John Lithgow

Rochester, New York, USA

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).

Appearances

Shrek
7.8
Shrek
Lord Farquaad (voice)
Footloose
6.7
Footloose
Rev. Shaw Moore
Sharper
6.9
Sharper
Richard Hobbes
The Life and Death of Peter Sellers
6.6
The Life and Death of Peter Sellers
Blake Edwards
Confessions of a Shopaholic
6.5
Confessions of a Shopaholic
Edgar West
2010
6.7
2010
Dr. Walter Curnow
Obsession
6.7
Obsession
Robert Lasalle
The Manhattan Project
6.2
The Manhattan Project
John Mathewson
Terms of Endearment
7.1
Terms of Endearment
Sam Burns
Kinsey
6.6
Kinsey
Alfred Seguine Kinsey
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
6.0
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
Lord John Whorfin
The World According to Garp
6.7
The World According to Garp
Roberta Muldoon
Blow Out
7.4
Blow Out
Burke
The Day After
6.8
The Day After
Joe Huxley
The Tuskegee Airmen
7.1
The Tuskegee Airmen
Senator Conyers
Give My Regards to Broadway
Give My Regards to Broadway
Self
Leap Year
6.9
Leap Year
Jack Brady
Shrek 3-D
6.0
Shrek 3-D
Ghost of Farquaad (voice)
Harry and the Hendersons
6.1
Harry and the Hendersons
George Henderson
A Civil Action
6.5
A Civil Action
Judge Walter J. Skinner
Ricochet
6.1
Ricochet
Earl Talbott Blake
Bark, George
Bark, George
The Pelican Brief
6.6
The Pelican Brief
Smith Keen
Cliffhanger
6.5
Cliffhanger
Qualen
Santa Claus: The Movie
6.3
Santa Claus: The Movie
B.Z.
A Good Man in Africa
5.0
A Good Man in Africa
Arthur Fanshawe, British High Commissioner
Inside 'Interstellar'
6.9
Inside 'Interstellar'
Self
Raising Cain
6.1
Raising Cain
Carter Nix / Cain / Dr. Nix / Josh / Margo
The Big Fix
5.8
The Big Fix
Sam Sebastian
The Wrong Man
5.1
The Wrong Man
Phillip Mills
Dogs and More Dogs
5.2
Dogs and More Dogs
Narrator
Live in Front of a Studio Audience: The Facts of Life and Diff'rent Strokes
7.5
Live in Front of a Studio Audience: The Facts of Life and Diff'rent Strokes
Philip Drummond
Officer Buckle and Gloria
8.5
Officer Buckle and Gloria
Narrator (voice)
Princess Caraboo
5.6
Princess Caraboo
Professor Wilkinson
Rugrats in Paris: The Movie
6.7
Rugrats in Paris: The Movie
Jean-Claude (voice)
All That Jazz
7.5
All That Jazz
Lucas Sergeant
Homegrown
5.6
Homegrown
Malcolm / Robert Stockman
Silent Fall
5.3
Silent Fall
Dr. Rene Harlinger
They All Saw a Cat
They All Saw a Cat
Casting By
6.9
Casting By
Self
At Play in the Fields of the Lord
6.5
At Play in the Fields of the Lord
Leslie Huben
Resting Place
6.3
Resting Place
Maj. Kendall Laird
Mesmerized
4.8
Mesmerized
Oliver Thompson
Love, Cheat & Steal
4.4
Love, Cheat & Steal
Paul Harrington
Hollow Point
5.1
Hollow Point
Thomas Livingston
Rich Kids
4.9
Rich Kids
Paul Philips
Projections of America
5.0
Projections of America
Self - Narrator (voice)
The Campaign
5.8
The Campaign
Glen Motch
This Is 40
5.9
This Is 40
Oliver
Out Cold
5.9
Out Cold
Dave
Chez Bob
Chez Bob
Car of the Future
6.0
Car of the Future
Narrator
The Bubble
4.6
The Bubble
Tom the Studio Chairman
Dealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues
5.3
Dealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues
John
Redwood Curtain
6.5
Redwood Curtain
Laird Riordan
Interstellar
8.5
Interstellar
Donald
95 Worlds and Counting
8.0
95 Worlds and Counting
Narrator
Don Quixote
6.3
Don Quixote
Don Quixote de La Mancha / Alonso Quixano
Marvin Hamlisch: What He Did For Love
9.0
Marvin Hamlisch: What He Did For Love
Self
Distant Thunder
5.7
Distant Thunder
