image of John Lithgow
Birthday: Oct 19, 1945
Place of Birth: Rochester, New York, USA

John Lithgow

John Arthur Lithgow (born October 19, 1945) is an American actor. Prolific in films, television and on stage, Lithgow is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two Golden Globe Awards, six Primetime Emmy Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Tony Awards and nominations for two Academy Awards and four Grammy Awards. He was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame and has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Lithgow studied at Harvard University winning a Fulbright scholarship and getting a chance to attend the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. From there he focused his training on the New York stage beginning a distinguished career on Broadway. In 1973, Lithgow received his first Tony Award for his performance in The Changing Room. In 1976 Lithgow acted alongside Meryl Streep in three plays 27 Wagons Full of Cotton, A Memory of Two Mondays and Secret Service. In the 1980s he continued to receive Tony Awards nominations for his performances in Requiem for a Heavyweight (1985) and M. Butterfly (1988). In 2002, Lithgow received his second Tony Award, this time for a musical, The Sweet Smell of Success and another nomination for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (2005). In 2007, he made his Royal Shakespeare Company debut as Malvolio in Neil Bartlett's production of Twelfth Night. He has also appeared on Broadway in the acclaimed plays The Columnist (2012) and A Delicate Balance (2014). He portrayed Bill Clinton in Hillary and Clinton (2019) alongside Laurie Metcalf as Hillary Clinton. Lithgow is also known for his television roles such as Dick Solomon in the sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996–2001) winning three Primetime Emmy Awards for Best Actor in a Comedy Series for his performance. He also played Arthur Mitchell in the drama Dexter (2009) and he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama. In 2004, Lithgow played Blake Edwards in the HBO television movie, The Life and Death of Peter Sellers. He has also appeared on 30 Rock, How I Met Your Mother, Louie and Drunk History. Lithgow won great acclaim for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in Peter Morgan's historical drama The Crown (2016–2019) on Netflix. For acting in The Crown he won a Primetime Emmy Award and Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2020, he had a recurring role on the HBO period series Perry Mason. He is also well known for his film roles. His early screen roles included Bob Fosse's All That Jazz (1979) and Brian De Palma's Blow Out (1981). He received his first Academy Award nomination for his breakout performance in The World According to Garp (1982) and received a second Academy Award nomination for Terms of Endearment (1983). He then starred in the films Footloose (1984), Harry and the Hendersons (1987), The Pelican Brief and Cliffhanger (1993), A Civil Action (1998), Rugrats in Paris: The Movie (2000), Shrek (2001), Kinsey (2004), Dreamgirls (2006), Love Is Strange (2014), Miss Sloane (2016) and Beatriz at Dinner (2017). In 2019 he appeared in Mindy Kaling's comedy Late Night and portrayed Roger Ailes in Bombshell.

Filmography
Movie Cast Year
Shrek Lord Farquaad (voice) 2001
Footloose Rev. Shaw Moore 1984
Sharper Richard Hobbes 2023
The Life and Death of Peter Sellers Blake Edwards 2004
Confessions of a Shopaholic Edgar West 2009
2010 Dr. Walter Curnow 1984
Obsession Robert Lasalle 1976
The Manhattan Project John Mathewson 1986
Terms of Endearment Sam Burns 1983
Kinsey Alfred Seguine Kinsey 2004
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension Lord John Whorfin 1984
The World According to Garp Roberta Muldoon 1982
Blow Out Burke 1981
The Day After Joe Huxley 1983
The Tuskegee Airmen Senator Conyers 1995
Give My Regards to Broadway Self 2020
Leap Year Jack Brady 2010
