Malkovich waltzes into role

Vienna, Austria — John Malkovich will play the lead in a movie about the life of Austrian artist Gustav Klimt.

The movie, titled “Klimt,” will depict the life of the famous art nouveau painter whose masterpieces include “The Kiss.” Shooting will begin Jan. 4 in Vienna, the film’s leading producer, epo-film, said Thursday.

Producers from London, Paris and Munich, Germany, also are involved in making the film, which is expected to premiere in May 2005.

“I see this film as a waltz,” said screenwriter-director Raoul Ruiz in the statement.

Malkovich eagerly agreed to play Klimt, said Susanne Biro, an epo-film official.

“He was our first choice,” she said.

Bergen back in prime time

New York — Candice Bergen is joining her first prime-time TV series since “Murphy Brown,” this time as a cast member of ABC’s “Boston Legal.”

Bergen will join “Boston Legal” stars James Spader and William Shatner. She’ll play Shirley Schmidt, a founding partner of the show’s law firm.

In the early ’90s, the actress won five Emmys and two Golden Globes for her performance on “Murphy Brown,” a sitcom about a single mom in the television news business.

“Boston Legal,” a David E. Kelley-created spin-off of “The Practice,” focuses on the lives of high-priced civil lawyers at an upscale Boston law firm.

Bergen’s first episode with “Boston Legal” is planned for Jan. 9. The show airs at 9 p.m. Sundays.

‘Law & Order’ actor receives prostate cancer treatment

New York — “Law & Order” actor Jerry Orbach has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, his manager said.

“We expect he’ll be fine. He’s been playing golf, shooting his episodes and doing real well,” manager Robert Malcolm told the New York Daily News for Thursday editions.

Orbach, 69, starred for 12 seasons in the original “Law & Order” series, but left to head the spin-off “Law & Order: Trial by Jury,” set to debut next year.

So far, Orbach’s illness has not disrupted production of the new show in any way, producer Dick Wolf said.

Malcolm said Orbach had been receiving treatment since spring, but declined to discuss how advanced the illness is or the nature of the treatment.

Orbach began playing Detective Lennie Briscoe in 1992, the original show’s third season.

Another paycheck on the way for ‘Jeopardy!’ winner?

New York — Even when Ken Jennings loses, he might win.

The “Jeopardy!” champ — who won $2.5 million before he blew a question about H&R Block — has accepted an offer for free tax preparation from the accounting firm, but the alliance may not end there, MSNBC.com reports.

“H&R’s people have some very clever ideas about ads starring Jennings,” says an insider. “They would be along the lines of, ‘You can be the smartest guy in the world and still not know where to get your taxes done.'”

The source adds that the plans are “still in the discussion stages.”

A spokeswoman for H&R Block says, “We already have created our ads for this tax season, but I would never say never.”

Birthday: Ozzy Osbourne

Rock singer Ozzy Osbourne is 56. Singer Andy Williams is 77. Actress Daryl Hannah is 44. Actress Julianne Moore is 44. Actor Brendan Fraser is 36. Actor Brian Bonsall is 23. Actor Michael Angarano is 17.