John Lithgow

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

212

Gender

Male

Birthday

1945-10-19 (80 years old)

Place of Birth

Rochester, New York, USA

John Lithgow

Biography

John Arthur Lithgow (born October 19, 1945) is an American actor. He studied at Harvard University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before becoming known for his diverse work on stage and screen. He has received numerous accolades, including six Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and two Tony Awards, as well as nominations for two Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, four Grammy Awards, four Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Laurence Olivier Award. Lithgow won two Tony Awards, his first for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his Broadway debut in The Changing Room (1972) and his second for Best Actor in a Musical for the musical Sweet Smell of Success (2002). He was Tony-nominated for Requiem for a Heavyweight (1985), M. Butterfly (1988), and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (2005). He has acted in the plays The Columnist (2012), A Delicate Balance (2014), and Hillary and Clinton (2019). He portrayed Roald Dahl in the play Giant on the West End, for which he was nominated for the Olivier Award for Best Actor.  He starred as Dick Solomon in the television sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996–2001), winning three Primetime Emmy Awards for Best Actor in a Comedy Series. He received further Primetime Emmy Awards for his performances as Arthur Mitchell in the drama Dexter (2009) and as Winston Churchill in the Netflix drama The Crown (2016–2019). He also starred in HBO's Perry Mason (2020) and FX's The Old Man (2022). On film, he has received two Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor nominations for his roles as a transsexual ex-football player in The World According to Garp (1982) and a lonely banker in Terms of Endearment (1983). He also acted in All That Jazz (1979), Blow Out (1981), Footloose (1984), Harry and the Hendersons (1987), A Civil Action (1998), Shrek (2001), Kinsey (2004), Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), Love Is Strange (2014), Interstellar (2014), Late Night (2019), Bombshell (2019), Killers of the Flower Moon (2023), and Conclave (2024).

Known For

  • The Simpsons

    The Simpsons

  • The Simpsons

    The Simpsons

  • Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

    Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

  • Dexter

    Dexter

  • The Daily Show

    The Daily Show

  • The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

    The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

  • The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

    The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

  • Saturday Night Live

    Saturday Night Live

  • The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

    The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

  • The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

    The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

  • The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

    The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

  • Late Night with Seth Meyers

    Late Night with Seth Meyers

  • The Kelly Clarkson Show

    The Kelly Clarkson Show

  • Conan

    Conan

  • How I Met Your Mother

    How I Met Your Mother

  • Golden Globe Awards

    Golden Globe Awards

  • Golden Globe Awards

    Golden Globe Awards

  • Golden Globe Awards

    Golden Globe Awards

  • Interstellar

    Interstellar

  • Frasier

    Frasier

  • The Graham Norton Show

    The Graham Norton Show

  • The Rule of Jenny Pen

    The Rule of Jenny Pen

  • The View

    The View

  • The View

    The View

  • The Crown

    The Crown

  • 30 Rock

    30 Rock

  • The Colbert Report

    The Colbert Report

  • The Late Late Show with James Corden

    The Late Late Show with James Corden

  • Great Performances

    Great Performances

  • The One Show

    The One Show

  • Late Night with Conan O'Brien

    Late Night with Conan O'Brien

  • Shrek

    Shrek

  • NOVA

    NOVA

  • 3rd Rock from the Sun

    3rd Rock from the Sun

  • Dexter: New Blood

    Dexter: New Blood

  • Sherri

    Sherri

  • Variety Studio: Actors on Actors

    Variety Studio: Actors on Actors

  • The Tony Danza Show

    The Tony Danza Show

  • Dexter: Resurrection

    Dexter: Resurrection

  • Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter

    Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter

  • Faerie Tale Theatre

    Faerie Tale Theatre

  • Amazing Stories

    Amazing Stories

  • The Oscars

    The Oscars

  • Perry Mason

    Perry Mason

  • Tales from the Crypt

    Tales from the Crypt

  • The Old Man

    The Old Man

  • Ricochet

    Ricochet

  • Stars in the House

    Stars in the House

  • Rise of the Planet of the Apes

    Rise of the Planet of the Apes

  • Killers of the Flower Moon

    Killers of the Flower Moon

  • Finding Your Roots

    Finding Your Roots

  • Orange County

    Orange County

  • The Accountant

    The Accountant

  • Once Upon a Time in Wonderland

    Once Upon a Time in Wonderland

  • Casting By

    Casting By

  • Jimpa

    Jimpa

  • The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer

    The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer

  • Mesmerized

    Mesmerized

  • Dreamgirls

    Dreamgirls

  • Conclave

    Conclave

  • Princess Caraboo

    Princess Caraboo

  • Firing Line with Margaret Hoover

    Firing Line with Margaret Hoover

  • Redwood Curtain

    Redwood Curtain

  • Live from E!

