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.
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).
External links
Filmography (Movies)
Jimpa
Character:Jimpa
Release Date:06/02/2026
The Rule of Jenny Pen
Character:Dave Crealy
Release Date:07/03/2025
Spellbound
Character:Bolinar (voice)
Release Date:22/11/2024
Conclave
Character:Tremblay
Release Date:25/10/2024
Art Happens Here with John Lithgow
Character:Self
Release Date:26/04/2024
Cabrini
Character:Mayor Gould
Release Date:07/03/2024
Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic
Character:Self
Release Date:21/12/2023
Killers of the Flower Moon
Character:Prosecutor Peter Leaward
Release Date:18/10/2023
Sharper
Character:Richard Hobbes
Release Date:10/02/2023
Chez Bob
Character:
Release Date:15/12/2022
The Bubble
Character:Tom the Studio Chairman
Release Date:25/03/2022
Live in Front of a Studio Audience: The Facts of Life and Diff'rent Strokes
Character:Philip Drummond
Release Date:07/12/2021
Show of Titles
Character:"There's No Business Like Show Business" Performer
Release Date:13/06/2021
Emily @ the Edge of Chaos
Character:Sir Isaac Newton (voice)
Release Date:07/05/2021
Myths and Hymns
Character:
Release Date:13/01/2021
Give My Regards to Broadway
Character:Self
Release Date:16/07/2020
Bombshell
Character:Roger Ailes
Release Date:13/12/2019
On Broadway
Character:Self
Release Date:12/10/2019
The Investigation: A Search for the Truth in Ten Acts
Character:President Donald J. Trump
Release Date:24/06/2019
The Tomorrow Man
Character:Ed Hemsler
Release Date:22/05/2019
Pet Sematary
Character:Jud Crandall
Release Date:04/04/2019
Late Night
Character:Walter Lovell
Release Date:25/01/2019
Pet Sematary: The Tale of Timmy Baterman
Character:Jud Crandall
Release Date:13/11/2018
Mister Rogers: It's You I Like
Character:Self
Release Date:06/03/2018
Pitch Perfect 3
Character:Fergus
Release Date:20/12/2017
Broadway: The Next Generation
Character:Self
Release Date:16/11/2017
Daddy's Home 2
Character:Don
Release Date:09/11/2017
The Pulitzer At 100
Character:Self
Release Date:21/07/2017
Beatriz at Dinner
Character:Doug Strutt
Release Date:09/06/2017
Hickory Dickory Doc
Character:Himself
Release Date:30/01/2017
They All Saw a Cat
Character:
Release Date:01/01/2017
Miss Sloane
Character:Senator Ronald Sperling
Release Date:25/11/2016
The Accountant
Character:Lamar Blackburn
Release Date:13/10/2016
Shakespeare Live! From the RSC
Character:Self - Performer
Release Date:23/04/2016
Ode to Joy: Beethoven's Symphony No. 9
Character:Narrator
Release Date:05/04/2016
Best of Enemies
Character:Voice of Gore Vidal
Release Date:31/07/2015
Lord John
Character:
Release Date:20/07/2015
Inside 'Interstellar'
Character:Self
Release Date:31/03/2015
Projections of America
Character:Self - Narrator (voice)
Release Date:10/02/2015
Interstellar
Character:Donald
Release Date:05/11/2014
The Jungle Bunch 2: The Great Treasure Quest
Character:Maurice (voice)
Release Date:27/08/2014
Love Is Strange
Character:Ben
Release Date:22/08/2014
The Homesman
Character:Reverend Alfred Dowd
Release Date:18/05/2014
Timms Valley
Character:Ol' Gregory Timms
Release Date:31/12/2013
Marvin Hamlisch: What He Did For Love
Character:Self
Release Date:12/10/2013
Shrek Stories
Character:Lord Farquaad (voice)
Release Date:01/10/2013
National Theatre Live: The Magistrate
Character:Posket
Release Date:17/01/2013
This Is 40
Character:Oliver
Release Date:20/12/2012
Casting By
Character:Self
Release Date:01/11/2012
The Campaign
Character:Glen Motch
Release Date:09/08/2012
Shrek: Once Upon a Time
Character:Self
Release Date:30/12/2011
New Year's Eve
Character:Jonathan Cox (uncredited)
Release Date:08/12/2011
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Character:Charles Rodman
Release Date:03/08/2011
Leap Year
Character:Jack Brady
Release Date:08/01/2010
Miracle in a Box: A Piano Reborn
Character:Narrator
Release Date:10/10/2009
The Macabre World of Lavender Williams
Character:God
Release Date:31/05/2009
Confessions of a Shopaholic
Character:Edgar West
Release Date:05/02/2009
Car of the Future
Character:Narrator
Release Date:22/04/2008
ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway
Character:Self
