Harvey Fierstein to Take the Bench as a Judge on The Good Wife

Four-time Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein has been tapped to play a liberal, ex-hippie judge on the hit CBS-TV series The Good Wife. According to EW.com, Fierstein will go head to head with lead character Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies), presiding over a case “with a sharp eye but rather laid-back speech.” The theater vet is expected to appear in the show’s fourth episode.

Filmed in New York, The Good Wife spotlights stage actors in every episode. Among the notable names who have played judges on the show are Denis O’Hare, Joanna Gleason, Kate Burton, Ana Gasteyer, Jane Alexander, Peter Riegert and Peter Gerety. For Broadway.com’s photo feature on the theatrical roots of the show’s cast, click here.

Fierstein most recently appeared on Broadway as Albin in La Cage aux Folles, the musical that won him a 1984 Best Book Tony Award. He won Best Play and Best Actor Tonys for Torch Song Trilogy and a second Best Actor Tony for Hairspray.

Nominated for nine 2011 Emmy Awards, The Good Wife will return for its third season on a new night and time, Sunday, September 25, at 9:00PM.