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John Lithgow

John Lithgow

Highest Rated: 93% Love Is Strange (2014)

Lowest Rated: 10% A Good Man in Africa (1994)

Birthday: Oct 19, 1945

Birthplace: Rochester, New York, USA

Academy Award-nominated American film and TV actor John Lithgow gained notoriety with his roles in "The World According to Garp" (1982), "Terms of Endearment" (1983), "3rd Rock from the Sun" (NBC, 1996-2001), and "Dexter" (Showtime, 2006-2013). Lithgow, who was born in Rochester, New York in 1945, was raised in a family that was heavily involved in the theater. His mother was an actress, while his father scraped together a living by managing various small theaters throughout the Midwest. Due to the nomadic nature of his father's career, the Lithgows moved around a lot when John was still a young boy. He spent a great deal of his childhood in parts of Ohio, primarily Yellow Springs and Akron, while his father managed local and college theaters, in addition to running Shakespeare festivals. When John was 16, his father took a job running the McCarter Theater in Princeton, New Jersey. So, for the first time in John's life, he had a place he called home. He attended high school in Princeton, and later earned a scholarship to Harvard. Although the theater was a vital part of Lithgow's life growing up, he never saw acting as a vital career choice, and instead went on to study literature and history at Harvard. Lithgow attended Harvard intent on working in visual arts one day. In later interviews, he mentioned how he loved painting and dreamed of one day becoming a painter. During his week at Harvard, however, Lithgow got involved with an acting group on campus and before long was performing in stage productions put on by the university. After a few roles on stage, Lithgow's mind was made up: he was going to become an actor. Lithgow graduated from Harvard magna cum laude in 1967, and shortly after won a Fulbright scholarship to study acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. His experience in London proved to be transformative for Lithgow, and by the time he returned to the states he was ready to take the acting world by storm. Lithgow made his Broadway debut in 1973's "The Changing Room," which earned him his first Tony Award for Featured Actor in a Play. He would appear in several more plays throughout the 70s and 80s, most notably Arthur Miller's "A Memory of Two Mondays" and Rod Serling's "Requiem for a Heavyweight." His stage performances were met with universal praise by critics, but it was the big screen where Lithgow would truly make his mark. Throughout the 1970s, Lithgow gradually made a name for himself in Hollywood with critically-acclaimed performances in films like "Obsession" (1976) and "All That Jazz" (1979). In the decade that followed, however, Lithgow became a bona fide movie star, thanks to a string of memorable roles in several high profile films. These films included "Blow Out" (1981), "The World According to Garp," "Terms of Endearment," "Footloose" (1984), "The Manhattan Project" (1986), and "Harry and the Hendersons" (1987). Lithgow continued working steadily in films throughout the mid-90s, sometimes appearing in up to five films a year, as he did in 1993. By 1996, however, Lithgow had become exhausted by the constant travel that being a movie actor required. So he decided to venture into TV, seeing as it was a stable acting job that required no travel. In 1996 Lithgow began appearing as Dr. Dick Solomon, an alien posing as a human man, on the NBC science-fiction sitcom "3rd Rock from the Sun." The show was a hit with both audiences and critics, with Lithgow taking home three Emmy Awards during the show's six season run. After "3rd Rock from the Sun" ended in 2001, Lithgow earned praise for his roles in films like "Kinsey" (2004) and "Dreamgirls" (2006), but it was his guest starring role on "Dexter" in 2009 that would truly wow people. Lithgow played the serial killer Arthur Mitchell, also known as the "Trinity Killer," during the show's fourth season. His role as the villain earned widespread acclaim and as a result Lithgow took home an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. By the 2010s, Lithgow had been acting in films and movies for nearly 50 years, but had shown no signs of slowing down. In addition to earning critical praise for his roles in films like "Interstellar" (2014) and "Beatriz at Dinner" (2017), he also played the iconic British Prime Minister Winston Churchill on the Netflix historical series "The Crown" (Netflix, 2016- ). By the end of the decade, Lithgow had been working harder than ever. In 2019 alone he appeared in four films: "Late Night," "The Tomorrow Man," "Pet Sematary," and "Bombshell." In the latter film, Lithgow played Roger Ailes, the powerhouse cable news mogul who ran Fox News from 1996 to 2016. "Bombshell" premiered in late 2019.

Highest rated movies

93% 84% Killers of the Flower Moon
93% 66% Love Is Strange
90% Conclave 90% 98% Cabrini
90% 75% Kinsey
89% 81% Blow Out
88% 49% The Big Fix
86% 79% The Tuskegee Airmen