Release Date:19/04/2007
Dreamgirls
Character:Jerry Harris
Release Date:25/12/2006
The Best of The Tony Awards: The Plays
Character:René Gallimard (segment "M. Butterfly")
Release Date:02/05/2006
The Great Robot Race: The DARPA Grand Challenge
Character:Narrator
Release Date:28/03/2006
Sangre
Character:Cafe chef and owner
Release Date:01/01/2006
Einstein's Big Idea
Character:Narrator (voice) U.S. edition
Release Date:11/10/2005
The Life and Death of Peter Sellers
Character:Blake Edwards
Release Date:01/10/2004
Kinsey
Character:Alfred Seguine Kinsey
Release Date:04/09/2004
Dogs and More Dogs
Character:Narrator
Release Date:03/02/2004
The Ghost of Lord Farquaad
Character:Ghost of Farquaad (voice)
Release Date:23/05/2003
Bark, George
Character:
Release Date:01/01/2003
Orange County
Character:Bud Brumder
Release Date:11/01/2002
Buckaroo Banzai Declassified
Character:Self
Release Date:04/01/2002
Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party
Character:Lord Farquaad (singing voice)
Release Date:02/11/2001
Shrek
Character:Lord Farquaad (voice)
Release Date:18/05/2001
Rugrats in Paris: The Movie
Character:Jean-Claude (voice)
Release Date:17/11/2000
Don Quixote
Character:Don Quixote de La Mancha / Alonso Quixano
Release Date:09/04/2000
95 Worlds and Counting
Character:Narrator
Release Date:01/01/2000
Tales from the Crypt: The Robert Zemeckis Collection
Character:Dr. Oscar Charles
Release Date:07/09/1999
A Civil Action
Character:Judge Walter J. Skinner
Release Date:25/12/1998
Homegrown
Character:Malcolm / Robert Stockman
Release Date:17/04/1998
Johnny Skidmarks
Character:Sergeant Larry Skovik
Release Date:18/01/1998
Officer Buckle and Gloria
Character:Narrator (voice)
Release Date:01/01/1997
Hollow Point
Character:Thomas Livingston
Release Date:21/10/1996
Special Effects: Anything Can Happen
Character:Narrator
Release Date:04/07/1996
The Tuskegee Airmen
Character:Senator Conyers
Release Date:25/08/1995
Redwood Curtain
Character:Laird Riordan
Release Date:23/04/1995
My Brother's Keeper
Character:Tom Bradley / Bob Bradley
Release Date:19/03/1995
Silent Fall
Character:Dr. Rene Harlinger
Release Date:28/10/1994
Princess Caraboo
Character:Professor Wilkinson
Release Date:16/09/1994
A Good Man in Africa
Character:Arthur Fanshawe, British High Commissioner
Release Date:14/07/1994
Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects
Character:Self
Release Date:22/05/1994
The Country Mouse & the City Mouse: A Christmas Tale
Character:Alexander (voice)
Release Date:08/12/1993
Love, Cheat & Steal
Character:Paul Harrington
Release Date:05/12/1993
The Pelican Brief
Character:Smith Keen
Release Date:17/09/1993
The Wrong Man
Character:Phillip Mills
Release Date:05/09/1993
Cliffhanger
Character:Eric Qualen
Release Date:28/05/1993
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble
Character:Narrator
Release Date:01/01/1993
Raising Cain
Character:Carter Nix / Cain / Dr. Nix / Josh / Margo
Release Date:07/08/1992
At Play in the Fields of the Lord
Character:Leslie Huben
Release Date:06/12/1991
Ricochet
Character:Earl Talbott Blake
Release Date:04/10/1991
The Boys
Character:Artie Margulies
Release Date:15/04/1991
Amazing Stories: The Movie II
Character:John Walters (archive footage)
Release Date:25/11/1990
Memphis Belle
Character:Bruce Derringer
Release Date:07/09/1990
Ivory Hunters
Character:Robert Carter
Release Date:20/08/1990
John Lithgow's Kid-Sized Concert
Character:
Release Date:01/06/1990
Night of 100 Stars III
Character:Self
Release Date:21/05/1990
Traveling Man
Character:Ben Cluett
Release Date:25/06/1989
Out Cold
Character:Dave
Release Date:03/03/1989
Distant Thunder
Character:Mark Lambert
Release Date:11/11/1988
Harry and the Hendersons
Character:George Henderson
Release Date:05/06/1987
The Amazing Bone
Character:Narrator
Release Date:01/06/1987
Baby Girl Scott
Character:Neil Scott
Release Date:01/01/1987
The Manhattan Project
Character:John Mathewson
Release Date:13/06/1986
Resting Place
Character:Maj. Kendall Laird
Release Date:27/04/1986
Santa Claus: The Making of the Movie
Character:Self
Release Date:01/12/1985
Mesmerized
Character:Oliver Thompson
Release Date:18/11/1985
Santa Claus: The Movie
Character:B.Z.
