Eric Szmanda

Eric Kyle Szmanda (/səˈmændə/; born July 24, 1975) is an American actor. He portrayed Greg Sanders in the CBS police drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, a role he held from when the show began in 2000 until its end in 2015.

Early life and education

Szmanda was born in Mukwonago, Wisconsin, the son of Elaine (née Enders) and Donald Szmanda, and has two brothers, Brett and Rob. He attended Mukwonago High School and graduated at the age of nineteen at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Pasadena, California. While he was in school, he began marketing internships with music conglomerate BMG and moved to Chicago, Illinois to take a full-time job in the music business. His great-uncle Ray Szmanda is the "Menard's Guy," a local celebrity in the Midwest famous for his enthusiastic ads for Menard's hardware stores.

Career

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

In 2000, Szmanda began a recurring role in the CBS police drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in the first two seasons as Greg Sanders, a DNA technician and investigator, before being added to the main cast in the third season. He remained on the show until it ended after the fifteenth season in September 2015.