John Lithgow is a seasoned American actor, comedian, poet, and singer who has appeared in more than one hundred motion pictures and television shows over the past fifty years. Lithgow is well-known for his portrayal of “Dick Solomon” in the NBC comedy “3rd Rock from the Sun,” for which he won a Golden Globe and an Emmy. The roles of “Arthur Mitchell” in “Dexter,” “John Walters” in “Amazing Stories,” and “Winston Churchill” in “The Crown” earned him his other Emmy nominations. For his performances in the movies “The World According to Garp” and “Terms of Endearment,” he received two Academy Award nominations. In movies like “Blow Out,” “The Life and Death of Peter Sellers,” “Interstellar,” “The Accountant,” and “Pitch Perfect 3,” he has also had prominent roles. Lithgow began his career performing in theater performances, including the musical versions of “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” and “Sweet Smell of Success” on Broadway. Other films in which he has acted include “The Changing Room,” “Hamlet,” “The Columnist,” and “A Delicate Balance.” In addition to his success as a talented actor, Lithgow is a well-known musician. For his tracks and albums like “Carnival of the Animals” and “The Sunny Side of the Street,” he received four Grammy Award nominations.
Early Childhood & Life
Sarah Jane, an actress by trade, and Arthur Washington Lithgow III, a former producer and director who owned the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey, welcomed John Arthur Lithgow into the world on October 19, 1945, in Rochester, New York. He has multiple ancestries.
In 1967, Lithgow graduated from Harvard College with a bachelor’s degree in history and literature. Later, after receiving a Fulbright Scholarship, he enrolled in the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art to further his studies.
Working in theater
The theater sector was where John Lithgow’s career began. For his performance in the 1973 Broadway production of David Storey’s “The Changing Room,” he received the Tony Award and the Drama Desk Award. He played the role of James in Robert Moore’s “My Fat Friend” a year later. In 1975, he also played Laertes in Michael Rudman’s “Hamlet.”
In Arvin Brown’s film ‘A Memory of Two Mondays’ (also known as ’27 Wagons Full of Cotton’), he co-starred with Meryl Streep as the character ‘Kenneth’. After his portrayal in the teleplay “Requiem for a Heavyweight,” Lithgow received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor. He later received another nomination for “M. Butterfly.”
Lithgow performed in two critically praised Broadway roles in the early and middle aughts. The first was at the Martin Beck Theatre, where he played “J. J. Hunsecker” in the Broadway adaption of the 1957 movie “Sweet Smell of Success.” For his performance, he received a Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical.
He made an appearance in David Yazbek’s comedy musical “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” in 2005. He received a Tony Award nomination for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. He received a second Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Play for his performance in the theatrical adaption of American writer David Auburn’s “The Columnist.”
Additionally, he has performed in a stage version of Arthur Wing Pinero’s “The Magistrate,” the Broadway revival of Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons,” and Daniel Sullivan’s production of Shakespeare’s “King Lear.”
Movie Career of John Lithgow
In 1972, John Lithgow made his debut as “John” in the Paul Williams-directed film “Dealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues.” He played “Robert Laselle” in Brian De Palma’s psychological suspense film “Obsession” four years later.
Before making an appearance in George Roy Hill’s 1982 comedy-drama “The World According to Garp,” he next made appearances in movies including “The Big Fix,” “All That Jazz,” and “Blow Out.” He starred with Robin Williams and played the role of “Roberta Muldoon.” For his amazing performance, he received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards.
Lithgow received another Academy Award nomination in 1984 for his performance as “Sam Burns” in the James L. Brooks film “Terms of Endearment” (1983). The 1975 book of the same name by Larry McMurtry served as the basis for the movie.
In the 1984 American science fiction romance adventure comedy film “The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension,” he played the role of Dr. Emilio Lizardo, a physicist whose body was inhabited by an evil alien (also known as “Lord John Whorfin”).
In the movie “Footloose,” he portrayed Reverend Shaw Moore, a pastor who criticizes the practice of dancing. Lithgow plays “Walter Curnow,” a space engineer, in the 2010 sequel to “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Later, in 1985, he played an evil toymaker in the movie “Santa Claus: The Movie.”
