Madeleine Albright to guest star on 'Madam Secretary'

LOS ANGELES, July 15 (UPI) -- Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is to guest star as herself on an episode of the small-screen drama series Madam Secretary this fall, CBS announced.

"In the episode, Albright advises Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord on how to navigate a sticky situation with National Security Adviser Craig Sterling, that is threatening to fracture her relationship with President Conrad Dalton," a news release said.

Tea Leoni plays McCord on the show, which will kick off its second season Oct. 4. Guest star Julian Acosta is to play Sterling, and Keith Carradine plays Dalton. The show co-stars Tim Daly, Bebe Neuwirth, Željko Ivanek, Patina Miller, Erich Bergen, Geoffrey Arend, Wallis Currie-Wood, Kathrine Herzer and Evan Roe.

Albright was the first woman to become the U.S. Secretary of State. She was nominated by President Bill Clinton on Dec. 5, 1996, and was unanimously confirmed by a Senate vote of 99-0. She was sworn in on Jan. 23, 1997, making her the highest-ranking woman in the history of the U.S. government at the time. Her term concluded on Jan. 20, 2001.