John Lithgow

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

215

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

  • Dexter

    Dexter

  • The Simpsons

    The Simpsons

  • The Simpsons

    The Simpsons

  • The Daily Show

    The Daily Show

  • The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

    The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

  • How I Met Your Mother

    How I Met Your Mother

  • Interstellar

    Interstellar

  • Late Night with Seth Meyers

    Late Night with Seth Meyers

  • Conan

    Conan

  • The Graham Norton Show

    The Graham Norton Show

  • The Kelly Clarkson Show

    The Kelly Clarkson Show

  • Great Performances

    Great Performances

  • Frasier

    Frasier

  • Saturday Night Live

    Saturday Night Live

  • The Colbert Report

    The Colbert Report

  • Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

    Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

  • 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

  • The One Show

    The One Show

  • NOVA

    NOVA

  • Tony Awards

    Tony Awards

  • Tony Awards

    Tony Awards

  • Tony Awards

    Tony Awards

  • Tony Awards

    Tony Awards

  • Tony Awards

    Tony Awards

  • Sherri

    Sherri

  • Golden Globe Awards

    Golden Globe Awards

  • Golden Globe Awards

    Golden Globe Awards

  • Dexter: Resurrection

    Dexter: Resurrection

  • 30 Rock

    30 Rock

  • The Crown

    The Crown

  • The View

    The View

  • The View

    The View

  • Shrek

    Shrek

  • Variety Studio: Actors on Actors

    Variety Studio: Actors on Actors

  • 3rd Rock from the Sun

    3rd Rock from the Sun

  • Dexter: New Blood

    Dexter: New Blood

  • Late Night with Conan O'Brien

    Late Night with Conan O'Brien

  • Amazing Stories

    Amazing Stories

  • Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter

    Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter

  • Tales from the Crypt

    Tales from the Crypt

  • Stars in the House

    Stars in the House

  • The Tony Danza Show

    The Tony Danza Show

  • Killers of the Flower Moon

    Killers of the Flower Moon

  • Rise of the Planet of the Apes

    Rise of the Planet of the Apes

  • Finding Your Roots

    Finding Your Roots

  • The Old Man

    The Old Man

  • The Oscars

    The Oscars

  • Faerie Tale Theatre

    Faerie Tale Theatre

  • Perry Mason

    Perry Mason

  • Conclave

    Conclave

  • The Accountant

    The Accountant

  • Firing Line with Margaret Hoover

    Firing Line with Margaret Hoover

  • Today

    Today

  • Spellbound

    Spellbound

  • The Rule of Jenny Pen

    The Rule of Jenny Pen

  • Dreamgirls

    Dreamgirls

  • Pet Sematary

    Pet Sematary

  • Rugrats in Paris: The Movie

    Rugrats in Paris: The Movie

  • Blow Out

    Blow Out

  • Cosby

    Cosby

  • Confessions of a Shopaholic

    Confessions of a Shopaholic

  • Trial & Error

    Trial & Error

  • SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night

    SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night

  • Pitch Perfect 3

    Pitch Perfect 3

  • At Play in the Fields of the Lord

    At Play in the Fields of the Lord

  • Sharper

    Sharper

  • Kinsey

    Kinsey

  • Memphis Belle

    Memphis Belle

  • The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension

    The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension

  • The Rosie O'Donnell Show

    The Rosie O'Donnell Show

  • Daddy's Home 2

    Daddy's Home 2

  • E! Live from the Red Carpet

    E! Live from the Red Carpet

  • Once Upon a Time in Wonderland

    Once Upon a Time in Wonderland

  • Cliffhanger

    Cliffhanger

  • James Cameron's Story of Science Fiction

    James Cameron's Story of Science Fiction

  • Leap Year

    Leap Year

  • Tales from the Crypt: The Robert Zemeckis Collection

    Tales from the Crypt: The Robert Zemeckis Collection

  • This Is 40

    This Is 40

  • Shrek Stories

    Shrek Stories

  • The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer

    The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer

  • Santa Claus: The Movie

    Santa Claus: The Movie

  • Orange County

    Orange County

  • The Manhattan Project

    The Manhattan Project

  • New Year's Eve

    New Year's Eve

  • Prohibition

    Prohibition

  • The Pelican Brief

    The Pelican Brief

  • The Day After

    The Day After

  • Footloose

    Footloose

  • Ricochet

    Ricochet

  • Bombshell

    Bombshell

  • Obsession

    Obsession

  • Miss Sloane

    Miss Sloane

  • The World According to Garp

    The World According to Garp

  • The Homesman

    The Homesman

  • Silent Fall

    Silent Fall

  • Harry Potter

    Harry Potter

  • The Tuskegee Airmen

    The Tuskegee Airmen

  • Give My Regards to Broadway

    Give My Regards to Broadway

  • Terms of Endearment

    Terms of Endearment

  • The Early Show

    The Early Show

  • Beatriz at Dinner

    Beatriz at Dinner

  • Shakespeare Live! From the RSC

    Shakespeare Live! From the RSC

  • The Campaign

    The Campaign

  • ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway

    ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway

  • Myths and Hymns

    Myths and Hymns

  • Rich Kids

    Rich Kids

  • The Big Fix

    The Big Fix

  • All That Jazz

    All That Jazz

  • Ivory Hunters

    Ivory Hunters

  • The Macabre World of Lavender Williams

    The Macabre World of Lavender Williams

  • Twilight Zone: The Movie

    Twilight Zone: The Movie

  • Jimpa

    Jimpa

  • The Ghost of Lord Farquaad

    The Ghost of Lord Farquaad

  • The Roosevelts: An Intimate History

    The Roosevelts: An Intimate History

  • Cabrini

    Cabrini

  • The Tomorrow Man

