Gorham upped to recurring part on 'Betty'; Long gets 'Legal'

ABC, the world leader in TV shows with sprawling ensemble casts, is bringing two more actors onto two of its already-loaded hour-long shows.

Nia Long ("Big Momma's House 2") has signed to do a guest stint on "Boston Legal," and Christopher Gorham will become a recurring player on first-year hit "Ugly Betty" after filming two guest spots.

Long will play Vanessa Walker, a meticulous associate from the New York office of Crane, Poole & Schmidt who seeks Alan Shore's (James Spader) help on "Boston Legal." She'll appear in three episodes of the David E. Kelley-produced series; the date of her first episode hasn't been set.

Long was a regular on "Third Watch" for the NBC show's final three seasons and has also had recurring parts on "Judging Amy" and "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." Her film credits include "Are We There Yet?," "Soul Food" and "Baadassss!"

Gorham, meanwhile, will continue his "Ugly Betty" role as Henry, a buttoned-up accountant for Meade Publications who takes an interest in Betty (America Ferrera), according to The Hollywood Reporter. He first appeared in the show's Halloween episode and will show up again in Thursday's broadcast.

He starred in the CBS sitcom "Out of Practice" last season. Gorham's other credits include "Jake 2.0," "Popular" and "Odyssey 5."