John Lithgow
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).
55Credits25 TV · 30 films
1951–2026Years activefirst to latest
10.0 Highest ratedThe Country Girl
7.7 Average ratingacross 54 titles
Top TV shows 25best John Lithgow shows
- 1
Hallmark Hall of FamePaul Unger · 1 ep · 1951 - 2
Dexter: ResurrectionArthur Mitchell · 1 ep · 2025 - 3
Twenty Good YearsJohn Mason · 13 eps · 2006 - 4
DexterArthur Mitchell · 12 eps · 2006 - 5
The CrownWinston Churchill · 12 eps · 2016 - 6
How I Met Your MotherJerry Whittaker · 4 eps · 2005 - 7
Faerie Tale TheatreGoldilocks' Father · 1 ep · 1982 - 8
The SimpsonsGus (voice) · 1 ep · 1989 - 9
Tales from the CryptDr. Oscar Charles · 1 ep · 1989 - 10
Dexter: New BloodArthur Mitchell · 1 ep · 2021 - 11
ProhibitionReader / H.L. Mencken (voice) · 3 eps · 2011 - 12
The Roosevelts: An Intimate HistoryJames Roosevelt (voice) · 7 eps · 2014 - 13
FrasierMadman Martinez (voice) · 1 ep · 1993 - 14
3rd Rock from the SunDick Solomon · 139 eps · 1996 - 15
30 RockJohn Lithgow · 1 ep · 2006 - 16
Amazing StoriesJohn Walters · 1 ep · 1985 - 17
The Old ManHarold Harper · 15 eps · 2022 - 18
Perry MasonElias Birchard 'E.B.' Jonathan · 8 eps · 2020 - 19
Trial & ErrorLarry Henderson · 13 eps · 2017 - 20
NOVANarrator · 6 eps · 1974 - 21
DreamWorks 6 Spooky Stories CollectionGhost of Farquaad (voice) · 1 ep · 2003 - 22
Once Upon a Time in WonderlandThe White Rabbit (voice) · 13 eps · 2013 - 23
Great PerformancesCapt. Thorne · 1 ep · 1971 - 24
CosbyJohn Lithgow · 1 ep · 1996 - 25
Harry PotterAlbus Dumbledore · 1 ep · 2026
Top movies 30best John Lithgow movies
- 1
The Country GirlPaul Unger · 1974 - 2
Special Effects: Anything Can HappenNarrator · 1996 - 3
Sylvester and the Magic PebbleNarrator · 1993 - 4
Secret ServiceCapt. Thorne · 1977 - 5
Tales from the Crypt: The Robert Zemeckis CollectionDr. Oscar Charles · 1999 - 6
InterstellarDonald · 2014 · Adventure - 7
Officer Buckle and GloriaNarrator (voice) · 1997 - 8
JimpaJimpa · 2026 - 9
Shrek StoriesLord Farquaad (voice) · 2013 - 10
The Country Mouse & the City Mouse: A Christmas TaleAlexander (voice) · 1993 - 11
CabriniMayor Gould · 2024 - 12
ShrekLord Farquaad (voice) · 2001 · Animation - 13
The Investigation: A Search for the Truth in Ten ActsPresident Donald J. Trump · 2019 - 14
All That JazzLucas Sergeant · 1979 - 15
Live in Front of a Studio Audience: The Facts of Life and Diff'rent StrokesPhilip Drummond · 2021 - 16Not in Front of the ChildrenRichard Carruthers · 1982
- 17Baby Girl ScottNeil Scott · 1987
- 18
Miss SloaneSenator Ronald Sperling · 2016 - 19
Killers of the Flower MoonProsecutor Peter Leaward · 2023 · Crime - 20
Blow OutBurke · 1981 - 21
I'm Dancing as Fast as I CanMr. Brunner · 1982 - 22
Rise of the Planet of the ApesCharles Rodman · 2011 · Thriller - 23
Einstein's Big IdeaNarrator (voice) U.S. edition · 2005 - 24
ConclaveTremblay · 2024 · Drama - 25
Best of EnemiesVoice of Gore Vidal · 2015 - 26
The AccountantLamar Blackburn · 2016 · Crime - 27
Terms of EndearmentSam Burns · 1982 - 28
The Tuskegee AirmenSenator Conyers · 1995 - 29
BombshellRoger Ailes · 2019 · Drama - 30
Pet SemataryJud Crandall · 2019 · Horror