    The Tomorrow Man

  • The Glitter Dome

    The Glitter Dome

  • Casting By

    Casting By

  • Raising Cain

    Raising Cain

  • Harry and the Hendersons

    Harry and the Hendersons

  • The Wrong Man

    The Wrong Man

  • 2010

    2010

  • Broadway: The Next Generation

    Broadway: The Next Generation

  • Homegrown

    Homegrown

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame

    Hallmark Hall of Fame

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame

    Hallmark Hall of Fame

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame

    Hallmark Hall of Fame

  • My Brother's Keeper

    My Brother's Keeper

  • The West

    The West

  • The West

    The West

  • A Civil Action

    A Civil Action

  • Night of 100 Stars III

    Night of 100 Stars III

  • The Pulitzer At 100

    The Pulitzer At 100

  • Late Night

    Late Night

  • Einstein's Big Idea

    Einstein's Big Idea

  • Traveling Man

    Traveling Man

  • The Boys

    The Boys

  • Goldilocks and the Three Bears

    Goldilocks and the Three Bears

  • Out Cold

    Out Cold

  • Buckaroo Banzai Declassified

    Buckaroo Banzai Declassified

  • Inside 'Interstellar'

    Inside 'Interstellar'

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

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

  • Redwood Curtain

    Redwood Curtain

  • Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

    Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

  • VH1 Goes Inside

    VH1 Goes Inside

  • Show of Titles

    Show of Titles

  • Johnny Skidmarks

    Johnny Skidmarks

  • DreamWorks 6 Spooky Stories Collection

    DreamWorks 6 Spooky Stories Collection

  • The Best of The Tony Awards: The Plays

    The Best of The Tony Awards: The Plays

  • Secret Service

    Secret Service

  • A Good Man in Africa

    A Good Man in Africa

  • Don Quixote

    Don Quixote

  • I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can

    I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can

  • The Life and Death of Peter Sellers

    The Life and Death of Peter Sellers

  • Princess Caraboo

    Princess Caraboo

  • Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party

    Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party

  • Liv Ullmann: A Road Less Travelled

    Liv Ullmann: A Road Less Travelled

  • The Bubble

    The Bubble

  • Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects

    Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects

  • The Apprentice: Martha Stewart

    The Apprentice: Martha Stewart

  • Distant Thunder

    Distant Thunder

  • Timms Valley

    Timms Valley

  • World War II: When Lions Roared

    World War II: When Lions Roared

  • Love, Cheat & Steal

    Love, Cheat & Steal

  • Twenty Good Years

    Twenty Good Years

  • Amazing Stories: The Movie II

    Amazing Stories: The Movie II

  • Love Is Strange

    Love Is Strange

  • Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic

    Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic

  • Resting Place

    Resting Place

  • Santa Claus: The Making of the Movie

    Santa Claus: The Making of the Movie

  • 2010 : The Odyssey Continues

    2010 : The Odyssey Continues

  • Hollow Point

    Hollow Point

  • Mesmerized

    Mesmerized

  • Shrek: Once Upon a Time

    Shrek: Once Upon a Time

  • Projections of America

    Projections of America

  • The Jungle Bunch 2: The Great Treasure Quest

    The Jungle Bunch 2: The Great Treasure Quest

  • Sangre

    Sangre

  • They All Saw a Cat

    They All Saw a Cat

  • Not in Front of the Children

    Not in Front of the Children

  • Mom, the Wolfman and Me

    Mom, the Wolfman and Me

  • Bark, George

    Bark, George

  • Emily @ the Edge of Chaos

    Emily @ the Edge of Chaos

  • Best of Enemies

    Best of Enemies

  • Pet Sematary: The Tale of Timmy Baterman

    Pet Sematary: The Tale of Timmy Baterman

  • American Cinema

    American Cinema

  • 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

  • On Broadway

    On Broadway

  • Miracle in a Box: A Piano Reborn

    Miracle in a Box: A Piano Reborn

  • Big Blonde

    Big Blonde

  • Art Happens Here with John Lithgow

    Art Happens Here with John Lithgow

  • The Amazing Bone

    The Amazing Bone

  • Tales from the Crypt: You, Murderer

    Tales from the Crypt: You, Murderer

  • The Country Girl

    The Country Girl

  • Chez Bob

    Chez Bob

  • Sequestered - Inside Conclave

    Sequestered - Inside Conclave

  • Baby Girl Scott

    Baby Girl Scott

  • The Oldest Living Graduate

    The Oldest Living Graduate

  • Car of the Future

    Car of the Future

  • Lord John

    Lord John

  • Mister Rogers: It's You I Like

    Mister Rogers: It's You I Like

  • Officer Buckle and Gloria

    Officer Buckle and Gloria

  • American Cinema

    American Cinema

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

    The Investigation: A Search for the Truth in Ten Acts

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

    Ode to Joy: Beethoven's Symphony No. 9

  • Special Effects: Anything Can Happen

    Special Effects: Anything Can Happen

  • Marvin Hamlisch: What He Did For Love

    Marvin Hamlisch: What He Did For Love

  • 95 Worlds and Counting

    95 Worlds and Counting

  • John Lithgow's Kid-Sized Concert

    John Lithgow's Kid-Sized Concert

  • National Theatre Live: The Magistrate

    National Theatre Live: The Magistrate

  • Dogs and More Dogs

    Dogs and More Dogs

  • The Great Robot Race: The DARPA Grand Challenge

    The Great Robot Race: The DARPA Grand Challenge

  • Hickory Dickory Doc

    Hickory Dickory Doc

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

    The Country Mouse & the City Mouse: A Christmas Tale