EMMY® AND GOLDEN GLOBE AWARD-WINNER JAMES BROLIN TO GUEST-STAR IN NBC’S ‘COMMUNITY’ AS JEFF WINGER’S LONG-LOST FATHER

Universal City, California – Emmy® and Golden Globe Award winner James Brolin (“Marcus Welby, M.D.,” “Traffic”) will guest-star in an upcoming episode of NBC’s critically-acclaimed comedy series “Community.” Brolin will appear as William Winger, the estranged father of Jeff Winger (Joel McHale), whom Jeff has not seen since he was a child. The episode, titled “Cooperative Escapism in Familial Relations,” is scheduled to air later this season. “Community’s” fourth season will premiere on Friday, October 19 (8:30-9 pm ET).

An accomplished actor, director and producer for nearly five decades, Brolin is well-known to audiences for his early television roles, including Dr. Steven Kiley on “Marcus Welby, M.D.,” for which he earned an Emmy® and a Golden Globe Award, as well as for his role as Peter McDermott on the series “Hotel,” which earned him several Golden Globe Award nominations. He also starred in the well-known syndicated series “Pensacola: Wings of Gold” as Lt. Col. Bill Kelly and earned additional Emmy and Golden Globe Award nominations for his role as Ronald Reagan in the mini-series “The Reagans.” Brolin’s more recent television work includes guest roles in NBC’s Law & Order: SVU,” “Psych” for USA Network and “Lost City Raiders” on Syfy.

Brolin’s success has also extended to feature film, where his long list of hit credits includes “The Amityville Horror,” “Capricorn One,” Westworld,” and “Gas Food Lodging,” as well as the Oscar Award-winning “Traffic,” “Catch Me If You Can,” “A Guy Thing,” “The Alibi” and “Last Chance Harvey.” Brolin also directed and starred in the acclaimed 1997 independent film, “My Brother’s War,” which received a Hollywood Discovery Award for Best Feature Film from the Hollywood Film Festival.

The critically hailed "Community" is a smart, exuberant half-hour comedy series about a tight-knit study group at Greendale Community College. At the center of the group is Jeff Winger (McHale, “The Soup”), a fast-talking lawyer whose degree has been revoked. With some help from his fellow classmates, Winger forms a study group who eventually learn more about themselves than their course work. Among the series stars who comprise the group are comedy legend Chevy Chase (“Fletch”) as Pierce, Gillian Jacobs (“Seeking A Friend for the End of the World”) as Britta, Yvette Nicole Brown (“Rules of Engagement”) as Shirley, Danny Pudi ("Greek") as Abed, Alison Brie ("Mad Men") as Annie, Donald Glover ("30 Rock") as Troy, Ken Jeong ("The Hangover Part II") as Chang, and Oscar Award winner Jim Rash (“That 70’s Show”) as Dean Pelton.

"Community" was created by Dan Harmon ("The Sarah Silverman Program") who serves as executive consultant. Russ Krasnoff ("The Soloist") is executive producer, along with Gary Foster (“Sleepless in Seattle”), Moses Port and David Guarascio (“Happy Endings”). Tristram Shapeero (“Nurse Jackie”) is executive producer/director. The series is a Krasnoff Foster Entertainment production, in association with Universal Media Studios and Sony Pictures Television.

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