John Lithgow
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- October 19, 1945 (age 81)
- Birthplace
- Rochester, New York, USA
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 transgender 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). Description above from the Wikipedia article John Lithgow, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Photos
Filmography
Broadway: The Next Generation
Movie · as Self
Jimpa
Movie · as Jimpa
Finding Harry: The Craft Behind the Magic
Movie · as Self
Giant
Movie · as Roald Dahl
Harry Potter
TV · as Albus Dumbledore · 1 ep
The Rule of Jenny Pen
Movie · as Dave Crealy
Dexter: Resurrection
TV · as Arthur Mitchell · 1 ep
SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Cabrini
Movie · as Mayor Gould
Spellbound
Movie · as Bolinar (voice)
Art Happens Here with John Lithgow
Movie · as Self
Conclave
Movie · as Tremblay
Sharper
Movie · as Richard Hobbes
Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic
Movie · as Self
Killers of the Flower Moon
Movie · as Prosecutor Peter Leaward
Liv Ullmann: A Road Less Travelled
TV · as Self · 3 eps
Chez Bob
Movie
The Bubble
Movie · as Tom the Studio Chairman
Sherri
TV · as Self - Guest · 1 ep
The Old Man
TV · as Harold Harper · 15 eps
Live in Front of a Studio Audience: The Facts of Life and Diff'rent Strokes
Movie · as Philip Drummond
Myths and Hymns
Movie
Emily @ the Edge of Chaos
Movie · as Sir Isaac Newton (voice)
Show of Titles
Movie · as "There's No Business Like Show Business" Performer
Dexter: New Blood
TV · as Arthur Mitchell · 1 ep
Give My Regards to Broadway
Movie · as Self
Perry Mason
TV · as Elias Birchard 'E.B.' Jonathan · 8 eps
Stars in the House
TV · as Self - Special Guest · 1 ep
Late Night
Movie · as Walter Lovell
Pet Sematary
Movie · as Jud Crandall
Bombshell
Movie · as Roger Ailes
The Tomorrow Man
Movie · as Ed Hemsler
The Investigation: A Search for the Truth in Ten Acts
Movie · as President Donald J. Trump
On Broadway
Movie · as Self
The Kelly Clarkson Show
TV · as Self · 2 eps
Mister Rogers: It's You I Like
Movie · as Self
Pet Sematary: The Tale of Timmy Baterman
Movie · as Jud Crandall
The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer
TV · as Self - Guest · 1 ep
James Cameron's Story of Science Fiction
TV · as Self · 2 eps
Firing Line with Margaret Hoover
TV · 1 ep
They All Saw a Cat
Movie
Beatriz at Dinner
Movie · as Doug Strutt
Daddy's Home 2
Movie · as Don
The Pulitzer At 100
Movie · as Self
Pitch Perfect 3
Movie · as Fergus
Hickory Dickory Doc
Movie · as Himself
Trial & Error
TV · as Larry Henderson · 13 eps
The Accountant
Movie · as Lamar Blackburn
Ode to Joy: Beethoven's Symphony No. 9
Movie · as Narrator
Miss Sloane
Movie · as Senator Ronald Sperling
Shakespeare Live! From the RSC
Movie · as Self - Performer
The Crown
TV · as Winston Churchill · 12 eps
Inside 'Interstellar'
Movie · as Self
Projections of America
Movie · as Self - Narrator (voice)
Lord John
Movie
Best of Enemies
Movie · as Voice of Gore Vidal
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
TV · as Self - Guest · 3 eps
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
TV · as Self · 1 ep
The Late Late Show with James Corden
TV · as Self - Guest · 1 ep
Interstellar
Movie · as Donald
Love Is Strange
Movie · as Ben
The Homesman
Movie · as Reverend Alfred Dowd
The Jungle Bunch 2: The Great Treasure Quest
Movie · as Maurice (voice)
9 Kisses
Movie · as Man in Club
Late Night with Seth Meyers
TV · as Self · 2 eps
The Roosevelts: An Intimate History
TV · as James Roosevelt (voice) · 7 eps
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
TV · as Self · 1 ep
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
