Oscar Winner Mary Steenburgen Joins 'Justified'

Credit: NBC

Justified is bolstering its ranks with an Academy Award winner.

Mary Steenburgen, who won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for 1980's Melvin and Howard, has been cast in FX’s hit drama series in an ongoing arc. Steenburgen will play the role of Katherine Hale, a beautiful Southern belle who was the wife of Wynn Duffy’s (Jere Burns) mentor in crime.

Steenburgen will first appear in the 10th episode of the current 5th season, and will remain on in a recurring role through the rest of the season.

The Oscar winner most recently appeared in Last Vegas, alongside fellow Oscar winners Michael Douglas, Kevin Kline, Morgan Freeman, and Robert DeNiro. But Steenburgen has been no stranger to television in recent years, appearing in a variety of series including Wilfred and 30 Rock. Of course, Justified is a completely different bag than the comedies she's appeared in, but Steenburgen is more than capable of nailing dramatic roles. It should be an interesting story arc for her, particularly given how uniformly strong the writing so often is on Justified.