Gay policeman TV role for Michael Douglas

Hollywood actor Michael Douglas is to play a gay policeman in a special episode of hit US comedy Will and Grace, it emerged today.

The Oscar winner stars as a detective who takes a fancy to homosexual lawyer Will while investigating the theft of his laptop computer.

‘‘There’s something great about playing on a person’s iconic status,’’ said the show’s producer David Kohan.

‘‘Michael Douglas often plays these virile men, and the idea of making him a gay cop too shy to ask Will out was funny.’’

It is Douglas’s first return to a prime time TV show since he shot to fame fighting crime as Inspector Steve Keller in American series The Streets of San Francisco over a quarter of a century ago.

The 57-year-old went on to have a string of major movie roles, including leads in Romancing the Stone and Fatal Attraction.

Will and Grace, which is currently on its fifth series, has become one of the most popular TV shows screened in the US.

The sitcom, which is shown on Channel 4 in Britain, is built around a male-female pair of flatmates - Will, played by Eric McCormack, and his straight interior-designer friend, played by Debra Messing.

Cher and Glenn Close are also due to make special appearances in the latest series of the show.