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John Lithgow (b. October 19, 1945) is an American actor born in Rochester, New York to a former actress and a theater director and producer. He grew up in Ohio and spent his childhood moving around with his father, who managed local college theaters and Shakespeare festivals. The family settled in Princeton, New Jersey when Lithgow was sixteen and his father took on the job as head of McCarter Theater. He attended Harvard College where he truly began to pursue acting. He then attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art on a Fulbright Scholarship. His thorough education formed the foundation for what would be a great multiple award-winning acting career beginning mainly in theater and eventually covering film and television.
Lithgow started his acting career with a bang, winning a Tony Award just three weeks into his Broadway debut in 1973 appearing in David Storey's The Changing Room. Eighteen more Broadway appearances followed and his performances earned him another Tony award and three Tony nominations as well as four Drama Desk Awards and an induction into the Theatre Hall of Fame.
Lithgow began appearing on television in the early 70s in films such as Secret Sevice, Rich Kids and All That Jazz. He worked often in television throughout the eighties and appeared in Twilight Zone: The Movie, Terms of Endearment, The Day After, Faerie Tale Theatre, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, and Amazing Stories. He also began to gain prominence in films, appearing in the sequel to the classic2001: A Space Odyssey, 2010: The Year We Make Contact, Santa Claus, The Manhattan Project, and Harry and the Hendersons.
In the 90s he took on the role that would make him memorable to scifi comedy fans, Dr. Dick Solomon on the sitcom, 3rd Rock from the Sun. He played the role for six seasons, until the series ended in 2001 and won a Golden Globe and two Screen Actors Guild awards. Also in the 90s, he appeared in Cliffhanger with Sylvester Stallone, The Pelican Brief with Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington, and Silent Fall. He also guest starred on the horror series Tales from the Crypt, and Frasier.
In 2000, he took on the role of Don Qixote de La Mancha in the TV production based on the classic novel. He also lent his voice to Rugrats in Paris: The Movie and the 2001 hit animated film Shrek. In 2004, Lithgow appeared in two Golden Globe-nominated dramas, The life and Death of Peter Sellers and Kinsey. In 2006, he appeared in several episodes of Twenty Good Years and appeared in a small role in the hit, Dreamgirls.
Lithgow began writing children's books in 1988. Seven of them have become New York Times best sellers. He has also compiled classic poems for young people. His writing has earned him two Parent's Choice Silver Honor Awards and he has also been nominated for four Grammy Awards.
Lithgow lives in Los Angeles with wife, Mary, a UCLA professor. He has three adult children and a granddaughter.
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