John Lithgow
Known for: Acting
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).
Filmography
Series
The Simpsons
Gus (voice)
1989
Series
The Simpsons
John Lithgow (voice)
1989
Series
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
Self - Guest
2009
Series
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Self - Guest
2015
Series
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015
Series
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Self
2015
Series
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Self - Guest
2014
Series
Dexter
Arthur Mitchell
2006
Series
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Self
2014
Series
The Daily Show
Self
1996
Series
The Kelly Clarkson Show
Self
2019
Series
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Self
1962
Film
Interstellar
Donald
2014
Series
How I Met Your Mother
Jerry Whittaker
2005
Series
Conan
Self
2010
Series
Frasier
Madman Martinez (voice)
1993
Series
Saturday Night Live
Self - Host
1975
Series
The Graham Norton Show
Self
2007
Series
NOVA
Narrator
1974
Series
Tony Awards
Self - Winner
1956
Series
Tony Awards
Self - Nominee
1956
Series
Tony Awards
Self - Presenter
1956
Series
Tony Awards
Self - Nominee / Performer
1956
Series
The Late Late Show with James Corden
Self - Guest
2015
Series
The Crown
Winston Churchill
2016
Series
The View
Self
1997
Series
The View
Self - Guest
1997
Series
The Colbert Report
2005
Series
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Self - Guest
2003
Series
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Nominee
1944
Series
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Presenter
1944
Series
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Winner
1944
Series
30 Rock
John Lithgow
2006
Series
Great Performances
Capt. Thorne
1971
Series
The One Show
Self
2006
Series
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Self - Guest
1993
Film
Shrek
Lord Farquaad (voice)
2001
Series
Sherri
Self - Guest
2022
Series
3rd Rock from the Sun
Dick Solomon
1996
Series
Tales from the Crypt
Dr. Oscar Charles
1989
Series
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
Self
2014
Series
Dexter: Resurrection
Arthur Mitchell
2025
Series
The Oscars
Self - Presenter
1953
Film
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Charles Rodman
2011
Film
Killers of the Flower Moon
Prosecutor Peter Leaward
2023
Series
Dexter: New Blood
Arthur Mitchell
2021
Film
Conclave
Tremblay
2024
Series
Perry Mason
Elias Birchard 'E.B.' Jonathan
2020
Series
Amazing Stories
John Walters
1985
Series
WIRED's Autocomplete Interviews
Self - Guest
2016
Series
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
Self
2015
Film '72
Self
1971
Film
The Accountant
Lamar Blackburn
2016
The Tony Danza Show
Self
2004
Series
The Old Man
Harold Harper
2022
Series
Stars in the House
Self - Special Guest
2020
Film
This Is 40
Oliver
2012
Series
Faerie Tale Theatre
Goldilocks' Father
1982
Series
Finding Your Roots
Self
2012
Series
Firing Line with Margaret Hoover
2018
Series
Cosby
John Lithgow
1996
Series
Live from E!
