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Quick Facts
- NAME: John Lithgow
- OCCUPATION: Actor
- BIRTH DATE: October 19, 1945 (Age: 67)
- EDUCATION: Harvard University, London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Rochester, New York
- Full Name: John Arthur Lithgow
- ZODIAC SIGN: Libra
Best Known For
Equally versed in comedy and drama, John Lithgow has won raves for his work in World According to Garp, 3rd Rock from the Sun, and Dexter.
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Play NowJohn Arthur Lithgow. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 11:04, May 21, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/john-lithgow-20687869.
John Arthur Lithgow. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/john-lithgow-20687869 [Accessed 21 May 2013].
"John Arthur Lithgow." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 21 2013, 11:04 http://www.biography.com/people/john-lithgow-20687869.
"John Arthur Lithgow," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/john-lithgow-20687869 [accessed May 21, 2013].
"John Arthur Lithgow," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/john-lithgow-20687869 (accessed May 21, 2013).
John Arthur Lithgow [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 21] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/john-lithgow-20687869.
John Arthur Lithgow, http://www.biography.com/people/john-lithgow-20687869 (last visited May 21, 2013).
John Arthur Lithgow. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/john-lithgow-20687869. Accessed May 21, 2013.
Synopsis
A multitalented performer, John Lithgow was born on October 19, 1945, in Rochester, New York. He first found success on Broadway in the early 1970s. By the 1980s, Lithgow had earned fame for his critically acclaimed roles in such films as The World According to Garp and Footloose. He scored big hits on television as well, starring in the popular 90s sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun and winning Golden Globe and Emmy awards for his guest appearance on Dexter in 2010.
Contents
Quotes
"I actually didn't want to go into the theater; I wanted to resist it. It was the family business. I grew up doing a huge amount of acting in my dad's companies; but through my whole childhood, I wanted to be an artist—a painter and a printmaker. But I got to college and fell into the theater gang, and that was that."
Early Years
John Lithgow was born into a theatrical family. His father, Arthur, worked as a producer and director and his mother, Sarah Jane, acted. Lithgow moved with his family several times for his father's work, and it was in one of his father's productions that a 6-year-old Lithgow first took the stage. But while he appeared in a number of Shakespearean plays growing up, Lithgow was more interested in becoming a fine artist. "I actually didn't want to go into the theater; I wanted to resist it. It was the family business," Lithgow later reflected. "I grew up doing a huge amount of acting in my dad's companies; but through my whole childhood, I wanted to be an artist—a painter and a printmaker. But I got to college and fell into the theater gang, and that was that."
Lithgow switched career paths while a student at Harvard College, when he appeared in a production of Gilbert and Sullivan's Utopia Limited. The thespian was won over by the adulation from the audience for his performance. After that show, he decided to become an actor. After graduation in 1967, Lithgow went to England on a Fulbright Scholarship. There, he studied at the prestigious London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
Star of the Stage
When he returned to the United States, Lithgow worked as a director for his father's theatrical company. He sought out acting roles, too, but with little success at first. In 1972, however, Lithgow landed a role that would launch his career: He played rugby star Kendall in The Changing Room, in a play by David Storey.
Originally performing at the Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut, Lithgow stayed with The Changing Room when it moved to Broadway in 1973. The show brought him critical acclaim, and his first Tony Award. More significant stage roles soon followed, ranging from comedies, such as the humorous My Fat Friend with Lynn Redgrave, to dramas like the revival of Anna Christie with Liv Ullmann.
Film and Television Success
Lithgow's film career got its start with help from his friend Brian De Palma. De Palma recommended Lithgow for his first film role in Dealing (1972), and later cast him in his own thriller, Obsession (1976). But it was their next collaboration that raised Lithgow's profile in Hollywood. In 1981's Blow Out, he gave an impressive performance as a cold-blooded killer. Lithgow also wowed critics and audiences alike with his portrayal of a transsexual former football player in The World According to Garp, starring Robin Williams.
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