Mark Lambert
Cabrini
7.8
Cabrini
Mayor Gould
Baby Girl Scott
7.5
Baby Girl Scott
Neil Scott
Love Is Strange
6.3
Love Is Strange
Ben
Special Effects: Anything Can Happen
10.0
Special Effects: Anything Can Happen
Narrator
National Theatre Live: The Magistrate
6.0
National Theatre Live: The Magistrate
Posket
Orange County
6.0
Orange County
Bud Brumder
Spellbound
6.6
Spellbound
Bolinar (voice)
My Brother's Keeper
1.0
My Brother's Keeper
Tom Bradley / Bob Bradley
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
7.3
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Charles Rodman
Twilight Zone: The Movie
6.5
Twilight Zone: The Movie
Valentine
Memphis Belle
6.7
Memphis Belle
Bruce Derringer
The Rule of Jenny Pen
6.2
The Rule of Jenny Pen
Dave Crealy
Ivory Hunters
4.9
Ivory Hunters
Robert Carter
The Homesman
6.5
The Homesman
Reverend Alfred Dowd
Sangre
Sangre
Cafe chef and owner
Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic
7.8
Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic
Self
Night of 100 Stars III
4.0
Night of 100 Stars III
Self
Johnny Skidmarks
5.5
Johnny Skidmarks
Sergeant Larry Skovik
Art Happens Here with John Lithgow
Art Happens Here with John Lithgow
Self
The Accountant
7.1
The Accountant
Lamar Blackburn
Miracle in a Box: A Piano Reborn
Miracle in a Box: A Piano Reborn
Narrator
The Jungle Bunch 2: The Great Treasure Quest
5.7
The Jungle Bunch 2: The Great Treasure Quest
Maurice (voice)
Lord John
Lord John
Dreamgirls
6.7
Dreamgirls
Jerry Harris
Broadway: The Next Generation
Broadway: The Next Generation
Self
Best of Enemies
7.2
Best of Enemies
Voice of Gore Vidal
Shrek Stories
8.1
Shrek Stories
Lord Farquaad (voice)
Timms Valley
6.2
Timms Valley
Ol' Gregory Timms
The Oldest Living Graduate
4.0
The Oldest Living Graduate
Clarence
The Glitter Dome
4.5
The Glitter Dome
Sgt. Marty Wellborn
Jimpa
7.2
Jimpa
Jimpa
I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can
7.3
I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can
Mr. Brunner
Ode to Joy: Beethoven's Symphony No. 9
Ode to Joy: Beethoven's Symphony No. 9
Narrator
Miss Sloane
7.4
Miss Sloane
Senator Ronald Sperling
Amazing Stories: The Movie II
Amazing Stories: The Movie II
John Walters (archive footage)
Shakespeare Live! From the RSC
7.2
Shakespeare Live! From the RSC
Self - Performer
Beatriz at Dinner
5.8
Beatriz at Dinner
Doug Strutt
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
6.7
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Goldilocks' Father
Daddy's Home 2
6.3
Daddy's Home 2
Don
Einstein's Big Idea
7.3
Einstein's Big Idea
Narrator (voice) U.S. edition
Buckaroo Banzai Declassified
8.5
Buckaroo Banzai Declassified
Self
ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway
7.2
ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway
Self
Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party
6.3
Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party
Lord Farquaad (singing voice)
The Pulitzer At 100
6.0
The Pulitzer At 100
Self
Pitch Perfect 3
6.5
Pitch Perfect 3
Fergus
Secret Service
9.0
Secret Service
Capt. Thorne
Mister Rogers: It's You I Like
7.9
Mister Rogers: It's You I Like
Self
Late Night
6.4
Late Night
Walter Lovell
Pet Sematary
5.7
Pet Sematary
Jud Crandall
Traveling Man
4.0
Traveling Man
Ben Cluett
The Great Robot Race: The DARPA Grand Challenge
The Great Robot Race: The DARPA Grand Challenge
Narrator
Bombshell
6.8
Bombshell
Roger Ailes
The Amazing Bone
The Amazing Bone
Narrator