    Live from E!

  • Distant Thunder

    Distant Thunder

  • Late Night

    Late Night

  • Kinsey

    Kinsey

  • The Boys

    The Boys

  • Trial & Error

    Trial & Error

  • James Cameron's Story of Science Fiction

    James Cameron's Story of Science Fiction

  • Homegrown

    Homegrown

  • Cliffhanger

    Cliffhanger

  • Einstein's Big Idea

    Einstein's Big Idea

  • Bombshell

    Bombshell

  • Resting Place

    Resting Place

  • The Glitter Dome

    The Glitter Dome

  • SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night

    SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night

  • Today

    Today

  • Liv Ullmann: A Road Less Travelled

    Liv Ullmann: A Road Less Travelled

  • Cosby

    Cosby

  • Beatriz at Dinner

    Beatriz at Dinner

  • Footloose

    Footloose

  • Spellbound

    Spellbound

  • Daddy's Home 2

    Daddy's Home 2

  • This Is 40

    This Is 40

  • The Rosie O'Donnell Show

    The Rosie O'Donnell Show

  • Tales from the Crypt - Uncut

    Tales from the Crypt - Uncut

  • Miss Sloane

    Miss Sloane

  • Pitch Perfect 3

    Pitch Perfect 3

  • Prohibition

    Prohibition

  • Pet Sematary

    Pet Sematary

  • Leap Year

    Leap Year

  • The Pelican Brief

    The Pelican Brief

  • Obsession

    Obsession

  • Santa Claus: The Movie

    Santa Claus: The Movie

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame

    Hallmark Hall of Fame

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame

    Hallmark Hall of Fame

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame

    Hallmark Hall of Fame

  • Confessions of a Shopaholic

    Confessions of a Shopaholic

  • Blow Out

    Blow Out

  • The Roosevelts: An Intimate History

    The Roosevelts: An Intimate History

  • Harry Potter

    Harry Potter

  • Terms of Endearment

    Terms of Endearment

  • The Campaign

    The Campaign

  • New Year's Eve

    New Year's Eve

  • Twilight Zone: The Movie

    Twilight Zone: The Movie

  • Buckaroo Banzai Declassified

    Buckaroo Banzai Declassified

  • The Early Show

    The Early Show

  • Harry and the Hendersons

    Harry and the Hendersons

  • A Civil Action

    A Civil Action

  • 2010

    2010

  • Show of Titles

    Show of Titles

  • The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension

    The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension

  • All That Jazz

    All That Jazz

  • Cabrini

    Cabrini

  • Johnny Skidmarks

    Johnny Skidmarks

  • The West

    The West

  • The West

    The West

  • The Homesman

    The Homesman

  • Rugrats in Paris: The Movie

    Rugrats in Paris: The Movie

  • Sharper

    Sharper

  • They All Saw a Cat

    They All Saw a Cat

  • The Day After

    The Day After

  • The Big Fix

    The Big Fix

  • Memphis Belle

    Memphis Belle

  • Sangre

    Sangre

  • The Bubble

    The Bubble

  • Raising Cain

    Raising Cain

  • The Ghost of Lord Farquaad

    The Ghost of Lord Farquaad

  • The Life and Death of Peter Sellers

    The Life and Death of Peter Sellers

  • Silent Fall

    Silent Fall

  • VH1 Goes Inside

    VH1 Goes Inside

  • The World According to Garp

    The World According to Garp

  • Love Is Strange

    Love Is Strange

  • Car of the Future

    Car of the Future

  • DreamWorks 6 Spooky Stories Collection

    DreamWorks 6 Spooky Stories Collection

  • The Tuskegee Airmen

    The Tuskegee Airmen

  • Big Blonde

    Big Blonde

  • Twenty Good Years

    Twenty Good Years

  • The Tomorrow Man

    The Tomorrow Man

  • The Apprentice: Martha Stewart

    The Apprentice: Martha Stewart

  • The Manhattan Project

    The Manhattan Project

  • Best of Enemies

    Best of Enemies

  • Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic

    Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic

  • Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party

    Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party

  • American Cinema

    American Cinema

  • The Country Girl

    The Country Girl

  • World War II: When Lions Roared

    World War II: When Lions Roared

  • At Play in the Fields of the Lord

    At Play in the Fields of the Lord

  • Broadway: The Next Generation

