 On December 8 , 2011 , it was reported that the show had begun casting Rachel 's two fathers . It was not until January 17 , 2012 , that the actors playing Hiram and LeRoy Berry were identified as Jeff Goldblum and Brian Stokes Mitchell , respectively . Two days later they were on the set , shooting their first scenes with Lea Michele , who tweeted a picture of the three of them . 