TV · as Self - Guest · 4 eps
Marvin Hamlisch: What He Did For Love
Movie · as Self
National Theatre Live: The Magistrate
Movie · as Posket
Shrek Stories
Movie · as Lord Farquaad (voice)
Timms Valley
Movie · as Ol' Gregory Timms
Once Upon a Time in Wonderland
TV · as The White Rabbit (voice) · 13 eps
Casting By
Movie · as Self
The Campaign
Movie · as Glen Motch
This Is 40
Movie · as Oliver
Finding Your Roots
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Movie · as Charles Rodman
New Year's Eve
Movie · as Jonathan Cox (uncredited)
Shrek: Once Upon a Time
Movie · as Self
Prohibition
TV · as Reader / H.L. Mencken (voice) · 3 eps
Leap Year
Movie · as Jack Brady
Conan
TV · as Self · 2 eps
Confessions of a Shopaholic
Movie · as Edgar West
Miracle in a Box: A Piano Reborn
Movie · as Narrator
The Macabre World of Lavender Williams
Movie · as God
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
TV · as Self - Guest · 1 ep
Car of the Future
Movie · as Narrator
ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway
Movie · as Self
The Graham Norton Show
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Sangre
Movie · as Cafe chef and owner
Dreamgirls
Movie · as Jerry Harris
The Great Robot Race: The DARPA Grand Challenge
Movie · as Narrator
The Best of The Tony Awards: The Plays
Movie · as René Gallimard (segment "M. Butterfly")
Twenty Good Years
TV · as John Mason · 13 eps
30 Rock
TV · as John Lithgow · 1 ep
Dexter
TV · as Arthur Mitchell · 12 eps
The One Show
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Einstein's Big Idea
Movie · as Narrator (voice) U.S. edition
How I Met Your Mother
TV · as Jerry Whittaker · 4 eps
The Apprentice: Martha Stewart
TV · 1 ep
The Colbert Report
TV · 1 ep
The Life and Death of Peter Sellers
Movie · as Blake Edwards
Kinsey
Movie · as Alfred Seguine Kinsey
Shrek 3-D
Movie · as Ghost of Farquaad (voice)
Dogs and More Dogs
Movie · as Narrator
Footloose: A Modern Musical
Movie · as Self
The Tony Danza Show
TV · as Self · 3 eps
Bark, George
Movie
VH1 Goes Inside
TV · 1 ep
DreamWorks 6 Spooky Stories Collection
TV · as Ghost of Farquaad (voice) · 1 ep
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
TV · as Self - Guest · 1 ep
Orange County
Movie · as Bud Brumder
Buckaroo Banzai Declassified
Movie · as Self
Live from E!
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Shrek
Movie · as Lord Farquaad (voice)
Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party
Movie · as Lord Farquaad (singing voice)
Rugrats in Paris: The Movie
Movie · as Jean-Claude (voice)
95 Worlds and Counting
Movie · as Narrator
Don Quixote
Movie · as Don Quixote de La Mancha / Alonso Quixano
Tales from the Crypt: The Robert Zemeckis Collection
Movie · as Dr. Oscar Charles
Saturday Night Live: 25th Anniversary Special
Movie · as (archive footage)
The Early Show
TV · as Self · 1 ep
A Civil Action
Movie · as Judge Walter J. Skinner
Homegrown
Movie · as Malcolm / Robert Stockman
Johnny Skidmarks
Movie · as Sergeant Larry Skovik
Officer Buckle and Gloria
Movie · as Narrator (voice)
The View
TV · as Self, Self - Guest · 8 eps
Hollow Point
Movie · as Thomas Livingston
Special Effects: Anything Can Happen
Movie · as Narrator
3rd Rock from the Sun
TV · as Dick Solomon · 139 eps
Cosby
TV · as John Lithgow · 1 ep
The West
TV · as Self, Self / Uriah Oblinger (voice) · 9 eps
The Daily Show
TV · as Self · 1 ep
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
TV · as Self - Guest · 1 ep
The Tuskegee Airmen
Movie · as Senator Conyers
Redwood Curtain
Movie · as Laird Riordan
My Brother's Keeper
Movie · as Tom Bradley / Bob Bradley
A Good Man in Africa