Self
2002
Film
Leap Year
Jack Brady
2010
Series
The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer
Self - Guest
2018
Series
Harry Potter
Albus Dumbledore
2026
Series
Today
Self
1952
Series
Trial & Error
Larry Henderson
2017
Film
Cliffhanger
Qualen
1993
Film
Miss Sloane
Senator Ronald Sperling
2016
Film
Pet Sematary
Jud Crandall
2019
Film
The Campaign
Glen Motch
2012
Film
Confessions of a Shopaholic
Edgar West
2009
Film
Spellbound
Bolinar (voice)
2024
Film
2010
Dr. Walter Curnow
1984
Film
Bombshell
Roger Ailes
2019
Film
Daddy's Home 2
Don
2017
Film
The Pelican Brief
Smith Keen
1993
Film
Footloose
Rev. Shaw Moore
1984
Film
Blow Out
Burke
1981
Film
Pitch Perfect 3
Fergus
2017
Film
New Year's Eve
Jonathan Cox (uncredited)
2011
Series
SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night
Self
2025
Film
Dreamgirls
Jerry Harris
2006
Series
James Cameron's Story of Science Fiction
Self
2018
Film
Late Night
Walter Lovell
2019
Film
Twilight Zone: The Movie
Valentine
1983
Film
Harry and the Hendersons
George Henderson
1987
Film
Terms of Endearment
Sam Burns
1983
Series
Once Upon a Time in Wonderland
The White Rabbit (voice)
2013
Series
Liv Ullmann: A Road Less Travelled
Self
2023
Series
Prohibition
Reader / H.L. Mencken (voice)
2011
Film
Sharper
Richard Hobbes
2023
Film
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
Lord John Whorfin
1984
Film
The Bubble
Tom the Studio Chairman
2022
Film
The Homesman
Reverend Alfred Dowd
2014
Film
Ricochet
Earl Talbott Blake
1991
Film
Rugrats in Paris: The Movie
Jean-Claude (voice)
2000
Film
All That Jazz
Lucas Sergeant
1979
Film
Shrek 3-D
Ghost of Farquaad (voice)
2004
Film
Orange County
Bud Brumder
2002
Film
The Rule of Jenny Pen
Dave Crealy
2025
Series
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
Self - Guest
1996
Film
A Civil Action
Judge Walter J. Skinner
1998
Film
Obsession
Robert Lasalle
1976
Film
The Day After
Joe Huxley
1983
Film
Finding Harry: The Craft Behind the Magic
Self
2026
Series
Twenty Good Years
John Mason
2006
Film
The World According to Garp
Roberta Muldoon
1982
Series
DreamWorks 6 Spooky Stories Collection
Ghost of Farquaad (voice)
2003
Film
The Life and Death of Peter Sellers
Blake Edwards
2004
Series
The Early Show
Self
1999
Film
Memphis Belle
Bruce Derringer
1990
Series
The Roosevelts: An Intimate History
James Roosevelt (voice)
2014
Series
The West
Self
1996
Series
The West
Self / Uriah Oblinger (voice)
1996
Series
American Cinema
Self - Host
1994
Film
Kinsey
Alfred Seguine Kinsey
2004
The Apprentice: Martha Stewart
2005
Film
Raising Cain
Carter Nix / Cain / Dr. Nix / Josh / Margo
1992
Film
Distant Thunder
Mark Lambert
1988
Film
Santa Claus: The Movie
B.Z.
1985
VH1 Goes Inside
2003
Film
Beatriz at Dinner
Doug Strutt
2017
Film
Cabrini
Mayor Gould
2024
Film
Princess Caraboo
Professor Wilkinson
1994
Series
Finding Harry: The Craft Behind The Magic
Himself
2026
Film
Jimpa
Jimpa
2026
Film
Love Is Strange
Ben
2014
Series
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Paul Unger
1951
Series
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Major Kendall Laird
1951
Series
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Laird Riordan
1951
Film
Inside 'Interstellar'
Self
2015
Film
Broadway: The Next Generation
Self
Film
The Manhattan Project
John Mathewson
1986
Film
Resting Place
Maj. Kendall Laird
1986
Film
The Tuskegee Airmen
Senator Conyers
1995
Film
ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway
Self
2007
Film
Silent Fall
Dr. Rene Harlinger
1994
Series
World War II: When Lions Roared
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
1994
Film
The Big Fix
Sam Sebastian
1978
Film
At Play in the Fields of the Lord
Leslie Huben
1991
Film
Best of Enemies
Voice of Gore Vidal
2015
Film
Don Quixote
Don Quixote de La Mancha / Alonso Quixano
2000
Film
Out Cold
Dave
1989
Film
Homegrown
Malcolm / Robert Stockman
1998
Film
Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects
