John Lithgow
(1945 - )Although he has achieved stardom of a sort, John Lithgow is basically a character actor. He can play lead roles but is best in character parts. He is equally adept at comedy and drama and can play serious Shakespeare as well. He has been around for years but it is only from the 1990s that he has reached his peak and received the awards and accolades due him. An interesting looking man, he is tall (6’ 4”), somewhat gangly with blonde wavy, but receding, hair, blue expressive eyes and a smiling face. His tenorish, gargly voice works well for him in comedy roles. He can play any role from the most despicable of villains to a wide variety of amiable type characters. He was born John Arthur Lithgow on October 19, 1945 in Rochester, New York, the son of a theatrical producer of Shakespearean plays. He was destined to a life in the acting profession. He made his acting debut at age 6 and was exposed to theatre throughout his youth. He attended college at Harvard and upon graduation in 1967 he studied acting in London on a Fulbright scholarship. He studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and later the Royal Shakespeare Company. He enjoyed a triumphant return to Broadway winning a Tony award for his work in “The Changing Room.” His film and television careers got off to slower starts but eventually he made his mark. His films included: “Dealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues” (1972) as John, listed as his film debut; “Obsession” (1976) as Robert Lasalle; “The Big Fix” (1978) as Sam Sebastian/Spitzler; “Rich Kids” (1979) as Paul Philips; “All That Jazz” (1979) as Lucas Sergeant; “Blow Out” (1981) as Burke; “The World According to Garp” (1982) with Robin Williams and Glenn Close, as Roberta Muldoon a transvestite, where he stole every scene in which he appeared and earned an Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actor; “Twilight Zone: The Movie” (1983) as John Valentine, a terrified airplane passenger, a terrific role; “Terms of Endearment” (1983) as Sam Burns, his second Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actor; “Footloose” (1984) as Rev. Shaw Moore, another scene stealing role; “The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai” (1984) as Dr. Emilio Lizardo/Lord John Whorfin; “2010” (1984) as Walter Curnow; “Santa Claus” (1985) as B.Z.; “The Manhattan Project” (1986) as Dr. John Mathewson; “Harry and the Hendersons” (1987) as George Henderson; “Memphis Belle” (1990) as Lt. Col. Bruce Derringer; “L.A. Story” (1991) with Steve Martin, as Harry Zell; “At Play in the Fields of the Lord” (1991) with Tom Berenger, as Leslie Huben; “Cliffhanger” (1993) as Eric Qualen, a nasty villain; “The Pelican Brief” (1993) as Smith Keen; “Princess Caraboo” (1994) as Prof. Wilkinson; “Hollow Point” (1995) as Thomas Livingston; “A Civil Action” (1998) with John Travolta, as Judge Walter J. Skinner; the animated film “Rugrats in Paris: The Movie” (2000) as Voice of Jean-Paul; “Shrek” (2001) as Voice of Lord Farquaad and “Orange County” (2001). On TV he was a regular on the series: “American Cinema” (1994) as Host; “3rd Rock from the Sun” (1996-2001) as Dick Solomon, for which he has received numerous awards and nominations including American Comedy Award, Golden Globe; Screen Actors Guild and Emmy Awards. He has appeared in many TV movies including: “The Day After” (1983); “The Glitter Dome” (1984); “The Wrong Man” (1993) “The Tuskegee Airmen” (1995) and “Don Quixote” (2000). He has guested on such series as: “Amazing Stories” for which he won an Emmy in the episode “The Doll”; “Tales from the Crypt”; “Frasier” and “Cosby.” He was married to Jean Taynton in 1966 and they had a son Ian who is an actor. He divorced Jean in 1980. His 2nd wife Mary, whom he married in 1981, is a history professor at UCLA and they have two children: a son Nathan and a daughter Phoebe. Luckily for his fans, this very talented actor continues to pursue his career both on stage, in films and on television.
From Great Character Actors, Page 8.
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