John Lithgow

Acting

John Lithgow

Born October 19, 1945Rochester, New York, USA207 credits

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).

Known For

Filmography

Harry Potter
2026Harry Potter
as Albus DumbledoreTV
Jimpa
2026Jimpa
as JimpaMovie
Dexter: Resurrection
2025Dexter: Resurrection
as Arthur MitchellTV
The Rule of Jenny Pen
2025The Rule of Jenny Pen
as Dave CrealyMovie
Spellbound
2024Spellbound
as Bolinar (voice)Movie
Conclave
2024Conclave
as TremblayMovie
Cabrini
2024Cabrini
as Mayor GouldMovie
Killers of the Flower Moon
2023Killers of the Flower Moon
as Prosecutor Peter LeawardMovie
Sharper
2023Sharper
as Richard HobbesMovie
Sherri
2022Sherri
as Self - GuestTV
The Old Man
2022The Old Man
as Harold HarperTV
The Bubble
2022The Bubble
as Tom the Studio ChairmanMovie
Dexter: New Blood
2021Dexter: New Blood
as Arthur MitchellTV
Show of Titles
2021Show of Titles
as "There's No Business Like Show Business" PerformerMovie
Emily @ the Edge of Chaos
2021Emily @ the Edge of Chaos
as Sir Isaac Newton (voice)Movie
Perry Mason
2020Perry Mason
as Elias Birchard 'E.B.' JonathanTV
Stars in the House
2020Stars in the House
as Self - Special GuestTV
Bombshell
2019Bombshell
as Roger AilesMovie
On Broadway
2019On Broadway
as SelfMovie
The Tomorrow Man
2019The Tomorrow Man
as Ed HemslerMovie
Pet Sematary
2019Pet Sematary
as Jud CrandallMovie
Late Night
2019Late Night
as Walter LovellMovie
Pitch Perfect 3
2017Pitch Perfect 3
as FergusMovie
Beatriz at Dinner
2017Beatriz at Dinner
as Doug StruttMovie
Trial & Error
2017Trial & Error
as Larry HendersonTV
Miss Sloane
2016Miss Sloane
as Senator Ronald SperlingMovie
The Crown
2016The Crown
as Winston ChurchillTV
The Accountant
2016The Accountant
as Lamar BlackburnMovie
Shakespeare Live! From the RSC
2016Shakespeare Live! From the RSC
as Self - PerformerMovie
Best of Enemies
2015Best of Enemies
as Voice of Gore VidalMovie
Projections of America
2015Projections of America
as Self - Narrator (voice)Movie
Interstellar
2014Interstellar
as DonaldMovie
The Roosevelts: An Intimate History
2014The Roosevelts: An Intimate History
as James Roosevelt (voice)TV
The Homesman
2014The Homesman
as Reverend Alfred DowdMovie
9 Kisses
20149 Kisses
as Man in ClubMovie
Timms Valley
2013Timms Valley
as Ol' Gregory TimmsMovie
Once Upon a Time in Wonderland
2013Once Upon a Time in Wonderland
as The White Rabbit (voice)TV
Shrek Stories
2013Shrek Stories
as Lord Farquaad (voice)Movie
This Is 40
2012This Is 40
as OliverMovie
Casting By
2012Casting By
as SelfMovie
The Campaign
2012The Campaign
as Glen MotchMovie
New Year's Eve
2011New Year's Eve
as Jonathan Cox (uncredited)Movie
Prohibition
2011Prohibition
as Reader / H.L. Mencken (voice)TV
Conan
2010Conan
as SelfTV
Leap Year
2010Leap Year
as Jack BradyMovie
Car of the Future
2008Car of the Future
as NarratorMovie
Dreamgirls
2006Dreamgirls
as Jerry HarrisMovie
Twenty Good Years
2006Twenty Good Years
as John MasonTV
30 Rock
200630 Rock
as John LithgowTV
Dexter
2006Dexter
as Arthur MitchellTV
The Best of The Tony Awards: The Plays
2006The Best of The Tony Awards: The Plays
as René Gallimard (segment "M. Butterfly")Movie
S
2006Sangre
as Cafe chef and ownerMovie
Einstein's Big Idea
2005Einstein's Big Idea
as Narrator (voice) U.S. editionMovie
How I Met Your Mother
2005How I Met Your Mother
as Jerry WhittakerTV
Kinsey
2004Kinsey
as Alfred Seguine KinseyMovie
D
2004Dogs and More Dogs
as NarratorMovie
The Ghost of Lord Farquaad
2003The Ghost of Lord Farquaad
as Ghost of Farquaad (voice)Movie
Shrek 3-D
2003Shrek 3-D
as Lord FarquaadMovie
DreamWorks 6 Spooky Stories Collection
2003DreamWorks 6 Spooky Stories Collection
as Ghost of Farquaad (voice)TV
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
2003Jimmy Kimmel Live!
as Self - GuestTV
Orange County
2002Orange County
as Bud BrumderMovie
Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party
2001Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party
