 ProductLink |
|
 If "born to the theater" has meaning in determining a person's life path, then John Lithgow is a prime example of this truth. He was born in Rochester, New York, to Sarah Jane (Price), an actress, and Arthur Washington Lithgow III, who was both a theatrical producer and director. John's father was born in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, where the Anglo-American Lithgow family had lived for several generations.John moved frequently as a child, while his father founded and managed local and college theaters and Shakespeare festivals throughout the Midwest of the United States. Not until he was 16, and his father became head of the McCarter Theater in Princeton New Jersey, did the family settle down. But for John, the theater was still not a career. He won a scholarship to Harvard University, where he finally caught the acting bug (as well as found a wife). Harvard was followed by a Fulbright scholarship to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Returning from London, his rigorous dramatic training stood him in good stead, and a distinguished career on Broadway gave him one Tony Award for "The Changing Room", a second nomination in 1985 for "Requiem For a Heavyweight", and a third in 1988 for "M. Butterfly". But with critical acclaim came personal confusion, and in the mid 1970s, he and his wife divorced. He entered therapy, and in 1982, his life started in a new direction, the movies - he received an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of Roberta Muldoon in The World According to Garp (1982). A second Oscar nomination followed for Terms of Endearment (1983), and he met a UCLA economics professor who became his second wife. As the decade of the 1990s came around, he found that he was spending too much time on location, and another career move brought him to television in the hugely successful series 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996).This production also played a role in bringing him back together with the son from his first marriage, Ian Lithgow, who has a regular role in the series as a dimwitted student.
Bio:
If "born to the theater" has meaning in determining a person's life path, then John Lithgow is a prime example of this truth. He was born in Rochester, New York, to Sarah Jane (Price), an actress, and Arthur Washington Lithgow III, who was both a theatrical producer and director. John's father was born in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, where the Anglo-American Lithgow family had lived for several generations.John moved frequently as a child, while his father founded and managed local and college theaters and Shakespeare festivals throughout the Midwest of the United States. Not until he was 16, and his father became head of the McCarter Theater in Princeton New Jersey, did the family settle down. But for John, the theater was still not a career. He won a scholarship to Harvard University, where he finally caught the acting bug (as well as found a wife). Harvard was followed by a Fulbright scholarship to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Returning from London, his rigorous dramatic training stood him in good stead, and a distinguished career on Broadway gave him one Tony Award for "The Changing Room", a second nomination in 1985 for "Requiem For a Heavyweight", and a third in 1988 for "M. Butterfly". But with critical acclaim came personal confusion, and in the mid 1970s, he and his wife divorced. He entered therapy, and in 1982, his life started in a new direction, the movies - he received an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of Roberta Muldoon in The World According to Garp (1982). A second Oscar nomination followed for Terms of Endearment (1983), and he met a UCLA economics professor who became his second wife. As the decade of the 1990s came around, he found that he was spending too much time on location, and another career move brought him to television in the hugely successful series 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996).This production also played a role in bringing him back together with the son from his first marriage, Ian Lithgow, who has a regular role in the series as a dimwitted student.
