John Lithgow Biography
John Lithgow is an American actor known for films like "2010: The Year We Make Contact," "3rd Rock from the Sun," "Interstellar," "Conclave," and the series "Dexter." In early 2025, it was announced that he'll play Professor Albus Dumbledore in the upcoming "Harry Potter" series.Lithgow's filmography spans over 100 credits (and that's not counting his theater work), he's been nominated for two Oscars, but the actor has almost never been seen in leading roles. "I'm Mr. Supporting Player, and there's nothing wrong with that," John says about his own career.
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imdb.com
Childhood and Youth
John was born in Rochester, New York, on October 19, 1945. Art ran in the family: his mother, Sarah Jane, was a former actress, while his father, Arthur Washington Lithgow III, worked as a theater director, producer, and administrator.The boy was the third child in the family. He grew up alongside his older brother David and older sister Robin. Later, he gained a younger sister, Sarah.
As the actor recalled, one of his earliest memories was standing under a waterfall in Ithaca at age two, with cold water pouring over his head.
Growing up, Lithgow moved around constantly with his parents. The family lived for a time in Yellow Springs, Ohio. As a teenager, John found himself in Akron and Lakewood in the same state, then later in Princeton, New Jersey. Lithgow fondly remembered his parents, who despite the regular relocations, managed to give their children a sense of security and stability.
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daytondailynews.com
In 1963, after finishing high school in Princeton, Lithgow began studying English literature and history at Harvard College. It was at Harvard that John got seriously involved in acting and directing. At the time, he felt like the most creative person in the world, according to his own account. He was more experienced than all the other students:
After completing his education in 1967 with a bachelor's degree, John won a Fulbright scholarship that allowed him to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. In the British capital, John Lithgow continued honing his acting skills.I was already an experienced actor and became something of a campus star. At 18, I played Gloucester in King Lear. People asked, 'Where did this guy come from?' I was much better than the person playing Lear.
In 1970, he returned home and worked for a year in his father's theater, but working full-time under his dad felt... weird. In 1970, he moved to New York, but ended up sitting without work in his field for two years, picking up shifts at a radio station and driving taxi. His towering height (6'4") made it tough: passengers constantly asked him to move his seat back. "It nearly paralyzed me," Lithgow joked.
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classmates.com
Theater
Lithgow's full-fledged stage debut in the US came on Broadway in 1973 – he stepped onto the stage in "The Changing Room," a production that showed what happens in a men's locker room before, during, and after a football game.Even though Lithgow's role in this play by David Storey wasn't the lead, the actor won a Tony Award – America's top honor for theatrical achievement – in the Best Actor category for this work, along with a Drama Desk Award.
In 2002, Lithgow won another Tony and Drama Desk Award as best actor. This time – for his work in the musical "Sweet Smell of Success," based on the film of the same name. In this production, he played the lead role of J.J. Hunsecker. The show itself received a lukewarm response from critics and was labeled a commercial failure in the press – the $10 million investment didn't pay off. Out of seven Tony nominations for the production and its actors, and ten Drama Desk Award nominations, only Lithgow took home the prize.
In 2005, Lithgow was once again nominated for a Tony as best actor – for his work in the musical "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels." That same year, he was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame for his achievements on Broadway stages.
Film Career
John Lithgow got his first taste of cinema back in 1972, playing a theater director named John who gets the main character Peter involved in drug dealing in the drama "Dealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues."Lithgow's first notable film role came in the thriller "Obsession" (1976). His character Robert LaSalle is an unpleasant man who deliberately destroys the life of his business partner Michael Courtland.
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imdb.com
In 1982, the feminist drama "The World According to Garp" hit screens with Lithgow taking on what was considered a bold role for the time – a woman who was previously a man. This performance earned the actor his first Oscar nomination, though he didn't take home the statue.