as Lord Farquaad (singing voice)Movie
Shrek
2001Shrek
as Lord Farquaad (voice)Movie
Rugrats in Paris: The Movie
2000Rugrats in Paris: The Movie
as Jean-Claude (voice)Movie
Don Quixote
2000Don Quixote
as Don Quixote de La Mancha / Alonso QuixanoMovie
A Civil Action
1998A Civil Action
as Judge Walter J. SkinnerMovie
Homegrown
1998Homegrown
as Malcolm / Robert StockmanMovie
Johnny Skidmarks
1998Johnny Skidmarks
as Sergeant Larry SkovikMovie
The View
1997The View
as SelfTV
Officer Buckle and Gloria
1997Officer Buckle and Gloria
as Narrator (voice)Movie
Hollow Point
1996Hollow Point
as Thomas LivingstonMovie
Cosby
1996Cosby
as John LithgowTV
The West
1996The West
as SelfTV
3rd Rock from the Sun
19963rd Rock from the Sun
as Dick SolomonTV
The Tuskegee Airmen
1995The Tuskegee Airmen
as Senator ConyersMovie
Redwood Curtain
1995Redwood Curtain
as Laird RiordanMovie
M
1995My Brother's Keeper
as Tom Bradley / Bob BradleyMovie
Silent Fall
1994Silent Fall
as Dr. Rene HarlingerMovie
Princess Caraboo
1994Princess Caraboo
as Professor WilkinsonMovie
A Good Man in Africa
1994A Good Man in Africa
as Arthur Fanshawe, British High CommissionerMovie
World War II: When Lions Roared
1994World War II: When Lions Roared
as Franklin Delano RooseveltTV
American Cinema
1994American Cinema
as Self - HostTV
Love, Cheat & Steal
1993Love, Cheat & Steal
as Paul HarringtonMovie
The Pelican Brief
1993The Pelican Brief
as Smith KeenMovie
Frasier
1993Frasier
as Madman Martinez (voice)TV
The Wrong Man
1993The Wrong Man
as Phillip MillsMovie
Cliffhanger
1993Cliffhanger
as QualenMovie
Raising Cain
1992Raising Cain
as Carter Nix / Cain / Dr. Nix / Josh / MargoMovie
Ricochet
1991Ricochet
as Earl Talbott BlakeMovie
The Boys
1991The Boys
as Artie MarguliesMovie
Amazing Stories: The Movie II
1990Amazing Stories: The Movie II
as John Walters (archive footage)Movie
Memphis Belle
1990Memphis Belle
as Bruce DerringerMovie
Ivory Hunters
1990Ivory Hunters
as Robert CarterMovie
The Simpsons
1989The Simpsons
as Gus (voice)TV
Traveling Man
1989Traveling Man
as Ben CluettMovie
Tales from the Crypt
1989Tales from the Crypt
as Dr. Oscar CharlesTV
Out Cold
1989Out Cold
as DaveMovie
Distant Thunder
1988Distant Thunder
as Mark LambertMovie
Harry and the Hendersons
1987Harry and the Hendersons
as George HendersonMovie
The Amazing Bone
1987The Amazing Bone
as NarratorMovie
B
1987Baby Girl Scott
as Neil ScottMovie
The Manhattan Project
1986The Manhattan Project
as John MathewsonMovie
Resting Place
1986Resting Place
as Maj. Kendall LairdMovie
Mesmerized
1985Mesmerized
as Oliver ThompsonMovie
Amazing Stories
1985Amazing Stories
as John WaltersTV
2010
19842010
as Dr. Walter CurnowMovie
The Glitter Dome
1984The Glitter Dome
as Sgt. Marty WellbornMovie
Footloose
1984Footloose
as Rev. Shaw MooreMovie
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
1984Goldilocks and the Three Bears
as Goldilocks' FatherMovie
The Day After
1983The Day After
as Joe HuxleyMovie
Terms of Endearment
1983Terms of Endearment
as Sam BurnsMovie
N
1982Not in Front of the Children
as Richard CarruthersMovie
Faerie Tale Theatre
1982Faerie Tale Theatre
as Goldilocks' FatherTV
The World According to Garp
1982The World According to Garp
as Roberta MuldoonMovie
Blow Out
1981Blow Out
as BurkeMovie
Big Blonde
1980Big Blonde
as Herbie MorseMovie
All That Jazz
1979All That Jazz
as Lucas SergeantMovie
Rich Kids
1979Rich Kids
as Paul PhilipsMovie
The Big Fix
1978The Big Fix
as Sam SebastianMovie
Secret Service
1977Secret Service
as Capt. ThorneMovie
Obsession
1976Obsession
as Robert LasalleMovie
Saturday Night Live
1975Saturday Night Live
as Self - HostTV
NOVA
1974NOVA
as NarratorTV
The Country Girl
1974The Country Girl
as Paul UngerMovie
Great Performances
1971Great Performances
as Capt. ThorneTV
Tony Awards
1956Tony Awards
as Self - WinnerTV
The Oscars
1953The Oscars
as Self - PresenterTV
Today
1952Today
as SelfTV
Golden Globe Awards
1944Golden Globe Awards
as Self - NomineeTV