Updated Feb 20, 2026
Details
Known For
Actor
Occupations
Poet, Stage actor, Musician, Actor
Birthday
(Friday)
Nationality
Citizenship
United States
Languages
English
Spouse
Mary Yeager
Children
1 child: Ian Lithgow
Parents
Arthur Lithgow, Sara Jane Lithgow
Education
London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, Harvard College, Princeton High School
Zodiac Sign
♎ Libra
Chinese Zodiac
鸡 Rooster
Name Origin
English < Hebrew (יוֹחָנָן)
Popularity
Tier A -- 125,625 Wikipedia views/month
DROPTHE_ GOSSIP
Career
Career spanning 48 years (1977-2025)
Screen debut
First screen credit at age 31
Year context
Born in 1945 -- WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Japan; UN founded; Franklin D. Roosevelt / Harry S. Truman was US president
Year 1945 →
Zodiac
Born in the Year of the Rooster
DROPTHE GOOD_
17
Notable
out of 100
Most people on Earth score 0. Only those with measurable positive impact appear on this scale.
Human Impact
1
Innovation
0
Giving
0
Sustainability
100
Cultural Uplift
63
Public Vote
★
★
★
★
★
Be the first to vote
Filmography (49)
AWARDS (21)
G
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
2017
WON
G
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
2017
WON
G
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
2010
WON
B
honorary doctor of Harvard University
2005
WON
Biography
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 transsexual 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)
Connections (4)
Related People
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is John Lithgow?
John Lithgow is 80 years old, born on .
Where was John Lithgow born?
John Lithgow was born in Rochester, New York, USA.
What movies or shows has John Lithgow been in?
John Lithgow has 49 credits in our database. Notable titles include Jimpa (2026), The Rule of Jenny Pen (2025), Dexter: Resurrection (2025), Cabrini (2024), Conclave (2024).
What is John Lithgow known for?
John Lithgow is primarily known as an actor. 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…
Where can I find more information about John Lithgow?
You can find more about John Lithgow on IMDB, TMDB, Wikidata. Their full profile and filmography is available on this page.
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