Two years later, he appeared as one of the central characters, Dr. Walter Curnow, in Stanley Kubrick's "2010: The Year We Make Contact," and once again received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor – this time for his role as Sam Burns in the tragicomedy "Terms of Endearment," which received 11 Oscar nominations and won 5 statues. But Lithgow didn't win the Oscar – the award went to his "Terms of Endearment" co-star Jack Nicholson.
Many remember him from the crime film "Mesmerized," where his character Oliver Thompson was once again at the center of the plot, with Jodie Foster as his co-star. The film hit screens in 1985. That same year, audiences saw Lithgow as the main Christmas wizard in the family film "Santa Claus: The Movie."
Moving forward, the actor was frequently offered leading roles. For example, in the thrillers "The Manhattan Project" and "Ricochet," in the social drama "Distant Thunder," or in the adventure film "Ivory Hunters."
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imdb.com
For this role, the actor was nominated six consecutive times for an Emmy Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series. He won three times.
John Lithgow also got to take on the role of Don Quixote. He played the fearless and noble hero in the adventure comedy "Don Quixote," which hit screens in 2000.
Many remember Lithgow from the fourth season of "Dexter," where he played serial killer Arthur Mitchell – and in 2009 was awarded a Golden Globe for this performance.
In 2016, he transformed into Winston Churchill for "The Crown" — the buzzworthy US-UK collaboration. Lithgow said Churchill added to his collection of contradictory characters that directors love casting him as:
Other notable recent work includes Cardinal Tremblay in the Oscar-nominated Best Picture contender "Conclave" and villain Jake Crealey in "Hold Your Breath" — both released in 2024.I'm a nice, ordinary, somewhat boring person who plays crazy people. People come to me when a character has two opposing sides. That's why I loved playing Churchill in 'The Crown.' A man full of contradictions: charming and terrible.
Behind the Scenes
Beyond his on-screen work, John Lithgow has also voiced numerous animated characters. His distinctive delivery largely created the pompous Lord Farquaad from "Shrek."
In 2024, the animated fairy tale "Spellbound" hit screens, with the actor voicing Bolinar.
Books and Music
Beyond film and theater, Lithgow has pursued writing, particularly children's books about Marsupial Sue — a little kangaroo.In 1999, he released the children's music album "Singin' in the Bathtub," followed three years later by another kids' album — "Farkle and Friends," created as musical accompaniment to Lithgow's book "The Remarkable Farkle McBride."
John Lithgow's Personal Life
The actor first tied the knot in 1966 when he was 21 years old. He married a teacher named Jean Taynton, whom he met while performing together on stage during college breaks. Their son Ian was born in 1972.The early years of marriage were tough: he couldn't land acting work, so they had to live on his wife's teaching salary. Everything changed in 1973 thanks to the success of the play "The Changing Room."
John Lithgow appeared alongside his older son in the series "3rd Rock from the Sun." Ian played a small role as a student who comes to classes taught by Lithgow's character, Dick Solomon. Though Ian acted in theater during his childhood and teens, he later studied to become a clinical psychologist and now works as a practicing specialist in that field. He's married and raised two children.
That same year, a friend introduced John to Mary Yeager, a history professor at UCLA. As it turned out, she knew about their upcoming date, but Lithgow didn't. He showed up to what was a spontaneous meeting for him looking less than his best:
John saw it as a sign from above that Mary's house was located at the corner of Montana Street and Harvard Avenue, since he'd once studied at Harvard. Their relationship moved fast, and John and Mary married in 1981.She knew about our date, but nobody told me. I was there, sweaty, in borrowed tennis clothes. She looked like a picture. It was love at first sight.
Even though Lithgow once mentioned in an interview that "actors and professors shouldn't marry – they're just too different," their marriage remains strong. They had daughter Phoebe in 1982 (she graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and went into medicine), and son Nathan in 1983 (he works in the restaurant business).
Source:
people.com
John Lithgow Now
In February 2025, news broke that the 79-year-old actor agreed to join the cast of the Harry Potter book series adaptation. In the new screen version, Lithgow was offered the role of Professor Dumbledore.Filming was scheduled to begin in 2025, with the first season likely premiering in 2027.
