Actor-producer takes recurring role on ABC series

The guy on the satellite phone in last season's "Lost" finale will be more than just a voice come next year.

Actor and producer Fisher Stevens has taken a recurring role on the ABC series. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Stevens will play a character named Minkowski. He is somehow connected to Marsha Thomason's Naomi, who brought the satellite phone onto the island and who says she's part of a ship's crew there to rescue the crash survivors.

Viewers know that Naomi is lying about her claim that Penny Widmore (Sonya Walger) is backing the rescue effort, but the show hasn't tipped its hand as to who actually is behind it. A number of "Lost" fan sites have also seized on the name of Stevens' character, noting that he shares it with Hermann Minkowski, a German physicist who theorized that time exists as a fourth dimension in the early 20th century.

The role will be Stevens' first TV appearance in several years. His previous small-screen credits include "Early Edition" and guest appearances on "Frasier," "Friends" and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent."

He co-directed the documentary "Crazy Love" and has appeared in such feature films as "Factotum" and "Undisputed"; his producer credits include "A Prairie Home Companion" and the upcoming "Awake."

"Lost" is scheduled to return to ABC in February.