Stephen Collins and JoBeth Williams Land Guest Starring Roles on 'Private Practice,' Set To Appear 12/3

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Broadway veteran Stephen Collins will appear on the December 3rd episode of ABC's "Private Practice." The actors will portray the father of actor Kate Walsh's character, Dr. Addison Montgomery. Collins will appear as the husband of actress JoBeth Williams.

Collins' Broadway credits include his 2008 role as King Arthur in Spamalot and prior appearances in Moonchildren, The Ritz, The Loves of Anatol, and No Sex Please, We're British; off-Broadway he appeared opposite Sigourney Weaver in Christopher Durang's Beyond Therapy, as Macduff to Christopher Walken's Macbeth at Lincoln Center, and as husband to Julie Andrews (with whom he shares a birthday) in the Stephen Sondheim revue, Putting It Together at Manhattan Theatre Club in 1993.

Williams most recently starred in the The Night is a Child by Charles Randolph-Wright at the Pasadena Playhouse. She was also seen onstage in the plays Body Awareness and Quality of Life.

The series also stars several Broadway stars, including Audra McDonald and Taye Diggs. Audra McDonald - who earned an unprecedented three Tony Awards before the age of 30 (Carousel, Master Class, and Ragtime), and a fourth in 2004 (A Raisin in the Sun) - blends classically-trained soprano with an incomparable gift for dramatic truth-telling. In addition to her theatrical work, she maintains a major career as a concert and recording artist. She has sung regularly with all the major American orchestras, including the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics; Boston, Chicago, National, and San Francisco symphony orchestras; and the Cleveland and Philadelphia Orchestras - with many of the world's leading conductors, such as John Adams, Sir Simon Rattle, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Leonard Slatkin, and Michael Tilson Thomas. In the spring of 2005 she appeared with the New York Philharmonic to "preview" a scene from John Adams's then not yet premiered opera Doctor Atomic, with the composer conducting. Overseas, she performs at the BBC Proms (where she was only the second American in more than 100 years to solo on the famed "Last Night of the Proms"); with the London Symphony Orchestra and Berlin Philharmonic; and at Paris's Théâtre du Châtelet. Ms. McDonald also maintains a thriving television career, and currently can be seen as Dr. Naomi Bennett in the third season of the hit ABC television series Private Practice. Her most recent recordings are Kurt Weill's The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny (winner of two 2009 Grammy Awards) and a new studio recording of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Allegro (on the Sony MasterWorks Broadway label). Born into a musical family, Audra McDonald grew up in Fresno, California, and received her classical vocal training at The Juilliard School. Ms. McDonald last appeared with the New York Philharmonic on December 31, 2006, for a nationally televised New Year's Eve concert, conducted by Ted Sperling.

Taye Diggs currently appears on ABC-TV's 'Private Practice'. His television credits also include 'Kevin Hill' (UPN), 'Ally McBeal' (Fox), and 'Daybreak' (ABC). His feature film credits include How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Brown Sugar, Chicago, Rent, and others. Diggs' Broadway credits include Rent, Wicked, and Chicago.

Taye Diggs co-founded dre.dance in 2004. Emotion and power drive the company's aesthetic, while simultaneously maintaining the directors' most important quality, authenticity. Childhood friends from Rochester, New York, Palermo and Diggs have worked together for over eighteen years. They have presented three full-length New York seasons (two at Ailey Citigroup Theatre, one at Joyce Soho), as well as performances at the New York City Festival of Dance, Dance New Amsterdam's 'In the Company of Men Festival', TriPAC's Work and Show Festival, John Jay College, and a solo for Desmond Richardson, originally presented as part of Complexions Contemporary Ballet's 2007 Joyce season."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 Thursdays at 10pm on ABC-TV for more information, visit www.abc.go.com.