Joel Grey Guests on ABC's PRIVATE PRACTICE 1/22

Academy and Tony Award-winning actor Joel Grey returns to television in a new episode of ABC's "Private Practice." Grey, whose recent TV credits include "Brothers & Sisters" and a critically acclaimed appearance on FOX's hit drama "House," will guest star as Dr. Alexander Ball in the January 22, 2009 episode titled "Nothing to Fear."

In "Nothing to Fear," Violet finds out she's pregnant but isn't sure who the father is; Addison struggles with her own guilty conscience after her kiss with Wyatt; and Sam and Pete clash when an old friend and colleague (Grey) asks them to help him die. Meanwhile Charlotte proposes marriage to Cooper.

"Private Practice" stars Kate Walsh as Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery, Tim Daly as Dr. Pete Wilder, Audra McDonald as Dr. Naomi Bennett, Paul Adelstein as Dr. Cooper Freedman, KaDee Strickland as Dr. Charlotte King, Chris Lowell as William Dell Parker, with Taye Diggs as Dr. Sam Bennett and Amy Brenneman as Dr. Violet Turner.

"Private Practice" airs on ABC-TV from 10:01 - 11:00 p.m. For more information, visit http://abc.go.com/primetime/privatepractice.

In a career that was launched in the early 1950's, Joel Grey has created indelible stage roles each decade since. Grey made his theatrical debut at the age of 9 in the 1941 Cleveland Playhouse production of On Borrowed Time and made his Broadway debut exactly two decades later as a replacement in Neil Simon's first comedy hit, Come Blow Your Horn (1961). Since then, his Broadway credits include the Stop the World I Want to Get Off (succeeding Anthony Newly in 1963), Half a Sixpence (following Tommy Steele in 1965), the iconic M.C. in Kander and Ebb's Cabaret (1966, Tony Award), song and dance man George M. Cohan in George M! (1967, Tony nomination), Goodtime Charlie (1975, Tony nomination), The Grand Tour (1979, Tony nomination), Amos Hart in the landmark revival of another Kander and Ebb musical, Chicago (1996, Drama Desk Award) and as the Wonderful Wizard of Oz in Wicked (2004). Joel's dramatic stage roles include John Guare's Marco Polo Sings a Solo (1975) at the Public Theatre; the Williamstown Theatre Festival production of Chekhov's Platonov (1978); Larry Kramer's seminal The Normal Heart (1986) at the Public Theatre; and the Roundabout Theatre production of Brian Friel's Give Me Your Answer, Do! (1999, Drama Desk nomination).

Joel received the Academy Award, the Golden Globe and the British Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the 1972 film version of Cabaret (directed by Bob Fosse). He is one of only eight actors to have won both the Tony and Academy Award for the same role. Other film credits include Frank Perry's Man on A Swing (1974), Robert Altman's Buffalo Bill and the Indians (1976); Herbert Ross' The Seven Percent Solution (1976); Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985, Golden Globe Nomination); Steven Soderbergh's Kafka (1991); Altman's The Player (1992); Phillip Haas' The Music of Chance (1993); Michael Ritchie's adaptation of The Fantasticks (2000); Lars von Trier's Dancer in the Dark (2000); and Clark Gregg's Choke, which premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. Recent television appearances include "Alias," "Crossing Jordan," "Brooklyn Bridge" (Emmy nomination), "OZ," "Law and Order: Criminal Intent," "House," "Brothers & Sisters" and "Private Practice."

In addition to his acting career, Joel Grey is an accomplished photographer. He has two books of photographs, Pictures I Had to Take (published in 2003) and Looking Hard at Unexamined Things (published in 2006). His work is now part of the Permanent Collections at the Whitney Museum of American Art and the New York Public Library.

Joel is the father of Jennifer and James and the grandfather of Stella. Visit Joel's website at www.joelgreyphotographer.com