Stephen Hawking films cameo for TV's The Big Bang Theory

Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking is adding an appearance on TV'sThe Big Bang Theory to his list of pop culture cameos.

The celebrated astrophysicist and author of A Brief History of Time has reportedly filmed his scene, slated to appear on the April 5 episode of the top-rated U.S. sitcom.

Executive producer Bill Prady had recently teased fans via Twitter about a "super-secret, super-cool" guest star for the upcoming episode.

Hawking will appear opposite Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning actor Jim Parsons, who plays the brilliant but socially awkward theoretical physicist Sheldon Cooper on the CBS comedy.

Hawking, who Big Bang Theoryproducers have long sought for a guest spot,plays himself. The scientist is frequently mentioned on the comedy which revolves around a quartet of nerdy scientists and the outgoing actress who lives next door.

The show has featured a host of guest stars with "geek" and sci-fi cred, from actors like Leonard Nimoy (who makes a voice appearance the week before Hawking's) and Wil Wheaton to comic book icon Stan Lee to scientists such as George Smoot and Brian Greene.

Oneof the world's best known scientists, Hawking has made a number of pop culture cameos over the years, popping up in the animated series Futurama and The Simpsons as well as on Star Trek: The Next Generation.

In 2011, he hosted a TV series entitled Brave New World for the U.K.'s Channel 4. The hosting stint showcased the new voice synthesizer used by Hawking, who suffers from Lou Gehrig's disease.

He relies on text-to-speech software and the synthesizer to communicate, since the motor neuron disease as well as an emergency tracheotomyin the mid-1980s left him unable to speak.

In January, Hawking was too illafter a recent hospital stayto attend aU.K. conference celebrating his 70th birthday.