The Ghost of Lord Farquaad Ghost of Farquaad (voice) 2004
Harry and the Hendersons George Henderson 1987
A Civil Action Judge Walter J. Skinner 1998
Ricochet Earl Talbott Blake 1991
Bark, George 2003
The Pelican Brief Smith Keen 1993
Cliffhanger Eric Qualen 1993
Santa Claus: The Movie B.Z. 1985
A Good Man in Africa Arthur Fanshawe, British High Commissioner 1994
Inside 'Interstellar' Self 2015
Raising Cain Carter Nix / Cain / Dr. Nix / Josh / Margo 1992
The Big Fix Sam Sebastian 1978
The Wrong Man Phillip Mills 1993
Dogs and More Dogs Narrator 2004
Live in Front of a Studio Audience: The Facts of Life and Diff'rent Strokes Philip Drummond 2021
Officer Buckle and Gloria Narrator (voice) 1997
Princess Caraboo Professor Wilkinson 1994
Rugrats in Paris: The Movie Jean-Claude (voice) 2000
All That Jazz Lucas Sergeant 1979
Homegrown Malcolm / Robert Stockman 1998
Silent Fall Dr. Rene Harlinger 1994
They All Saw a Cat 2017
Casting By Self 2012
At Play in the Fields of the Lord Leslie Huben 1991
Resting Place Maj. Kendall Laird 1986
Mesmerized Oliver Thompson 1985
Love, Cheat & Steal Paul Harrington 1993
Hollow Point Thomas Livingston 1996
Rich Kids Paul Philips 1979
Projections of America Self - Narrator (voice) 2015
The Campaign Glen Motch 2012
This Is 40 Oliver 2012
Out Cold Dave 1989
Chez Bob 2022
Car of the Future Narrator 2008
The Bubble Tom the Studio Chairman 2022
Dealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues John 1972
Redwood Curtain Laird Riordan 1995
Interstellar Donald 2014
95 Worlds and Counting Narrator 2000
Don Quixote Don Quixote de La Mancha / Alonso Quixano 2000
Marvin Hamlisch: What He Did For Love Self 2013
Distant Thunder Mark Lambert 1988
Cabrini Mayor Gould 2024
Baby Girl Scott Neil Scott 1987
Love Is Strange Ben 2014
Special Effects: Anything Can Happen Narrator 1996
National Theatre Live: The Magistrate Posket 2013
Orange County Bud Brumder 2002
Spellbound Bolinar (voice) 2024
My Brother's Keeper Tom Bradley / Bob Bradley 1995
Rise of the Planet of the Apes Charles Rodman 2011
Twilight Zone: The Movie Valentine 1983
Memphis Belle Bruce Derringer 1990
The Rule of Jenny Pen 2025
Ivory Hunters Robert Carter 1990
The Homesman Reverend Alfred Dowd 2014
Sangre Cafe chef and owner 2006
Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic Self 2023
Night of 100 Stars III Self 1990
Johnny Skidmarks Sergeant Larry Skovik 1998
Art Happens Here with John Lithgow Self 2024
The Accountant Lamar Blackburn 2016
Miracle in a Box: A Piano Reborn Narrator 2009
The Jungle Bunch 2: The Great Treasure Quest Maurice (voice) 2014
Lord John 2015
9 Kisses Man in Club 2014
Dreamgirls Jerry Harris 2006
Broadway: The Next Generation Self 2017
Best of Enemies Self 2015
Shrek Stories Lord Farquaad (voice) 2013
Timms Valley Ol' Gregory Timms 2013
The Oldest Living Graduate Clarence 1980
The Glitter Dome Sgt. Marty Wellborn 1984
Jimpa Jimpa 2025
I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can Mr. Brunner 1982
Ode to Joy: Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 Narrator 2016
Miss Sloane Senator Ronald Sperling 2016
Amazing Stories: The Movie II John Walters (archive footage) 1970
Shakespeare Live! From the RSC Self - Performer 2016
Beatriz at Dinner Doug Strutt 2017
Goldilocks and the Three Bears Goldilocks' Father 1984
Daddy's Home 2 Don 2017
Einstein's Big Idea Narrator (voice) U.S. edition 2005
Buckaroo Banzai Declassified Self 2002
ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway Self 2007
Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party Lord Farquaad (singing voice) 2001
The Pulitzer At 100 Self 2017
Pitch Perfect 3 Fergus 2017
Secret Service Capt. Thorne 1977
Mister Rogers: It's You I Like Self 2018
Late Night Walter Lovell 2019
Pet Sematary Jud Crandall 2019
Traveling Man Ben Cluett 1989
The Great Robot Race: The DARPA Grand Challenge Narrator 2006
Bombshell Roger Ailes 2019
The Amazing Bone Narrator 1987
Hickory Dickory Doc Himself 2017
Not in Front of the Children Richard Carruthers 1982