Movie · as Arthur Fanshawe, British High Commissioner
Princess Caraboo
Movie · as Professor Wilkinson
Silent Fall
Movie · as Dr. Rene Harlinger
Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects
Movie · as Self
American Cinema
TV · as Self - Host · 13 eps
World War II: When Lions Roared
TV · as Franklin Delano Roosevelt · 2 eps
The Pelican Brief
Movie · as Smith Keen
Cliffhanger
Movie · as Qualen
The Wrong Man
Movie · as Phillip Mills
Love, Cheat & Steal
Movie · as Paul Harrington
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble
Movie · as Narrator
The Country Mouse & the City Mouse: A Christmas Tale
Movie · as Alexander (voice)
Stallone on the Edge: The Making of Cliffhanger
Movie · as Self
Frasier
TV · as Madman Martinez (voice) · 1 ep
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
TV · as Self - Guest · 4 eps
Raising Cain
Movie · as Carter Nix / Cain / Dr. Nix / Josh / Margo
Ricochet
Movie · as Earl Talbott Blake
At Play in the Fields of the Lord
Movie · as Leslie Huben
The Boys
Movie · as Artie Margulies
Memphis Belle
Movie · as Bruce Derringer
Ivory Hunters
Movie · as Robert Carter
Night of 100 Stars III
Movie · as Self
Amazing Stories: The Movie II
Movie · as John Walters
John Lithgow's Kid-Sized Concert
Movie
Happy Birthday, Bugs! 50 Looney Years
Movie · as Self
Out Cold
Movie · as Dave
Traveling Man
Movie · as Ben Cluett
Tales from the Crypt
TV · as Dr. Oscar Charles · 1 ep
The Simpsons
TV · as Gus (voice), John Lithgow (voice) · 1 ep
Distant Thunder
Movie · as Mark Lambert
Harry and the Hendersons
Movie · as George Henderson
Baby Girl Scott
Movie · as Neil Scott
The Amazing Bone
Movie · as Narrator
The Manhattan Project
Movie · as John Mathewson
Resting Place
Movie · as Maj. Kendall Laird
Santa Claus: The Movie
Movie · as B.Z.
Mesmerized
Movie · as Oliver Thompson
Santa Claus: The Making of the Movie
Movie · as Self
Amazing Stories
TV · as John Walters · 1 ep
Footloose
Movie · as Rev. Shaw Moore
2010
Movie · as Dr. Walter Curnow
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
Movie · as Lord John Whorfin
The Glitter Dome
Movie · as Sgt. Marty Wellborn
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Movie · as Goldilocks' Father
2010 : The Odyssey Continues
Movie · as Himself
Terms of Endearment
Movie · as Sam Burns
The Day After
Movie · as Joe Huxley
Twilight Zone: The Movie
Movie · as Valentine
The World According to Garp
Movie · as Roberta Muldoon
I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can
Movie · as Mr. Brunner
Not in Front of the Children
Movie · as Richard Carruthers
Faerie Tale Theatre
TV · as Goldilocks' Father · 1 ep
Blow Out
Movie · as Burke
The Oldest Living Graduate
Movie · as Clarence
Big Blonde
Movie · as Herbie Morse
Mom, the Wolfman and Me
Movie · as Wally
All That Jazz
Movie · as Lucas Sergeant
Rich Kids
Movie · as Paul Philips
The Big Fix
Movie · as Sam Sebastian
Secret Service
Movie · as Capt. Thorne
Obsession
Movie · as Robert Lasalle
Saturday Night Live
TV · as Self - Host · 3 eps
The Country Girl
Movie · as Paul Unger
NOVA
TV · as Narrator · 6 eps
Dealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues
Movie · as John
Great Performances
TV · as Capt. Thorne · 1 ep
Film '72
TV · as Self · 3 eps
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Tony Awards
TV · as Self - Winner, Self - Nominee, Self - Presenter, Self - Nominee / Performer · 1 ep
The Oscars
TV · as Self - Presenter · 1 ep
Today
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Hallmark Hall of Fame
TV · as Paul Unger, Major Kendall Laird, Laird Riordan · 1 ep
Golden Globe Awards
TV · as Self - Nominee, Self - Presenter, Self - Winner · 3 eps