Most people love to bring up the fact that Al Gore and Tommy Lee Jones roomed together at Harvard, but commonly lost in that epic story is the dude that lived down the hall. His name was John Lithgow, and while not quite as famous as either of his two dormmates, he ended up doing pretty well for himself. Thus far, he’s picked up 5 Emmys, 2 Tonys, 2 Golden Globes, a SAG Award and two Oscar nominations, but depending on who you ask, all that may pale in comparison to his next role.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lithgow has been tapped by How I Met Your Mother to play Barney’s dad in an upcoming episode. It takes a strange man to father someone like Barney Stinson, and with an epic background in both comedy and drama, Lithgow has the chops to handle the role, regardless of where producers might take it.
Now official air date has been released yet, but CBS has confirmed the episode will run sometime in February. How I Met Your Mother airs on the Tiffany Network on Monday nights at 8 PM.
