Eric Szmanda as Greg Sanders
Greg Sanders is portrayed by Eric Szmanda in the hit television series,
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Greg spent his formative years in San Gabriel, California, and had known that he wanted to become a scientist ever since he was a seven-year old kid playing with his very first chemistry set. He did not let himself get discouraged by other people’s negative conceptions of science, and eventually became a member of his high school’s Science Club, and on the side, became captain of the chess team. He continued to excel academically and successfully obtained a degree in chemistry from the prestigious Stanford University, where he was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa.
When Greg first joined the night shift CSI team of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, he appeared to be the most optimistic and joyful of them all, and was not too concerned about the financial merits (or demerits for that matter) of the job. Initially, he was confined to the lab, where he spent most of his working days analyzing evidence and DNA that were collected by the other crime scene investigators. However, he soon felt the urge to join the others in the field, but failed his first test after he used the bathroom at a crime scene. Soon though, he was able to gain the rank of CSI level one, which mostly had him assisting the others at various crime scenes. After much hard work, he was finally promoted and allowed to go on his own investigations.
Like the other investigators, Greg has had his fair share of close calls and work-related conflicts. He was once caught in a lab explosion and was terribly injured when he came to the rescue of a tourist who was being attacked by a gang of reckless teenagers. During this incident, Greg felt compelled to run over one of the gang members, which resulted in the boy’s death. Although the courts did not find fault in Greg’s actions, the boy’s family served him with a civil suit. Eventually, the suit was settled, with the family getting a large amount of money. Later, when the boy’s brother was implicated in a murder investigation, Greg requested for the prosecutor’s leniency with the case and appeared sympathetic towards the brothers’ mother.
(Photo courtesy of Robert Voets)