Eric Szmanda as Greg Sanders

Eric Kyle Szmanda was born on July 24, 1975 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but was raised in Mukwonago with his two siblings, Rob and Brett. While he was a student at Carroll College in Wisconsin, he landed the role on Lysander in a production Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Following college, Szmanda relocated to Los Angeles and eventually appeared on the small screen as Jacob Resh on the television adaptation of The Net and as Mark on the drama series, The Division. His additional television credits include Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane, Oh Baby, Dodge’s City, FreakyLinks and Three Sisters. In 2000, he began portraying a recurring character on the television series, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. In a 2004 interview, Szmanda expressed his delight in getting cast as Greg Sanders on CSI, saying, “I couldn't ask for a better springboard. There was no doubt in my mind, by the time they offered me the role, that the show was going to be huge. It was already doing really well, and I was really lucky to get in when I did. It's also a great learning environment.” Since then, his character has become a more integral part of the show and has begun to appear regularly.

His interest in music has also led Szamnda to explore other areas of the entertainment industry. He worked as a music consultant for the 2001 film Life as a House, a drama that starred Kevin Kline, Kristin Scott Thomas and Hayden Christensen. The production company, doop, is also one of Szmanda’s personal enterprises, and it serves as a meeting point for music and acting. He is a great fan of Marilyn Manson, who also happens to be one of his good friends.

Although he has gained much of his current popularity from his performance on the small screen, Szmanda has also appeared in a number of big screen productions like 100 Girls, The Rules of Attraction, Big Time, True Vinyl and Little Athens.

(Photo courtesy of CBS)