The Tomorrow Man Ed Hemsler 2019
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble Narrator 1993
The Best of The Tony Awards: The Plays René Gallimard (segment "M. Butterfly") 2006
Santa Claus: The Making of the Movie Self 1985
The Investigation: A Search for the Truth in Ten Acts President Donald J. Trump 2019
Big Blonde Herbie Morse 1980
The Boys 1991
New Year's Eve Jonathan Cox (uncredited) 2011
John Lithgow's Kid-Sized Concert 1990
Shrek: Once Upon a Time Self 2011
The Macabre World of Lavender Williams God 2009
Mom, the Wolfman and Me Wally 1980
Tales from the Crypt: The Robert Zemeckis Collection Dr. Oscar Charles 1999
The Country Mouse & the City Mouse: A Christmas Tale Alexander (voice) 1993
American Cinema Narrator 1995
Myths and Hymns 2021
The Country Girl Paul Unger 1974
Emily @ the Edge of Chaos Sir Isaac Newton (voice) 2021
Pet Sematary: The Tale of Timmy Baterman Jud Crandall 2018
Killers of the Flower Moon Prosecutor Peter Leaward 2023
On Broadway Self 2019
Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects Self 1994
Conclave Tremblay 2024
The Fall of 2008 Glenn Motch (The Campaign) 1970
Series Cast Year
3rd Rock from the Sun Dick Solomon 1996
How I Met Your Mother Jerry Whittaker 2005
The Tony Danza Show Self 2004
Twenty Good Years 2006
Today Self 1952
Tales from the Crypt Dr. Oscar Charles 1989
The View Self 1997
Frasier Madman Martinez (voice) 1993
The Apprentice: Martha Stewart 2005
The Early Show Self 1999
Finding Your Roots Self 2012
The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer Self - Guest 2018
Faerie Tale Theatre Goldilocks' Father 1982
30 Rock John Lithgow 2006
The Colbert Report 2005
Hallmark Hall of Fame Paul Unger 1951
Late Night with Conan O'Brien Self - Guest 1993
Cosby John Lithgow 1996
VH1 Goes Inside 2003
The West Self 1996
American Cinema 1994
Once Upon a Time in Wonderland The White Rabbit (voice) 2013
Dexter Arthur Mitchell 2006
E! Live from the Red Carpet Self 2002
NOVA Narrator 1974
The Daily Show Self 1996
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Self - Guest 2015
Tony Awards Self - Presenter 1956
The View Self - Guest 1997
Amazing Stories John Walters 1985
Liv Ullmann: A Road Less Travelled Self 2023
Late Night with Seth Meyers Self 2014
Tony Awards Self - Nominee & Performer 1956
Saturday Night Live Self - Host 1975
Tony Awards Self - Winner 1956
Dexter: New Blood Arthur Mitchell 2021
The Crown Winston Churchill 2016
World War II: When Lions Roared Franklin Delano Roosevelt 1994
Trial & Error Larry Henderson 2017
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Self 2014
The Roosevelts: An Intimate History James Roosevelt (voice) 2014
The Simpsons Gus (voice) 1989
The Graham Norton Show Self 2007
Sherri Self - Guest 2022
Hallmark Hall of Fame Major Kendall Laird 1951
Hallmark Hall of Fame Laird Riordan 1951
The Rosie O'Donnell Show Self - Guest 1996
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen Self - Guest 2009
Perry Mason Elias Birchard 'E.B.' Jonathan 2020
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert 2015
The West Self / Uriah Oblinger (voice) 1996
Ultra City Smiths Ol' Gregory Timms 2021
James Cameron's Story of Science Fiction Self 2018
The Kelly Clarkson Show Self 2019
Stars in the House Self - Special Guest 2020
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon 2014
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter Self 2015
Firing Line with Margaret Hoover 2018
Prohibition Reader / H.L. Mencken (voice) 2011
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Self 2015
The Simpsons John Lithgow (voice) 1989
Great Performances Capt. Thorne 1971
The Old Man Harold Harper 2022
Conan Self 2010
Tony Awards Self - Nominee 1956
Tony Awards Self - Nominee/Performer 1956
Golden Globe Awards Self - Nominee 1944
Golden Globe Awards Self - Presenter 1944
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors Self 2014
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