Peter Krause Bio
Peter William Krause, born on August 12, 1965, in Alexandria, Minnesota, is an American actor, director, and producer whose career has spanned television, film, and stage. He is best known for his leading performances in acclaimed series such as Sports Night, Six Feet Under, and Parenthood, as well as his long-running turn as Bobby Nash on the network drama 9-1-1. Over the course of his career, Krause has earned multiple nominations from the Primetime Emmy Awards, the Golden Globe Awards, and the Screen Actors Guild Awards, while also building a reputation as a thoughtful director and executive producer. His versatility across comedy, drama, and genre storytelling has made him a steady presence in American television since the early 1990s.
Early Life and Background
Peter William Krause was born on August 12, 1965, in Alexandria, Minnesota, to William Popham “Bill” Krause and Wanda Marie Krause, both of whom worked as teachers in Minnesota. He was raised in Roseville, a suburb of St. Paul, alongside two siblings, Amy and Michael. As a teenager, Krause competed in track and field and gymnastics, and he attended Alexander Ramsey High School in Roseville, where he graduated in 1983.
Although Krause entered Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter as a pre-medical student, he discovered acting during his junior year and changed his focus, ultimately graduating in 1987 with a degree in English Literature. College productions such as Paul Sills’ Story Theatre, Caryl Churchill’s Cloud 9, and Harold Pinter’s The Dumb Waiter convinced him to pursue acting full-time. After college, he enrolled at New York University’s Graduate Acting Program at the Tisch School of the Arts, where he earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1990 and appeared in stage productions of Macbeth, Uncle Vanya, and Arms and the Man.
Path to Acting
While living in New York City, Krause worked as a bartender at the Palace Theatre on Broadway, where he met the writer Aaron Sorkin. The friendship would later prove professionally significant when Sorkin created Sports Night, a series built around Krause’s talents. Shortly after completing his graduate studies, Krause moved to Los Angeles and landed a regular role on Carol Burnett’s sketch comedy series Carol & Company, which ran from 1990 to 1991 and served as his first sustained television credit.
Throughout the early 1990s, Krause built his résumé with guest appearances on shows including Seinfeld, Beverly Hills 90210, and Ellen, and from 1996 he recurred as Kevin on Cybill Shepherd’s sitcom Cybill for four seasons. These early roles helped him develop a range that bridged comedy and drama, preparing him for the leading parts that would soon define his career.
Peter Krause Career
Early Career (1987–1997)
Krause made his first feature film appearance in 1987 with a role in the slasher film Blood Harvest. After completing his graduate studies at New York University in 1990, he relocated to Los Angeles and joined the cast of Carol & Company, where he appeared from 1990 to 1991. He followed that work with guest spots on a range of popular shows, including Seinfeld, Beverly Hills 90210, and Ellen, gradually establishing himself as a dependable supporting player in network television.
From 1996 onward, Krause landed one of his first recurring television roles as Kevin, the son-in-law of Cybill Shepherd’s title character on the sitcom Cybill. Across four seasons, he honed the deadpan comedic timing that would later inform his work on Sports Night, setting the stage for the leading parts that arrived at the end of the decade.
Breakthrough (1998–2005)
In 1998, Krause was cast as sports anchor Casey McCall on Aaron Sorkin’s ABC comedy Sports Night, a role that ran until 2000. Although the series earned strong critical praise, it struggled to find an audience and was canceled after two seasons, but the performance established Krause as a leading man capable of balancing wit and emotional weight. While at the Palace Theatre in New York, his friendship with Sorkin had been the spark that led to the role.
Krause’s career-defining moment came when he was cast as funeral director Nate Fisher on the HBO drama Six Feet Under, which aired from 2001 to 2005. His portrayal of a man wrestling with family, mortality, and his own complicated relationships drew widespread acclaim and resulted in three Primetime Emmy Award nominations, two Golden Globe Award nominations, and seven Screen Actors Guild Award nominations, including two wins for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. The role cemented his standing as one of television’s most respected dramatic actors.
Later Career (2006–2025)
In December 2006, Krause took on the lead role of Detective Joe Miller in the Sci Fi Channel miniseries The Lost Room, showcasing his ability to anchor genre storytelling. From 2007 to 2009, he portrayed young lawyer Nick George opposite Donald Sutherland in ABC’s Dirty Sexy Money, a drama in which he also served as a series producer. He made his Broadway debut in the summer of 2004 in a revival of Arthur Miller’s After the Fall, appearing alongside Carla Gugino and expanding his stage credentials.
From 2010 to 2015, Krause starred as Adam Braverman on the NBC comedy-drama Parenthood, a role that reunited him on screen with his future partner, Lauren Graham. During the run of Parenthood, he directed three episodes and continued to develop his behind-the-camera work. He appeared in the 2011 fantasy film Beastly, adapted from Alex Flinn’s novel, and from 2016 to 2017 he starred opposite Mireille Enos in the Shonda Rhimes-produced ABC crime drama The Catch.
In August 2017, Krause was cast as fire captain Bobby Nash on the Ryan Murphy-produced drama 9-1-1, a series that focuses on the lives of first responders. He became a central presence on the show and also served as an executive producer, with his character eventually written out in Season 8 in 2025 as part of the program’s creative direction. Krause has also lent his voice to documentary work, narrating the Insignia Films production Citizen Hearst, a two-part American Experience documentary about William Randolph Hearst that aired in September 2021.
Notable Works and Milestones
Across more than three decades, Krause has built a body of work that includes the signature television roles of Casey McCall, Nate Fisher, Adam Braverman, and Bobby Nash, along with memorable turns in Beastly, The Lost Room, and Dirty Sexy Money. His dual Primetime Emmy nominations and Screen Actors Guild ensemble wins for Six Feet Under remain the most recognized honors of his career, and his transition into directing and producing on Parenthood and 9-1-1 reflects his growing influence behind the camera.
Peter Krause Award Nominations
Peter William Krause has accumulated a substantial slate of nominations across major television honors, particularly during his tenure on Six Feet Under. For that performance he received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations, two Golden Globe Award nominations, and seven Screen Actors Guild Award nominations, alongside additional recognition from industry groups later in his career. His nominations reflect consistent peer acknowledgment of his ability to lead character-driven drama and to anchor long-running ensemble casts.
Peter Krause Awards Won
Peter William Krause’s most prominent awards have come through ensemble recognition for Six Feet Under, where he shared in two Screen Actors Guild Award wins for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. While individual trophies at the Emmys and Golden Globes have eluded him, his shared ensemble honors with the cast of Six Feet Under remain the most celebrated wins of his career and reflect the collaborative spirit of his most enduring television work.
Peter Krause Family
Peter William Krause is the son of William Popham “Bill” Krause and Wanda Marie Krause, both of whom worked as teachers in Minnesota. He was raised in Roseville, a suburb of St. Paul, alongside two siblings, Amy and Michael. The family’s roots in Minnesota and the steady presence of two educator parents shaped his early years before he pursued acting as a career.
Personal Life
Peter William Krause and his former girlfriend Christine King have a son named Roman, who was born in 2001. In 2010, Krause began a long-term relationship with actress Lauren Graham; the two had first met in 1995 while appearing on the sitcom Caroline in the City and later reconnected while co-starring on Parenthood. In June 2022, it was reported that the couple had ended their relationship in 2021 after eleven years together.