Filmography

Movies

Credit
No Score Yet No Score Yet Spellbound Minister Bolinar (Voice) - 2024
90% No Score Yet Conclave Tremblay (Character) - 2024
90% 98% Cabrini Mayor Gould (Character) $19.0M 2024
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Rule of Jenny Pen Unknown (Character) - 2024
93% 84% Killers of the Flower Moon Prosecutor Leaward (Character) $68.0M 2023
69% 73% Sharper Richard Hobbes (Character) - 2023
No Score Yet No Score Yet Live in Front of a Studio Audience: The Facts of Life and Diff'rent Strokes Mr.Drummond (Character) - 2021
No Score Yet No Score Yet Emily @ the Edge of Chaos Sir Isaac Newton (Voice) - 2021
76% 75% On Broadway Self $82.3K 2019
68% 84% Bombshell Roger Ailes (Character) $31.7M 2019
80% 77% Late Night Walter Lovell (Character) $15.5M 2019
42% 44% The Tomorrow Man Ed (Character) $331.8K 2019
57% 33% Pet Sematary Jud Crandall (Character) $54.7M 2019
28% 43% Pitch Perfect 3 Fergus (Character) $104.9M 2017
21% 51% Daddy's Home 2 Don (Character) $104.0M 2017
76% 53% Beatriz at Dinner Doug Strutt (Character) $7.1M 2017
22% No Score Yet The Pulitzer at 100 Self $2.6K 2016
76% 72% Miss Sloane Senator Ronald Sperling (Character) $3.5M 2016
53% 77% The Accountant Lamar Blackburn (Character) $86.2M 2016
No Score Yet No Score Yet Projections of America Narrator - 2014
81% 53% The Homesman Rev. Alfred Dowd (Character) $2.4M 2014
73% 86% Interstellar Donald (Character) $188.0M 2014
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Jungle Bunch 2: The Great Treasure Quest Unknown (Voice) - 2014
93% 66% Love Is Strange Ben (Character) $2.3M 2014
No Score Yet 36% The Jungle Bunch: The Movie Maurice (Voice) - 2012
51% 50% This Is 40 Oliver (Character) $67.5M 2012
66% 51% The Campaign Glenn Motch (Character) $86.9M 2012
82% 77% Rise of the Planet of the Apes Charles Rodman (Character) $176.7M 2011
24% 47% Leap Year Jack (Character) $25.9M 2010
27% 49% Confessions of a Shopaholic Edgar West (Character) $44.3M 2009
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Macabre World of Lavender Williams God (Character) - 2009
79% 71% Dreamgirls Jerry Harris (Character) $103.3M 2006
No Score Yet No Score Yet Bark, George... and More Doggie Tails Unknown (Character) - 2005
69% 72% The Life and Death of Peter Sellers Blake Edwards (Character) - 2004
90% 75% Kinsey Alfred Sequine Kinsey (Character) $10.2M 2004
47% 61% Orange County Bud Brumder (Character) $41.0M 2002
88% 90% Shrek Lord Farquaad (Voice) $267.7M 2001
76% 56% Rugrats in Paris: The Movie Jean-Claude (Voice) $76.5M 2000
No Score Yet 38% Don Quixote Don Quixote de La Mancha/Alonso Quixano (Character),
Co-Executive Producer
- 2000
No Score Yet No Score Yet Don Quijote Unknown (Character),
Executive Producer
- 2000
No Score Yet 25% Johnny Skidmarks Sergeant Larry Skovik (Character) - 1998
44% 50% Homegrown Malcolm/Robert Stockman (Character) $271.4K 1998
64% 55% A Civil Action Judge Walter J. Skinner (Character) $56.7M 1998
No Score Yet 57% Hollow Point Thomas Livingston (Character) - 1996
43% 29% Special Effects Narrator - 1996
86% 79% The Tuskegee Airmen Senator Conyers (Character) - 1995
No Score Yet 81% My Brother's Keeper Tom Bradley / Bob Bradley (Character) - 1995
No Score Yet No Score Yet Redwood Curtain Laird Riordan (Character) - 1995
No Score Yet 28% Love, Cheat & Steal Paul Harrington (Character) - 1994
26% 38% Silent Fall Dr. Rene Harlinger (Character) $2.7M 1994
65% 50% Princess Caraboo Professor Wilkinson (Character) $3.0M 1994
10% 26% A Good Man in Africa Arthur Fanshawe (Character) $2.2M 1994
No Score Yet 50% World War II: When Lions Roared Unknown (Character) - 1994
No Score Yet No Score Yet Sylvester and the Magic Pebble Narrator - 1993
55% 61% The Pelican Brief Smith Keen (Character) $100.7M 1993
68% 52% Cliffhanger Eric Qualen (Character) $80.5M 1993
No Score Yet 44% The Wrong Man Phillip Mills (Character) - 1993
63% 40% Raising Cain Carter/Cain/Dr. Nix/Josh/Margo (Character) $20.5M 1992
57% 74% At Play in the Fields of the Lord Leslie Huben (Character) $1.3M 1991
74% 52% Ricochet Earl Talbot Blake (Character) $20.6M 1991
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Boys Artie Margulies (Character) - 1991
68% 79% Memphis Belle Lt. Col. Bruce Derringer (Character) $25.5M 1990
No Score Yet No Score Yet Ivory Hunters Robert Carter (Character) - 1990
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Last Elephant Robert Carter (Character) - 1990
No Score Yet 80% Traveling Man Ben Cluett (Character) - 1989
No Score Yet 31% Out Cold Dave (Character) $201.5K 1989
43% 44% Distant Thunder Mark Lambert (Character) $146.0K 1988
No Score Yet No Score Yet Baby Girl Scott Neil Scott (Character) - 1987
45% 54% Harry and the Hendersons George Henderson (Character) $27.1M 1987
No Score Yet 67% Resting Place Maj. Kendall Laird (Character) - 1986
50% 45% The Manhattan Project John Mathewson (Character) $3.8M 1986
22% 67% Santa Claus B.Z. (Character) $23.6M 1985
No Score Yet No Score Yet Amazing Stories: The Movie II John Walters (Character) - 1985
No Score Yet 20% Mesmerized Oliver Thompson (Character) - 1984
55% 71% Footloose Reverend Shaw Moore (Character) - 1984
67% 61% 2010 Dr. Walter Curnow (Character) - 1984
66% 69% The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension Doctor Emilio Lizardo/Lord John Whorfin (Character) - 1984
No Score Yet 40% The Glitter Dome Sgt. Marty Wellborn (Character) - 1984
60% 55% Twilight Zone: The Movie John Valentine (Character) - 1983
82% 83% Terms of Endearment Sam Burns (Character) - 1983
86% 69% The Day After Joe Huxley (Character) - 1983
71% 78% The World According to Garp Roberta Muldoon (Character) - 1982
No Score Yet No Score Yet Not in Front of the Children Richard Carruthers (Character) - 1982
89% 81% Blow Out Burke (Character) - 1981
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Oldest Living Graduate Clarence (Character) - 1980
No Score Yet No Score Yet Mom, the Wolfman, and Me Wally (Character) - 1980
No Score Yet 40% Big Blonde Unknown (Character) - 1980
67% 43% Rich Kids Paul Philips (Character) - 1979
88% 49% The Big Fix Sam Sebastian (Character) - 1978
No Score Yet 25% Secret Service Capt. Thorne (Character) - 1977
75% 58% Obsession Robert Lasalle (Character) - 1976
No Score Yet 17% Dealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues John (Character) - 1972

