Fans Find CSI's Young Nerd Sexy

(CBS)  Against the advice of his agent, who said he would never rise out of the show's background, actor Eric Szmanda agreed to take on the role of wise-cracking Greg Saunders, the resident crime-lab whiz kid on the hit TV series "CSI."

Szmanda's role as the good-looking kooky nerd has been growing each season. He appeared in each episode of season two and was in the main credits by season three. Now in his fifth season with the show, his character, the youngest member of the Las Vegas forensic unit, is finally getting some time in the field.

"I had a good feeling about it," Szmanda told The Early Show co-anchor Julie Chen. "And had a good rapport with the producers from the beginning. And they assured me things would evolve. So I went against the representative advice and hung in there and I'm glad I did."

In fact, he says he gets fan mail from young people who thank him for making it "cool" to be smart.

"I've gotten, you know, fan mail from kids that have told me that they finally, you know, kind of opened up to, you know, the rest of the school and admitted that they were smart. I'm happy that I gave kids, like, some motivation to, you know, be themselves. And, you know, I had one fan letter from a father who told me that his kid, who had no desire, no plans to go to college, finally had decided to go to school and study forensic science."

Szmanda knows something about those things first hand. Growing up in Wisconsin he was, by his own admission, "a pretty good student.

"I had a little bit of a problem with authority," he said, "but I got the grades. You know? I graduated with honors and, you know, it was -- they really couldn't fault me for getting in trouble once in a while."

Today, he's the new kid working with some very seasoned professionals like Billy Peterson and Marg Helgenberger. "But William Peterson is an actor's actor and he's a good guy from Chicago," Szmanda said. "And he welcomed me with everything he had to offer. And Marg is great. You know, we have a lot of fun on the show. All of us have a great time together."

And now, the cast of the CBS/b> show is featured in a new CSI board game that came out just in time for Christmas. Szmanda says that has greatly impressed his friends: "Where can you say you have your own face on a game board?"

Szmanda also has appeared in the TV series "The Net" and in the movie "The Rules of Attraction."

He was born in 1975.