Fred Willard will be a branch on the 'Modern Family' tree

Fred Willard's 2007 gig on "Back To You" with Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton is finally paying off.

"BTY" executive producers Steve Levitan and Christopher Lloyd will welcome Willard to their new hit sitcom "Modern Family" on December 9th.

ABC confirms that the comedic actor has been cast as Phil (Ty Burrell)'s father, though he'll appear just briefly on a computer screen as he and Phil chat online during the show's Christmas episode.

Burrell was also a member of the "Back To You" cast, so the two have worked together before.

Whether or not Willard will return for additional episodes in not yet known, but we'll keep you updated...


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