He had multiple cameo appearances in movies during the 1990s. In addition to Memphis Belle, At Play in the Fields of the Lord, Raising Cain, The Pelican Brief, Cliffhanger, A Good Man in Africa, and A Civil Action, he also starred in a number of other well-known movies during this time.
He made an appearance in the 2004 British-American television movie “The Life and Death of Peter Sellers,” which was based on the comedian’s life. Then he appeared with Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé Knowles, and Eddie Murphy in Bill Condon’s American romantic musical film “Dreamgirls.”
He played Charles Rodman, the mentally unstable father of James Franco’s character in the 2011 science fiction picture “Rise of the Planet of the Apes.”
Career in Television
In his career, John Lithgow has made appearances in close to 40 movies and television programs. After playing a number of bit parts, the actor had his big break in the sitcom “3rd Rock from the Sun,” which helped him get further notoriety in the entertainment industry, in 1996.
He played “Dick Solomon” in the movie “3rd Rock from the Sun.” For his work on the program, Lithgow was nominated for numerous accolades and took home several of them, including three Primetime Emmys.
In the 2009 season of the crime drama television series “Dexter,” Lithgow played the villain “Arthur Mitchell.” He was ranked number 34 on “Rolling Stone’s” list of the “40 Greatest TV Villains of All Time.”
In addition to appearing in TV shows including “How I Met Your Mother,” “Once Upon a Time in Wonderland” (voice), and “Drunk History,” he played the role of “John Mason” in the American sitcom “Twenty Good Years” in 2006.
He played Winston Churchill, the UK’s first prime minister, in the Netflix historical drama web series “The Crown.” He was nominated for many awards shows and won several of them, including a Primetime Emmy Award. He had a big role in the show for two seasons.
Various Works
John Lithgow has made significant contributions to the enjoyment of kids, including writing books and creating music recordings. He received four Grammy Award nominations. He received nominations for “Best Spoken Word Album for Children” and “The World According to Mr. Rogers” as well as “Ogden Nash’s the Christmas that Almost Wasn’t.”
He received a nomination for his funny musical suite “Carnival of the Animals” in the category of Best Spoken Word Album for Children at the 2005 Grammy Awards. He was nominated once more in 2007 for Best Musical Album for Children for his album “The Sunny Side of the Street.”
Bigger Works of John Lithgow
His most notable achievement as an actor was his part in Bonnie Turner and Terry Turner’s science fiction sitcom “3rd Rock from the Sun.” As the High Commander of an alien unit, he played the role of “Dick Solomon.” In 1997, he received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance in a musical or comedic television series. Between 1996 and
2001, he also received three Primetime Emmy Awards and an American Comedy Award.
His portrayal of the notorious “Trinity Killer,” serial killer “Arthur Mitchell,” in the crime drama series “Dexter” demonstrated his acting talent at playing a very sinister character. He earned a Satellite Award in 2009, a Golden Globe Award in 2010, and a Primetime Emmy Award in 2010. He played the show’s primary antagonist in the fourth season.
Lithgow received numerous nominations and accolades for his depiction of “Winston Churchill” in the historical drama online television series “The Crown.” The program was a Left Bank Pictures and Sony Pictures Television original for Netflix. He received Screen Actors Guild, Critics’ Choice Television, and Primetime Emmy Awards. For his remarkable work in the series, he received nominations for the Golden Globe and British Academy Television Awards.
Individual Life of John Lithgow
Ian David Lithgow was born to John Lithgow and Jean Taynton, a teacher by profession, in 1966. Their son works as both an actor and a professional psychologist.
John Lithgow’s wife and he eventually divorced in 1980 after developing a split over an affair between the actor and actress Liv Ullmann. Lithgow wed Mary Yeager, a history professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, the following year. Nathan and Phoebe, the couple’s son and daughter, were born into the world.
Net Worth of John Lithgow
The estimated net worth of John Lithgow is around $1 million.