Photo Flash: First Look - Bobby Cannavale, Ellen Barkin Guest Star on ABC's MODERN FAMILY Tonight

On tonight's episode of ABC's hit comedy series MODERN FAMILY entitled Send Out the Clowns, Tony Award-Winner Ellen Barkin ("The Big Easy," "Ocean's Thirteen") and Bobby Cannavale ("Will & Grace," "Third Watch")make guest star appearances. The episode takes place at the funeral service for a beloved clown mentor which reunites Cameron with his estranged ex-clown partner, Lewis (Bobby Cannavale). Also in the episode, Phil is serious about landing a very important listing, only to get trumped by a notorious bulldozer of an agent, Verna Roth (Ellen Barkin); and Manny has a cool new friend, which makes both Jay and Gloria suspicious.

Cannavale made his Broadway debut in 2007 in Theresa Rebeck's Mauritius, for which he received a Tony Award nomination; last season, starred in Stephen Adly Guirgis' The Motherf**ker with the Hat, for which he received a Tony Award nomination and a Drama Desk Award. He received rave reviews in the 2005 Off-Broadway revival of Hurlyburly.

Cannavale's many television appearances include NBC's "Will & Grace" (Emmy Award), Showtime's "Nurse Jackie," HBO's "Six Feet Under" and the starring role in ABC's "Cupid." His film credits include The Station Agent (Audience Award, Sundance Film Festival; SAG Award nomination), the Sundance Film Festival hit, Win Win (which reunited him with Station Agent writer/director Tom McCarthy), The Other Guys, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Brief Interviews With Hideous Men, Diminished Capacity, Fast Food Nation, The Night Listener, Haven, Shall We Dance, Happy Endings, Romance & Cigarettes, Gloria, The Bone Collector and Washington Heights.

Tony Award-winner Barkin was recently seen on Broadway in The Normal Heart. She has also appeared in Short Talks on the Universe, Eden Court, Fool for Love, Extremities, Killings on the Last Line, and Shout Across the River.

MODERN FAMILY stars Ed O'Neill as Jay, Julie Bowen as Claire, Ty Burrell as Phil, Sofía Vergara as Gloria, Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Mitchell, Eric Stonestreet as Cameron, Sarah Hyland as Haley, Nolan Gould as Luke, Ariel Winter as Alex, Rico Rodriguez as Manny and Aubrey Anderson-Emmons as Lily.

Guest cast includes Ellen Barkin as Verna, Bobby Cannavale as Lewis, Dash Dobrofsky as Griffin, Jonathan Emerson as Stan Larkin, Nancy Linari as Patti Larkin, Guilford Adams as Chuckleberry, Chris Dollard as Bubbles, Gary Morgan as pallbearer no. 1 and Michael Heatherton as pallbearer no. 2.

"Send Out the Clowns" was written by Steven Levitan & Jeffrey Richman & Bill Wrubel, and directed by Steven Levitan.

View photos from the upcoming episode below!

Photo credit: Peter "Hopper" Stone/ABC

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