Olympic gold-medal athlete, actor, author, and animal and gay rights activist Greg Louganis has joined the cast of the award-winning sitcom Old Dogs & New Tricks, for a three-episode arc this season. Louganis will play Dirk Evans, a formerly notorious ‘90s WeHo circuit boy who turns over a new leaf, and marries one of the show’s regular characters mid-season.

Old Dogs & New Tricks follows four middle-age gay best friends in youth-obsessed West Hollywood. Leon Acord, Jeffrey Patrick Olson, Curt Bonnem, and David Pevsner star as the friends; Amanda Abel and Ryland Shelton co-star.

Louganis first shot to fame as an Olympic athlete in 1976, wining a Silver medal at age 16. He went on to become the only male to win Gold medals on both 3 meter springboard and 10 meter platform in consecutive Olympic Games (1984 and 1988), and is considered the greatest diver in history. In 1995 he came out as a gay man on 20/20 and Oprah.

“Greg is not only just a gay role model,” says show creator/actor Acord. “He’s the epitome of the vital, attractive, over-forty gay man that our show is all about. We are honored that he’s coming aboard.”

Old Dog’s first season was honored as Outstanding Dramedy Program and Oustanding Ensemble Cast in a Dramedy at the 2012 L.A. Web Fest.

The third season will premiere Wednesday, January 2, 2013. Shooting begins later this summer.

You can become a part of this award winning series by contributing to their indiegogo campaign.

Check out the promo for the 2nd season here: