Trivia

He attended Harvard College and graduated with a Bachelor's degree magna cum laude in history and literature (1967). He lived in Adams House as an undergraduate. Lithgow later served on Harvard's Board of Overseers.

He was named a Fulbright scholar.

The role of Frasier Craine (first on Cheers then the spin-off) was written with Lithgow in mind. He's said years later, "Kelsey [Grammer] did a fine job!".

Despite being known for playing characters who are often pompous and unlikable or outright villainous, he has been described by many of his co-stars as an extremely kind and friendly man and a pleasure to work with.

Even though his parents were both actors, he was inspired to get into acting by Peter Sellers.

He is an accomplished guitar player.

As a youth, John and his siblings were often babysat by Coretta Scott (later Coretta Scott King) in Yellow Springs, Ohio.

He was called in to replace another actor in Terms of Endearment (1983), and his role was filmed in three days during a break from filming Footloose (1984).

He claims that his most difficult performance was in Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983) because he had to portray fear of the monster, although he could not really see it.

His wife Mary Yeager is an economics professor at the University of California, Los Angeles.

He is a registered pastor of Rose Ministries and has officiated the wedding of his goddaughter.

He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Television at 6666 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on May 2, 2001.

He is a celebrity spokesperson for Campbell Select soups since 2006.

He has won two Tony Awards: in 1973, as Best Supporting or Featured Actor (Dramatic) for David Storey's "The Changing Room"; and in 2002, as Best Actor (Musical) for "Sweet Smell of Success." He has also been nominated on three occasions for Tonys -- two for Best Actor (Play): for "Requiem for a Heavyweight" (1985) and "M. Butterfly." (1988), and once for Best Actor (Musical): for "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" (2005).

He has provided the voice of Yoda in the NPR radio dramatizations of "The Empire Strikes Back" (1983) and "Return of the Jedi" (1996).

He studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA).

As of 2024, he has appeared in three films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: All That Jazz (1979), Terms of Endearment (1983), and Killers of the Flower Moon (2023). Of those, Terms of Endearment (1983) is a winner in the category.

His father ran a Shakespearian Acting company in the 1950s which included David Carradine.

His father was born on Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, where the white American Lithgow family had lived for a few generations, and where John's great-grandfather had been a vice consul and vice commercial agent. Most of John's roots are Colonial American (English), with roots in New England, particularly Massachusetts. His ancestry is also Welsh, from his maternal grandfather, and more distant French, Northern Irish, and Scottish.

He is just 12 years older than Lori Singer, who played his daughter in Footloose (1984).

He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (AMPAS).

He has said that Chaplin's Modern Times (1936) is his favorite film.

He attended and graduated from Princeton High School in Princeton, New Jersey.

For his Broadway debut, Lithgow appeared in David Storey's "The Changing Room" on March 7, 1973, and won the Tony Award 18 days later (March 25) setting a record for a Broadway acting debut.

Met his wife Mary (Yeager) through an unusual twist of fate when he made a dreadful career choice. After an offer to play opposite Blythe Danner in the 1980 Broadway debut of Harold Pinter's play "Betrayal", John declined due to an earlier commitment he had with an Off-Broadway play by a friend. John's play lasted less than three weeks, after which time he became available and ended up rehearsing for three weeks in Los Angeles for the TV movie The Oldest Living Graduate (1980) with Henry Fonda. It was during those three weeks that he met his wife-to-be Mary.

His parents are Sarah Jane Price (born 1917-2012) and theater director/producer Arthur Lithgow (1915-2004).

He has two grandchildren through his son, Ian Lithgow.

He has appeared in two films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant": All That Jazz (1979) and Shrek (2001).

His last name is pronounced LITH-go.

He is the parent of Ian Lithgow with Jean Taynton, and Phoebe Lithgow and Nathan Lithgow with Mary Yeager.

Friends with Alfred Molina and William Shatner.

In May 2002, he won both the Tony Award and Drama Desk Award as Best Actor in a Broadway musical for his performance in "Sweet Smell of Success".

He was awarded the 1989 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Distinguished Achievement, Lead Performance, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?," at Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre production at the James A. Doolittle Theatre (University of California) in Los Angeles, California.

In common with the veteran English character actor Robert Hardy, he has played both American president Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill on screen.

Three of his non-film roles have been based on movies involving Frank Oz and Ian McDiarmid. Most of Oz's and McDiarmid's collaborations are the Star Wars films, in which they play Yoda and Darth Sidious, respectively. Lithgow played Yoda on the radio. Oz also directed McDiarmid in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988). Lithgow appeared in the stage musical.

He was awarded the 1973 Antoinette Perry (Tony) Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for "The Changing Room" on Broadway in New York City.

Biography in: "Contemporary Authors". Volume 217, pg. 219-223. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2004.

He hosted the Welcoming Reception for UCLA's new Chancellor Carnesale.

He lives in Los Angeles, California.

Born on the exact same date as Divine.

Won an Emmy for 3rd Rock From the Sun.