John Arthur Lithgow (born October 19, 1945) is an American actor. He studied atΒ Harvard UniversityΒ and theΒ London Academy of Music and Dramatic ArtΒ before becoming known for his diverse workΒ on stage and screen. He has receivedΒ numerous accolades, including sixΒ Primetime Emmy Awards, twoΒ Golden Globe Awards, and twoΒ Tony Awards, as well as nominations for twoΒ Academy Awards, aΒ British Academy Film Award, fourΒ Grammy Awards, fourΒ Screen Actors Guild Awards, and aΒ Laurence Olivier Award.
Lithgow won twoΒ Tony Awards, his first forΒ Best Featured Actor in a PlayΒ for hisΒ BroadwayΒ debut inΒ The Changing RoomΒ (1972) and his second forΒ Best Actor in a MusicalΒ for the musicalΒ Sweet Smell of SuccessΒ (2002). He was Tony-nominated forΒ Requiem for a Heavyweight (1985),Β M. ButterflyΒ (1988), andΒ Dirty Rotten ScoundrelsΒ (2005). He has acted in the playsΒ The ColumnistΒ (2012),Β A Delicate Balance (2014), andΒ Hillary and ClintonΒ (2019). He portrayedΒ Roald DahlΒ in the playΒ GiantΒ on theΒ West End,Β for which he was nominated for theΒ Olivier Award for Best Actor.Β
He starred asΒ Dick SolomonΒ in the television sitcomΒ 3rd Rock from the SunΒ (1996β2001), winning threeΒ Primetime Emmy Awards for Best Actor in a Comedy Series. He received furtherΒ Primetime Emmy AwardsΒ for his performances asΒ Arthur MitchellΒ in the dramaΒ DexterΒ (2009) and asΒ Winston ChurchillΒ in theΒ NetflixΒ dramaΒ The CrownΒ (2016β2019). He also starred inΒ HBO'sΒ Perry MasonΒ (2020) andΒ FX'sΒ The Old Man (2022).
On film, he has received twoΒ Academy Awards for Best Supporting ActorΒ nominations for his roles as aΒ transgenderΒ ex-football player inΒ The World According to GarpΒ (1982) and a lonely banker inΒ Terms of EndearmentΒ (1983). He also acted inΒ All That JazzΒ (1979),Β Blow OutΒ (1981),Β FootlooseΒ (1984),Β Harry and the HendersonsΒ (1987),Β A Civil ActionΒ (1998),Β ShrekΒ (2001),Β KinseyΒ (2004),Β Rise of the Planet of the ApesΒ (2011),Β Love Is StrangeΒ (2014),Β Interstellar (2014),Β Late NightΒ (2019),Β BombshellΒ (2019),Β Killers of the Flower MoonΒ (2023), andΒ Conclave (2024).
