British actor Jeremy Irons arrives with his son
British actor Jeremy Irons arrives with his son Max at the 67th annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills Danny Moloshok / Reuters

NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit has scored a coup of sorts with the ever elusive Jeremy Irons agreeing to make an appearance in the show, reports Hitflix.com.

The Oscar Winning actor will make his first foray into American network television in an episode titled 'Mask', which will be televised in early 2011. Jeremy Irons will play Dr Cap Jackson, a therapist at a sexual addiction centre.

The producers of the show are obviously over the moon because of their casting coup. Neal Baer, executive producer of the show, said, He brings depth, intelligence and charisma to all his varied roles and we couldn’t be luckier to have him guest star on SVU.'

Classically trained as a stage artist, Jeremy has had a varied and rich career both in theatre and films. He has also forayed into music, besiding lending his haunting, deep voice to many documentaries and movies. He got recognition in films in the 1980s and got a BAFTA nomination for his role in The French Lieutenant’s Woman . He gained critical acclaim in 1988 for portraying twin gynecologists in the psychological thriller Dead Ringers . He won an Academy award for playing European aristocrat in Reversal of Fortune.

Jeremy has already done a television show in Great Britain. He earned his first Golden Globe nomination for his television debut in ITV series Brideshead. In 2006, Irons starred opposite Helen Mirren in the television miniseries Elizabeth 1, for which he received both the Golden Globe and Emmy.

Irons is also set to appear in a lead role on the new Showtime series The Borgias next spring.