John Lithgow

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18 Feb 2024

John Lithgow

John Lithgow is an accomplished American actor known for his versatile work on stage and screen. He has received numerous awards and nominations throughout his career, including six Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and two Tony Awards.
Lithgow's career began with his Broadway debut in "The Changing Room" in 1972, for which he won his first Tony Award. He has since received Tony nominations for several other productions, including "Requiem for a Heavyweight," "M. Butterfly," and "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels." In 2002, he won his second Tony Award for the musical "Sweet Smell of Success." He has also performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company and returned to Broadway in various plays, such as "The Columnist," "A Delicate Balance," and "Hillary and Clinton."
On television, Lithgow is perhaps best known for his role as Dick Solomon in the sitcom "3rd Rock from the Sun," for which he won three Primetime Emmy Awards. He also received Emmy Awards for his performances in the drama series "Dexter" and as Winston Churchill in "The Crown." Additionally, he has appeared in other television shows such as "Perry Mason" and "The Old Man."
In film, Lithgow has had notable roles in movies like "All That Jazz," "Blow Out," "The World According to Garp," and "Terms of Endearment," earning him Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor. He has also appeared in films such as "Footloose," "Harry and the Hendersons," "The Pelican Brief," "Shrek," "Dreamgirls," "Bombshell," and many others.
Throughout his career, Lithgow has showcased his versatility as an actor, excelling in both comedic and dramatic roles on stage, television, and film. His contributions to the entertainment industry have earned him a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and induction into the American Theater Hall of Fame.

John Lithgow was born on October 19, 1945, in Rochester, New York, to Sarah Jane and Arthur Washington Lithgow III. His mother was a retired actress, while his father was a theatrical producer and director who ran the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey. Lithgow's father was born in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, to a European-American family, with a great-grandfather who served as a vice consul and vice commercial agent in the country. Lithgow is the third of four children, with an older brother David Lithgow, an older sister Robin Lithgow, and a younger sister Sarah Jane Bokaer. Through the show Finding Your Roots, Lithgow discovered his descent from eight Mayflower passengers, including colonial governor William Bradford.
Due to his father's profession, the family relocated frequently during Lithgow's childhood. He spent his early years in Yellow Springs, Ohio, where Coretta Scott King, an activist, was his babysitter. Later, he lived in Akron and Lakewood, Ohio, during his teenage years.
Lithgow graduated from Princeton High School in 1963 and then pursued studies in history and English literature at Harvard College. During his undergraduate years, he resided in Adams House and later served on Harvard's Board of Overseers. Lithgow attributes his decision to pursue acting to a performance of Gilbert and Sullivan's Utopia Limited at Harvard. He studied under dramatist Robert Chapman, who directed Harvard's Loeb Drama Center. Lithgow graduated from Harvard in 1967 with an A.B. magna cum laude and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He then received a Fulbright Scholarship to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. After graduation, Lithgow also served as the Director of the Arts and Literature Department at WBAI, the Pacifica radio station in New York City.

In 1972, Lithgow made his cinematic debut in Dealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues. In 1976, he took on a significant role in Brian De Palma's Obsession alongside Cliff Robertson and Genevieve Bujold. Lithgow's portrayal of Robert Lasalle, Robertson's longtime business partner, showcased his versatility. The year 1973 marked Lithgow's Broadway debut in David Storey's The Changing Room at the Morosco Theatre. This performance earned him his inaugural Tony nomination for Featured Actor in a Play, along with his first win, alongside a Drama Desk Award. The following year, he returned to Broadway in the comedic production My Fat Friend, starring opposite Lynn Redgrave at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. In 1976, Lithgow graced the Broadway stage once more, this time in Arthur Miller's A Memory of Two Mondays, sharing the spotlight with Meryl Streep and Tom Hulce at the Playhouse Theatre.
Transitioning to the silver screen, Lithgow appeared in Bob Fosse's semi-autobiographical film All That Jazz in 1979 as Lucas Sergeant, a character loosely inspired by Broadway director Michael Bennett. During 1978 to 1980, Lithgow participated in ten episodes of the radio drama series CBS Radio Mystery Theater. His distinctive voice brought Yoda to life in the National Public Radio adaptations of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Additionally, he provided narration for the IMAX film Special Effects: Anything Can Happen. Lithgow's talents garnered him Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor in 1982 and 1983 for his roles in The World According to Garp and Terms of Endearment, respectively. Notably, in 1983, he starred in a remake of the iconic Twilight Zone episode "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" in Twilight Zone: The Movie, which he regards as a highlight of his cinematic career. Concurrently, Lithgow made a minor appearance in the nuclear apocalypse TV film The Day After.
Continuing his cinematic journey, Lithgow starred in various films throughout the mid-1980s and early 1990s, including The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, 2010: The Year We Make Contact, and Footloose. He showcased his versatility across genres, from science fiction to drama. Lithgow's stage presence remained strong as he tackled roles in productions like Requiem for a Heavyweight and M. Butterfly. In 1986, he earned a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his role in The Doll episode of the Amazing Stories anthology series. Despite declining the opportunity to portray Dr. Frasier Crane on Cheers, Lithgow continued to captivate audiences through diverse film roles such as Ricochet, At Play in the Fields of the Lord, and Raising Cain. He further solidified his status as a versatile actor with his performances in Cliffhanger and The Pelican Brief, showcasing his ability to portray complex characters across various mediums.