Hickory Dickory Doc
Hickory Dickory Doc
Himself
Not in Front of the Children
7.5
Not in Front of the Children
Richard Carruthers
The Tomorrow Man
5.7
The Tomorrow Man
Ed Hemsler
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble
10.0
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble
Narrator
The Best of The Tony Awards: The Plays
The Best of The Tony Awards: The Plays
René Gallimard (segment "M. Butterfly")
Santa Claus: The Making of the Movie
5.4
Santa Claus: The Making of the Movie
Self
The Investigation: A Search for the Truth in Ten Acts
7.6
The Investigation: A Search for the Truth in Ten Acts
President Donald J. Trump
Big Blonde
6.0
Big Blonde
Herbie Morse
The Boys
7.0
The Boys
Artie Margulies
New Year's Eve
5.9
New Year's Eve
Jonathan Cox (uncredited)
John Lithgow's Kid-Sized Concert
5.0
John Lithgow's Kid-Sized Concert
Shrek: Once Upon a Time
7.5
Shrek: Once Upon a Time
Self
The Macabre World of Lavender Williams
6.0
The Macabre World of Lavender Williams
God
Mom, the Wolfman and Me
7.0
Mom, the Wolfman and Me
Wally
Tales from the Crypt: The Robert Zemeckis Collection
8.7
Tales from the Crypt: The Robert Zemeckis Collection
Dr. Oscar Charles
The Country Mouse & the City Mouse: A Christmas Tale
8.0
The Country Mouse & the City Mouse: A Christmas Tale
Alexander (voice)
Myths and Hymns
Myths and Hymns
The Country Girl
10.0
The Country Girl
Paul Unger
Emily @ the Edge of Chaos
Emily @ the Edge of Chaos
Sir Isaac Newton (voice)
Pet Sematary: The Tale of Timmy Baterman
7.0
Pet Sematary: The Tale of Timmy Baterman
Jud Crandall
Killers of the Flower Moon
7.4
Killers of the Flower Moon
Prosecutor Peter Leaward
On Broadway
8.7
On Broadway
Self
Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects
9.0
Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects
Self
Conclave
7.2
Conclave
Tremblay
Show of Titles
Show of Titles
"There's No Business Like Show Business" Performer
2010 : The Odyssey Continues
10.0
2010 : The Odyssey Continues
Himself
Sequestered - Inside Conclave
Sequestered - Inside Conclave
Self
9 Kisses
9 Kisses
Man in Club
Finding Harry: The Craft Behind the Magic
7.7
Finding Harry: The Craft Behind the Magic
Self
3rd Rock from the Sun
7.5
3rd Rock from the Sun
Dick Solomon
How I Met Your Mother
8.1
How I Met Your Mother
Jerry Whittaker
The Tony Danza Show
6.4
The Tony Danza Show
Self
Twenty Good Years
8.5
Twenty Good Years
John Mason
Today
5.7
Today
Self
Tales from the Crypt
8.0
Tales from the Crypt
Dr. Oscar Charles
The View
4.4
The View
Self
Frasier
7.7
Frasier
Madman Martinez (voice)
The Apprentice: Martha Stewart
10.0
The Apprentice: Martha Stewart
The Early Show
6.3
The Early Show
Self
Finding Your Roots
6.2
Finding Your Roots
Self
The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer
7.1
The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer
Self - Guest
Faerie Tale Theatre
8.1
Faerie Tale Theatre
Goldilocks' Father
30 Rock
7.5
30 Rock
John Lithgow
The Colbert Report
6.9
The Colbert Report
Hallmark Hall of Fame
8.8
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Paul Unger
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
7.3
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Self - Guest
Cosby
6.0
Cosby
John Lithgow
VH1 Goes Inside
8.5
VH1 Goes Inside
The West
8.4
The West
Self
American Cinema
8.3
American Cinema
Self - Host
Once Upon a Time in Wonderland
6.8
Once Upon a Time in Wonderland
The White Rabbit (voice)
Dexter
8.2
Dexter
Arthur Mitchell
Live from E!
