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John Lithgow
Scroll down for movie list.
Spouse
'Mary Yeager' (1981 - present); 1 son, Nathan, 1 daughter, Phoebe
'Jean Taynton' (10 September 1966 - 1980) (divorced); 1 son, Ian
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Trivia
Graduated from Princeton High School, Princeton, NJ
Graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University (1967)
Studied at London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
Was named a Fulbright scholar
Father of Ian Lithgow
Hosted the Welcoming Reception for UCLA's new Chancellor Carnesale
Claims that his most difficult performance was in "Twilight Zone" because he had to portray fear of the monster, although he couldn't really see it.
Graduated from Harvard University, with a BA in history and literature. Daughter, Phoebe (b. 1982)
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Personal quotes
About the constant time-slot changes and ultimate cancellation of 3rd Rock from the Sun: "If NBC had set out to ruin it, they couldn't have done a better job. They kept trying to use us as a weapon instead of a show to be taken care of. It would have been nice to have stayed a big hit, but I'd rather be a great show that nobody was watching than a lousy show that was a big hit, which is the case for most of the others."
Biography from Leonard Maltin's Movie Encyclopedia:
"The Wall Street Journal" once called Lithgow "the film character actor of his generation." Indeed, he has created an extraordinary gallery of villains, nice guys, and genuine flakes. Lithgow grew up around theater peoplehis father ran a theater in New Jersey and produced Shakespeare festivals in Ohioand studied at Harvard, as well as at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts on a Fulbright scholarship. After performing with the Royal Court Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, he moved back to New York and won a Tony for his Broadway debut in "The Changing Room." He subsequently appeared in many other Broadway and off-Broadway plays, in addition to directing for regional companies. He made his film debut, as a bad guy, in Dealing: or The Berkeley-toBoston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues (1972) and followed with supporting roles in Obsession (1976, another baddie, his first for Brian DePalma), The Big Fix (1978), All That Jazz, Rich Kids (both 1979) and Blow Out (1981, another wild-eyed villain for DePalma). He then captured the attention of critics and moviegoers alike with his remarkable performance as transexual Roberta Muldoon in The World According to Garp (1982), which earned him an Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actor.
Lithgow went on to prove that he could take on practically any kind of role: a ter- rified airline passenger in Twilight ZoneThe Movie (1983), Debra Winger's painfully shy lover in Terms of Endearment (1983, another Oscar nomination), the insane, electricity-eating Dr. Lizardo in The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension (1984), a dance-hating minister in Footloose (1984), and a spacebound scientist in 2010 (1984). Lithgow has had his share of movie misfires-Santa Claus (1985), The Manhattan Project (1986), Harry and the Hendersons (1987), Distant Thunder (1988), Out Cold (1989), and Memphis Belle (1990)-but most recently has come to the fore again playing over-the-top villains, in Ricochet (1991), Brian De Palma's Raising Cain (1992), and the smash hit Cliffhanger (1993). Lithgow has continued to work on stage between films, in a revival of "Requiem for a Heavyweight" and the acclaimed "M. Butterfly." He has also appeared in numerous TV movies like The Day After and A Resting Place and earned an Emmy for an episode of "Amazing Stories." A father of three, Lithgow also entertains for children and released a videotape: "John Lithgow's Kid-Size Concert." Other credits include The Pelican Brief (1993), Princess Caraboo, World War II: When Lions Roared (1994 telefilm, as F.D.R.), and Silent Fall (also 1994). |  |
