom began his career as a c.s.i. in 1985. 

however, in episode 03x16 “lucky strike,” grissom mentions that after the mgm casino fire in 1980, “we found people burned to their slot machines ‘cause they wouldn’t leave the action.” 

if we take his statement from episode 03x16 “lucky strike” literally, then that means he was in vegas working as a c.s.i. two years after graduating from his phd program in 1978, which means that he probably worked in l.a. between 1978-1979, minneapolis between 1979-1980, and started in las vegas in 1980.

however, if we take his “we” statement to mean “a group of c.s.i.s, as we are” and not “a group of c.s.i.s, including me specifically,” then we can go with the later date.

a further complication: when grissom tells natalie he has been a c.s.i. for twenty-two years, he doesn’t specify where he began his career or how long he has worked in vegas, so even if we take the later 1985 date as canonical, we still don’t know if grissom began his c.s.i. career in l.a., minneapolis, or vegas.

personally, since i’ve seen more timelines that go with the 1985 date, i tend to believe that:

• grissom graduates with his phd in 1978
  
• grissom works as the youngest coroner in l.a. county history for a few years during the late 1970s and early 1980s
• grissom then moves to minneapolis to begin training as a c.s.i. level i under dr. phillip gerard, who has accepted a position as the director of the hennepin county crime lab (and perhaps even recruits grissom to his team, as grissom himself will later do with sara)
• grissom completes his c.s.i. level i, ii, and iii training in minneapolis before moving to las vegas circa 1985
• he quickly becomes the “lead c.s.i.” and assistant supervisor on the night shift, though jim brass remains the official night shift supervisor
• in 1987, catherine willows joins the night shift team, and she and grissom become friends and partners

whatever timeline one subscribes to, the fact remains that, during his twenties and thirties, grissom advances very quickly both through his studies and in his career, becoming the “workaholic” we will eventually meet him as in season one.

we know that, as a young man, he has at least one romantic relationship (i.e., with the “girl in college,” who may or may not be julia holden); however, it is unclear if he has other romantic relationships, as well.

at this point in grissom’s life, his number one priority is his work. he is in his thirties, unattached, and somewhat more insouciant than he will become in later years.

as i say here, “he’s perfected this kind of cavalier, jokey, aloof, untouchable persona—the same one that we see from him in episode 01x01 ‘pilot.’ he’s not yet in charge of the night shift, so he doesn’t really have to get his hands dirty, per se. he holds himself at arm’s length from his team members, especially when their flaws and mistakes come into play.”

his undeniable brilliance helps him to rise through the ranks at c.s.i., while his political tone deafness keeps him from ever rising too high. his expertise in entomology makes him a hot commodity, so he often tours the country, giving lectures at universities and conventions. his sterling scientific reputation elevates the status of the entire las vegas crime lab. eventually, talent starts to accumulate around him: catherine joins the team circa 1987 (see episode 02x17 “felonius monk”), warrick circa 1997, and nick circa 1998.

it is in february 1998 that grissom meets sara at the forensic academy conference in san francisco, where he presents an anthropology seminar, and she attends his class. it is apparently, for both grissom and sara, a case of love at first meeting—though, of course, it will take many years and all sorts of drama before they commence an “official” romantic relationship.

for two years, grissom maintains some kind of ambiguously defined romantic (and possibly sexual) relationship with sara while she’s living in san francisco and he’s living in las vegas.

then, in 2000, after c.s.i. trainee holly gribbs is killed on the job, jim brass is removed as supervisor of the c.s.i. night shift, and grissom is appointed to take his place. grissom quickly calls sara in to join his team—and we know the rest from there.

for an in-depth analysis of grissom’s story arcs and character development throughout the history of the show, see here.

so.

the key things that stick out to me in looking at grissom’s biography are that we can see this clear trajectory play out with him, starting from his earliest childhood: 

he was a boy surrounded by science and art, who received encouragement from his parents to pursue his studies. though he came from a seemingly loving home, he was also lonely, perhaps especially after the death of his father. 

to cope with his loneliness, he tried to convince himself that he didn’t need human contact (even though, in truth, he did). over the years, he built up the “shell around [his] heart” of which he speaks in the series finale, keeping everyone at arm’s length from him, until finally he meets someone who broke through his shell and restored his faith in the human element (sara). 

so much of his courtesy towards and consideration for minorities and outsiders traces back to the fact that he was raised outside of the mainstream culture himself. 

from his father, he learned how to teach. from his mother, he learned how to listen.

science has played such an important role in his life, providing him with answers that people and circumstances and human belief systems denied to him and giving him a sense of community when he had been so isolated for most of his life. perhaps appropriately, then, it is through science that he would eventually make his dearest friends and meet his true love.

of course, the gsr shipper in me can’t help but notice how many parallels there are between grissom’s biography and sara’s:

• both of them were born and raised in california
• both of them lost their fathers around the time that they were nine or ten years old
  
• both of them were socially isolated while they were in school
• both of them graduated from high school at sixteen and began college right away
• for their first jobs out of graduate school, both of them worked at california coroner’s offices
• both of them seemingly moved states to work as c.s.i.s upon invitation from their mentors: grissom from california to minnesota on invitation from gerard; sara from california to nevada on invitation from grissom
• both of them struggled to find someone who understood them until they found each other

as stated to start out, a lot of what i’ve written about here is conjectural, and, unless c.b.s. ever produces a definitive character biography for grissom and the other c.s.i. characters, we may never know exactly how the course of his life has influenced his character.

suffice it to say, i’m kind of fascinated by ideas of what grissom must have been like growing up and how his life experiences affected his worldviews and basic disposition. even just going off these sort of patchwork biographies, i have to say that grissom is one of the most intriguing and best-written characters i’ve ever had the pleasure to watch on tv.