    Broadway: The Next Generation

  • A Good Man in Africa

    A Good Man in Africa

  • Tales from the Crypt: The Robert Zemeckis Collection

    Tales from the Crypt: The Robert Zemeckis Collection

  • Live in Front of a Studio Audience: The Facts of Life and Diff'rent Strokes

    Live in Front of a Studio Audience: The Facts of Life and Diff'rent Strokes

  • Shrek Stories

    Shrek Stories

  • The Wrong Man

    The Wrong Man

  • Shakespeare Live! From the RSC

    Shakespeare Live! From the RSC

  • Night of 100 Stars III

    Night of 100 Stars III

  • ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway

    ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway

  • Officer Buckle and Gloria

    Officer Buckle and Gloria

  • Lord John

    Lord John

  • The Best of The Tony Awards: The Plays

    The Best of The Tony Awards: The Plays

  • I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can

    I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can

  • Don Quixote

    Don Quixote

  • Out Cold

    Out Cold

  • Inside 'Interstellar'

    Inside 'Interstellar'

  • Love, Cheat & Steal

    Love, Cheat & Steal

  • Hollow Point

    Hollow Point

  • Traveling Man

    Traveling Man

  • Timms Valley

    Timms Valley

  • Rich Kids

    Rich Kids

  • On Broadway

    On Broadway

  • Emily @ the Edge of Chaos

    Emily @ the Edge of Chaos

  • Shrek: Once Upon a Time

    Shrek: Once Upon a Time

  • The Amazing Bone

    The Amazing Bone

  • Baby Girl Scott

    Baby Girl Scott

  • My Brother's Keeper

    My Brother's Keeper

  • Dealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues

    Dealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues

  • Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects

    Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects

  • Sequestered - Inside Conclave

    Sequestered - Inside Conclave

  • Bark, George

    Bark, George

  • Mom, the Wolfman and Me

    Mom, the Wolfman and Me

  • The Jungle Bunch 2: The Great Treasure Quest

    The Jungle Bunch 2: The Great Treasure Quest

  • Ivory Hunters

    Ivory Hunters

  • Secret Service

    Secret Service

  • Pet Sematary: The Tale of Timmy Baterman

    Pet Sematary: The Tale of Timmy Baterman

  • Not in Front of the Children

    Not in Front of the Children

  • Myths and Hymns

    Myths and Hymns

  • Mister Rogers: It's You I Like

    Mister Rogers: It's You I Like

  • The Oldest Living Graduate

    The Oldest Living Graduate

  • The Investigation: A Search for the Truth in Ten Acts

    The Investigation: A Search for the Truth in Ten Acts

  • Marvin Hamlisch: What He Did For Love

    Marvin Hamlisch: What He Did For Love

  • Goldilocks and the Three Bears

    Goldilocks and the Three Bears

  • Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

    Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

  • Miracle in a Box: A Piano Reborn

    Miracle in a Box: A Piano Reborn

  • Dogs and More Dogs

    Dogs and More Dogs

  • Amazing Stories: The Movie II

    Amazing Stories: The Movie II

  • Art Happens Here with John Lithgow

    Art Happens Here with John Lithgow

  • 2010 : The Odyssey Continues

    2010 : The Odyssey Continues

  • The Pulitzer At 100

    The Pulitzer At 100

  • Projections of America

    Projections of America

  • Santa Claus: The Making of the Movie

    Santa Claus: The Making of the Movie

  • Hickory Dickory Doc

    Hickory Dickory Doc

  • Special Effects: Anything Can Happen

    Special Effects: Anything Can Happen

  • National Theatre Live: The Magistrate

    National Theatre Live: The Magistrate

  • The Macabre World of Lavender Williams

    The Macabre World of Lavender Williams

  • Give My Regards to Broadway

    Give My Regards to Broadway

  • Chez Bob

    Chez Bob

  • 95 Worlds and Counting

    95 Worlds and Counting

  • The Great Robot Race: The DARPA Grand Challenge

    The Great Robot Race: The DARPA Grand Challenge

  • Ode to Joy: Beethoven's Symphony No. 9

    Ode to Joy: Beethoven's Symphony No. 9

  • The Country Mouse & the City Mouse: A Christmas Tale

    The Country Mouse & the City Mouse: A Christmas Tale

  • John Lithgow's Kid-Sized Concert

    John Lithgow's Kid-Sized Concert