Self
1994
Not in Front of the Children
Richard Carruthers
1982
Film
Show of Titles
"There's No Business Like Show Business" Performer
2021
Film
The Tomorrow Man
Ed Hemsler
2019
Film
Shakespeare Live! From the RSC
Self - Performer
2016
Film
Einstein's Big Idea
Narrator (voice) U.S. edition
2005
Film
Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic
Self
2023
Film
9 Kisses
Man in Club
2014
Film
I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can
Mr. Brunner
1982
Film
Love, Cheat & Steal
Paul Harrington
1993
Film
Buckaroo Banzai Declassified
Self
2002
Film
Night of 100 Stars III
Self
1990
Film
Happy Birthday, Bugs! 50 Looney Years
Self
1990
Film
The Glitter Dome
Sgt. Marty Wellborn
1984
Film
Shrek: Once Upon a Time
Self
2011
Film
Redwood Curtain
Laird Riordan
1995
Film
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Goldilocks' Father
1984
Film
Amazing Stories: The Movie II
John Walters (archive footage)
1990
Film
On Broadway
Self
2019
Film
The Macabre World of Lavender Williams
God
2009
Film
Johnny Skidmarks
Sergeant Larry Skovik
1998
Film
Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party
Lord Farquaad (singing voice)
2001
Film
A Good Man in Africa
Arthur Fanshawe, British High Commissioner
1994
Film
Live in Front of a Studio Audience: The Facts of Life and Diff'rent Strokes
Philip Drummond
2021
Film
Emily @ the Edge of Chaos
Sir Isaac Newton (voice)
2021
Film
The Best of The Tony Awards: The Plays
René Gallimard (segment "M. Butterfly")
2006
Film
Mesmerized
Oliver Thompson
1985
Film
Tales from the Crypt: The Robert Zemeckis Collection
Dr. Oscar Charles
1999
Film
Marvin Hamlisch: What He Did For Love
Self
2013
Film
Casting By
Self
2012
Film
The Jungle Bunch 2: The Great Treasure Quest
Maurice (voice)
2014
Film
The Boys
Artie Margulies
1991
Film
Hollow Point
Thomas Livingston
1996
Film
Rich Kids
Paul Philips
1979
Film
Mister Rogers: It's You I Like
Self
2018
Film
Special Effects: Anything Can Happen
Narrator
1996
Baby Girl Scott
Neil Scott
1987
Film
Giant
Roald Dahl
2026
Film
Bark, George
2003
My Brother's Keeper
Tom Bradley / Bob Bradley
1995
Film
Timms Valley
Ol' Gregory Timms
2013
Film
2010 : The Odyssey Continues
Himself
1984
Film
Pet Sematary: The Tale of Timmy Baterman
Jud Crandall
2018
Film
The Wrong Man
Phillip Mills
1993
Film
Shrek Stories
Lord Farquaad (voice)
2013
Film
Big Blonde
Herbie Morse
1980
Film
Chez Bob
2022
Film
The Country Girl
Paul Unger
1974
Film
Ivory Hunters
Robert Carter
1990
Film
The Oldest Living Graduate
Clarence
1980
Film
The Amazing Bone
Narrator
1987
Film
The Pulitzer At 100
Self
2017
Film
Dealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues
John
1972
Film
Traveling Man
Ben Cluett
1989
Film
Give My Regards to Broadway
Self
2020
Film
Footloose: A Modern Musical
Self
2004
Film
Secret Service
Capt. Thorne
1977
Sangre
Cafe chef and owner
2006
Film
Myths and Hymns
2021
Film
Mom, the Wolfman and Me
Wally
1980
Lord John
2015
Film
Officer Buckle and Gloria
Narrator (voice)
1997
Film
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble
Narrator
1993
Film
Art Happens Here with John Lithgow
Self
2024
Film
Car of the Future
Narrator
2008
Film
The Great Robot Race: The DARPA Grand Challenge
Narrator
2006
Film
Projections of America
Self - Narrator (voice)
2015
Film
John Lithgow's Kid-Sized Concert
1990
Film
National Theatre Live: The Magistrate
Posket
2013
Film
Hickory Dickory Doc
Himself
2017
Film
The Investigation: A Search for the Truth in Ten Acts
President Donald J. Trump
2019
Ode to Joy: Beethoven's Symphony No. 9
Narrator
2016
Film
The Country Mouse & the City Mouse: A Christmas Tale
Alexander (voice)
1993
Film
95 Worlds and Counting
Narrator
2000
Film
They All Saw a Cat
2017
Film
Stallone on the Edge: The Making of Cliffhanger
Self
1993
Dogs and More Dogs
Narrator
2004
Film
Miracle in a Box: A Piano Reborn
Narrator
2009
Film
Santa Claus: The Making of the Movie
Self
1985