'Big Bang Theory' Enlists Bob Newhart

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Bob Newhart

CBS' The Big Bang Theory is adding an Emmy favorite to its ranks.

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Comedy legend Bob Newhart has booked a guest turn on the Thursday staple, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

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As first reported by TVLine, the Bob Newhart Show and Newhart star will play Professor Proton, the former host of Sheldon's (Jim Parsons) favorite science show. As it turns out, the science guru also happened to be a key player in the childhoods of both Sheldon and Leonard (Johnny Galecki).

Newhart -- who has earned six Emmy nominations in his career -- will check in for the May 2 episode when Sheldon finds the good professor online and hires him to come to the apartment he shares with Leonard.

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The casting marks Big Bang's latest season six guest, joining Southland favorite Regina King, following Roseanne alumna Meagen Fay as Bernadette's mother, Star Trek's LeVar Burton, Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin and Bones' Ryan Cartwright as Penny's new classmate. Raising Hope's Kate Micucci is recurring as Raj's (Kunal Nayyar) new love interest, Lucy.

Newhart, repped by Innovative Artists and Monarch Entertainment Group, most recently appeared in Lifetime's anthology Five, CBS' NCIS and an arc on Desperate Housewives. He picked up one of his Emmy noms for a guest turn on NBC's ER.

Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit