Peter William Krause was born on August 12, 1965, in Alexandria, Minnesota, to a family of teachers. He has a sister and brother and was raised in Roseville, Minnesota. Krause graduated in 1987 from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota, with a degree in English literature. He then went on to receive a Master of Fine Arts degree in Acting from New York University's Graduate Acting Program at the Tisch School of the Arts in 1990.
Krause's early career in television included roles on "Carol & Company" (1990),"The Limo" (1992),"Beverly Hills, 90210" (1990),and "Ellen" (1994). He also appeared in several short-lived shows, including "The Great Defender" (1995),"If Not for You" (1995),and "Cybill" (1995). In addition to his television work, Krause has appeared in several films, including "Lovelife" (1997) and "The Truman Show" (1998).
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Krause landed several notable roles on television. He starred as Casey McCall on the ABC comedy "Sports Night" (1998-2000),and then played the role of Nate Fisher on the HBO drama "Six Feet Under" (2001-2005). During his time on "Six Feet Under", Krause received three Emmy nominations and two Golden Globe nominations for his performance.
After "Six Feet Under" ended, Krause appeared in several projects, including the miniseries "The Lost Room" (2006),the thriller "Civic Duty" (2006),and the ABC drama "Dirty Sexy Money" (2007-2009). He also produced the latter show and played the lead role of Nick George, a lawyer for one of New York City's wealthiest families.
In 2010, Krause landed the lead role of Adam Braverman on the NBC drama "Parenthood" (2010-2015). The show ran for six seasons and Krause received several award nominations for his performance. After "Parenthood" ended, Krause appeared in the ABC drama "The Catch" (2016-2017) and then landed the lead role of Bobby Nash, an LAFD fire captain, on the FOX drama "9-1-1" (2018-present).