Judd Hirsch to Play Big Bang Theory Dad

Stage and screen favorite Judd Hirsch will take on a featured role in an upcoming episode of CBS' The Big Bang Theory, according to Variety. It was announced by actor Johnny Galecki, who plays Dr. Leonard Hofstadter on the show, during a PaleyFest session last night that Hirsch had been cast as Leonard's father. Galecki also revealed that the casting was his idea and that he'd based facets of his character on Hirsch's Emmy-winning role in the sitcom Taxi.

Judd Hirsch is an Oscar, Emmy, and two-time Tony winner. He most recently appeared on Broadway in Sixteen Wounded (2004), following his Tony-winning performances in I'm Not Rappaport (2002) and Conversations With My Father (1992). He won his Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the 1980 film Ordinary People. Hirsch will soon star in the world premiere of Shem Bitterman's The Stone Witch, presented by Berkshire Theatre Group.

The Big Bang Theory is now in its ninth season. The show, which was created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, stars Galeki as well as Broadway's Jim Parsons (An Act of God), Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, and Kunal Nayyar.