Release Date:29/10/1985
2010
Character:Dr. Walter Curnow
Release Date:06/12/1984
The Glitter Dome
Character:Sgt. Marty Wellborn
Release Date:18/11/1984
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
Character:Lord John Whorfin
Release Date:10/08/1984
Footloose
Character:Rev. Shaw Moore
Release Date:17/02/1984
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Character:Goldilocks' Father
Release Date:09/01/1984
2010 : The Odyssey Continues
Character:Himself
Release Date:01/01/1984
The Day After
Character:Joe Huxley
Release Date:10/12/1983
Terms of Endearment
Character:Sam Burns
Release Date:20/11/1983
Twilight Zone: The Movie
Character:Valentine
Release Date:24/06/1983
Not in Front of the Children
Character:Richard Carruthers
Release Date:26/10/1982
The World According to Garp
Character:Roberta Muldoon
Release Date:23/07/1982
I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can
Character:Mr. Brunner
Release Date:05/03/1982
Blow Out
Character:Burke
Release Date:24/07/1981
Big Blonde
Character:Herbie Morse
Release Date:01/12/1980
Mom, the Wolfman and Me
Character:Wally
Release Date:20/10/1980
The Oldest Living Graduate
Character:Clarence
Release Date:07/04/1980
All That Jazz
Character:Lucas Sergeant
Release Date:16/12/1979
Rich Kids
Character:Paul Philips
Release Date:17/08/1979
The Big Fix
Character:Sam Sebastian
Release Date:06/10/1978
Secret Service
Character:Capt. Thorne
Release Date:12/01/1977
Obsession
Character:Robert Lasalle
Release Date:01/08/1976
The Country Girl
Character:Paul Unger
Release Date:05/02/1974
Dealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues
Character:John
Release Date:25/02/1972
Television Appearances
Dexter: Resurrection
Character:Arthur Mitchell
SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night
Character:Self
Liv Ullmann: A Road Less Travelled
Character:Self
Sherri
Character:Self - Guest
The Old Man
Character:Harold Harper
Dexter: New Blood
Character:Arthur Mitchell
Perry Mason
Character:Elias Birchard 'E.B.' Jonathan
Stars in the House
Character:Self - Special Guest
The Kelly Clarkson Show
Character:Self
Firing Line with Margaret Hoover
Character:
James Cameron's Story of Science Fiction
Character:Self
The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer
Character:Self - Guest
Trial & Error
Character:Larry Henderson
The Crown
Character:Winston Churchill
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Character:Self - Guest
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Character:
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Character:Self
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
Character:Self
The Late Late Show with James Corden
Character:Self - Guest
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
Character:Self
The Roosevelts: An Intimate History
Character:James Roosevelt (voice)
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Character:Self
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Character:Self
Once Upon a Time in Wonderland
Character:The White Rabbit (voice)
Finding Your Roots
Character:Self
Prohibition
Character:Reader / H.L. Mencken (voice)
Conan
Character:Self
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
Character:Self - Guest
The Graham Norton Show
Character:Self
Twenty Good Years
Character:John Mason
30 Rock
Character:John Lithgow
Dexter
Character:Arthur Mitchell
The One Show
Character:Self
The Colbert Report
Character:
The Apprentice: Martha Stewart
Character:
How I Met Your Mother
Character:Jerry Whittaker
The Tony Danza Show
Character:Self
VH1 Goes Inside
Character:
DreamWorks 6 Spooky Stories Collection
Character:Ghost of Farquaad (voice)
Live from E!
Character:Self
The Early Show
Character:Self
The View
Character:Self
The View
Character:Self - Guest
Cosby
Character:John Lithgow
The West
Character:Self
The West
Character:Self / Uriah Oblinger (voice)
The Daily Show
Character:Self
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
Character:Self - Guest
3rd Rock from the Sun
Character:Dick Solomon
World War II: When Lions Roared
Character:Franklin Delano Roosevelt
American Cinema
Character:Self - Host
Frasier
Character:Madman Martinez (voice)
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Character:Self - Guest
Tales from the Crypt - Uncut
Character:
The Simpsons
Character:Gus (voice)
The Simpsons
Character:John Lithgow (voice)
Tales from the Crypt
Character:Dr. Oscar Charles
Amazing Stories
Character:John Walters
Faerie Tale Theatre
Character:Goldilocks' Father
Saturday Night Live
Character:Self - Host
NOVA
Character:Narrator
Great Performances
Character:Capt. Thorne
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Character:Self
Tony Awards
Character:Self - Presenter
Tony Awards
Character:Self - Nominee / Performer
Tony Awards
Character:Self - Winner
Tony Awards
Character:Self - Nominee
Tony Awards
Character:Self - Nominee/Performer
The Oscars
Character:Self - Presenter
Today
Character:Self
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Character:Paul Unger
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Character:Major Kendall Laird
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Character:Laird Riordan
Golden Globe Awards
Character:Self - Nominee
Golden Globe Awards
Character:Self - Presenter
Golden Globe Awards
Character:Self - Winner
Images