TV

Credit
85% 66% The Old Man Harold Harper (Character) 2022 2024
No Score Yet 62% The Kelly Clarkson Show Guest 2024
No Score Yet 49% The Late Show With Stephen Colbert Guest 2018-2022 2024
No Score Yet 12% The View Guest 2014 2021-2022
No Score Yet 44% The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Guest 2014 2016-2020 2022
85% 76% The Simpsons Gus (Guest Voice) 2019 2022
No Score Yet No Score Yet Firing Line With Margaret Hoover Guest 2021
No Score Yet 41% Jimmy Kimmel Live! Guest 2017 2020-2021
No Score Yet 19% The Late Late Show With James Corden Guest 2016 2019-2021
No Score Yet No Score Yet Finding Your Roots Guest 2021
80% 75% Perry Mason Elias Birchard "E.B." Jonathan (Character) 2020
No Score Yet No Score Yet Conan Guest 2017 2019-2020
No Score Yet No Score Yet Perry Mason FREE Elias Birchard "E.B." Jonathan (Character) 2020
No Score Yet 61% Late Night With Seth Meyers Guest 2014 2017-2019
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Great Celebrity Bake Off: Stand Up To Cancer Contestant 2019
83% 85% James Cameron's Story of Science Fiction Guest 2018
No Score Yet No Score Yet Tavis Smiley Guest 2017
No Score Yet No Score Yet Close Up With The Hollywood Reporter Guest 2017
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Chew Guest 2013 2017
No Score Yet No Score Yet Variety Studio: Actors on Actors Guest 2017
No Score Yet No Score Yet Harry Guest 2017
88% 87% Trial & Error Larry Henderson (Character) 2017
81% 92% The Crown Sir Winston Churchill (Character) 2016
93% 95% Louie Funny Man (Guest Star) 2015
100% 94% The Roosevelts: An Intimate History Unknown (Voice) 2014
No Score Yet No Score Yet Great Performances Host 2014
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Colbert Report Guest 2011 2014
No Score Yet No Score Yet Moyers & Company Guest 2014
63% 67% Once Upon a Time in Wonderland White Rabbit (Voice) 2013-2014
84% 84% How I Met Your Mother Jerry Whitaker (Guest Star) 2011 2013-2014
No Score Yet No Score Yet Late Night With Jimmy Fallon Guest 2010 2012
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Talk Guest 2011
71% 81% Dexter Arthur Mitchell (Guest Star) 2009
78% 92% 30 Rock John Lithgow (Guest Star) 2009
26% No Score Yet Twenty Good Years Dr. John Mason (Character) 2006
No Score Yet No Score Yet Heroes of Comedy Unknown (Guest Star) 2002
No Score Yet 67% 3rd Rock From the Sun Dr. Dick Solomon (Character) 1996-2001
95% 94% Frasier Madman Martinez (Guest Voice) 1995
82% 90% Tales From the Crypt Unknown (Character) 1995
No Score Yet 62% Saturday Night Live Host 1985 1987-1988
No Score Yet 82% Amazing Stories Unknown (Character) 1986
No Score Yet No Score Yet DreamWorks Spooky Stories Unknown (Character)