3.7
Live from E!
Self
NOVA
7.0
NOVA
Narrator
The Daily Show
6.4
The Daily Show
Self
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
6.1
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Self - Guest
The View
4.4
The View
Self - Guest
Amazing Stories
7.5
Amazing Stories
John Walters
Liv Ullmann: A Road Less Travelled
7.7
Liv Ullmann: A Road Less Travelled
Self
Late Night with Seth Meyers
5.2
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Self
Saturday Night Live
7.0
Saturday Night Live
Self - Host
Dexter: New Blood
7.9
Dexter: New Blood
Arthur Mitchell
The Crown
8.2
The Crown
Winston Churchill
World War II: When Lions Roared
6.8
World War II: When Lions Roared
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Trial & Error
7.1
Trial & Error
Larry Henderson
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
5.9
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Self
The Roosevelts: An Intimate History
7.7
The Roosevelts: An Intimate History
James Roosevelt (voice)
The Simpsons
8.0
The Simpsons
Gus (voice)
The Graham Norton Show
7.2
The Graham Norton Show
Self
Sherri
2.7
Sherri
Self - Guest
Hallmark Hall of Fame
8.8
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Major Kendall Laird
Hallmark Hall of Fame
8.8
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Laird Riordan
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
4.1
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
Self - Guest
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
5.0
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
Self - Guest
Perry Mason
7.2
Perry Mason
Elias Birchard 'E.B.' Jonathan
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
6.1
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
The West
8.4
The West
Self / Uriah Oblinger (voice)
James Cameron's Story of Science Fiction
6.8
James Cameron's Story of Science Fiction
Self
The Kelly Clarkson Show
6.4
The Kelly Clarkson Show
Self
Stars in the House
Stars in the House
Self - Special Guest
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
6.2
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
Self
Firing Line with Margaret Hoover
7.5
Firing Line with Margaret Hoover
Prohibition
7.9
Prohibition
Reader / H.L. Mencken (voice)
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
6.1
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Self
The Simpsons
8.0
The Simpsons
John Lithgow (voice)
Great Performances
6.0
Great Performances
Capt. Thorne
The Old Man
7.2
The Old Man
Harold Harper
Conan
7.2
Conan
Self
Golden Globe Awards
7.2
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Nominee
Golden Globe Awards
7.2
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Presenter
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
4.5
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
Self
Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Albus Dumbledore
The Oscars
7.0
The Oscars
Self - Presenter
The One Show
4.4
The One Show
Self
Dexter: Resurrection
8.5
Dexter: Resurrection
Arthur Mitchell
DreamWorks 6 Spooky Stories Collection
7.0
DreamWorks 6 Spooky Stories Collection
Ghost of Farquaad (voice)
Golden Globe Awards
7.2
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Winner
SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night
8.0
SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night
Self
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
7.5
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Self
The Late Late Show with James Corden
5.2
The Late Late Show with James Corden
Self - Guest
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
5.4
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Self - Guest
Tony Awards
Tony Awards
Self - Winner
Tony Awards
Tony Awards
Self - Nominee
Tony Awards
Tony Awards
Self - Presenter
Tony Awards
Tony Awards
Self - Nominee / Performer
Finding Harry: The Craft Behind The Magic
Finding Harry: The Craft Behind The Magic
Himself

Crew

Data provided by TMDB