Tivia:
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 provided the voice of Yoda in the NPR radio dramatizations of "The Empire Strikes Back" (1983) and "Return of the Jedi" (1996).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 studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA).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).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.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.He has two grandchildren through his son, Ian Lithgow.His parents are Sarah Jane Price (born 1917-2012) and theater director/producer Arthur Lithgow (1915-2004).His last name is pronounced LITH-go.As of 2021, he has appeared in two films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: All That Jazz (1979) and Terms of Endearment (1983), with the latter being a winner in the category.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.He is the parent of Ian Lithgow with Jean Taynton, and Phoebe Lithgow and Nathan Lithgow with Mary Yeager.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".Friends with Alfred Molina and William Shatner.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).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.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.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.Biography in: "Contemporary Authors". Volume 217, pg. 219-223. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2004.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.He hosted the Welcoming Reception for UCLA's new Chancellor Carnesale.Born on the exact same date as Divine.He lives in Los Angeles, California. |
| Name: |
John Lithgow |
Type: |
Actor,Producer,Writer (IMDB) |
| Area: |
All World |
Platform: |
IMDB |
| Category: |
|
Business scope: |
Actor,Producer,Writer |
| Products for sale: |
Actor,Producer,Writer |
| Model rank: |
553 |
| Last update: |
2024-07-01 03:47:58 |
| Height: |
6' 4' (1.93 m) |
| Biography: |
If \"born to the theater\" has meaning in determining a person\'s life path, then John Lithgow is a prime example of this truth. He was born in Rochester, New York, to Sarah Jane (Price), an actress, and Arthur Washington Lithgow III, who was bo |
| 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 provided the voice of Yoda in the NPR radio dramatizations of "The Empire Strikes Back" (1983) and "Return of the Jedi" (1996).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 studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA).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).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.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.He has two grandchildren through his son, Ian Lithgow.His parents are Sarah Jane Price (born 1917-2012) and theater director/producer Arthur Lithgow (1915-2004).His last name is pronounced LITH-go.As of 2021, he has appeared in two films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: All That Jazz (1979) and Terms of Endearment (1983), with the latter being a winner in the category.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.He is the parent of Ian Lithgow with Jean Taynton, and Phoebe Lithgow and Nathan Lithgow with Mary Yeager.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".Friends with Alfred Molina and William Shatner.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).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.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.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.Biography in: "Contemporary Authors". Volume 217, pg. 219-223. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2004.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.He hosted the Welcoming Reception for UCLA's new Chancellor Carnesale.Born on the exact same date as Divine.He lives in Los Angeles, California. |
| Trademarks: |
Distinctive dramatic voice
Towering height and slender frame
In his earlier roles, often played villains or mentally unstable characters
In his more recent work, often plays fathers and family men
Wild, over-the-top acting |
| Quotes: |
[on the constant time-slot changes and ultimate cancellation of 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996)] 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.
<br />
<hr>
In general, my basic rule of thumb is just act in things you would want to see yourself in. I have a taste for all kinds of movies. Usually, it's a question of whether it will be fun, whether I respect the people behind it, whether I would like to work with them. I'm sure I'm a serious-minded actor, but I still value the frivolity of acting. It's a real exuberant, entertaining thing to do. I never lose track of that.
<br />
<hr>
I've had parallel careers in the theatre and in movies. In the theatre, I often play characters with a strong sense of innocence who aren't as intelligent as I am. The reason: my size. I seem sort of big and good-natured on stage. It would be too much for a big man to play a forbidding character on stage. So I play big people who are fairly gentle. It's a wonderful thing to build a career on. What I offer to movie-makers is that I can put a tremendous amount of theatrical background and technical equipment at their disposal. I can make believable the over-the-top characters.
<br />
<hr>
[from a 1984 interview] My career just happened to me. I didn't manage it. My plate is full all the time, but I never have the opportunity to choose from ten parts. I do turn down junk. I've played important parts in movies but I haven't yet played the person the story is about. The joy is in the work. You can get too hung up on where you are. I'm not preoccupied with the desire to be top banana, but I do want to play bigger parts.
<br />
<hr>
We deal in very volatile chemicals. We're in the business of using real emotions to bring pretend emotions to life. We all have our secrets and we all have our deceptions. Acting, at its best, is all about deceiving people, and that makes it all the more interesting to us. |
| Salaries: |
3rd Rock from the Sun (1996) - $75,000 /episode (1996-1997 season)
<br />
<hr>
3rd Rock from the Sun (1996) - $200,000 /episode (1999-2000 season) |
| Job title: |
Actor,Producer,Writer |
| Others works: |
Designed necktie for Stonehenge, Ltd's "Christopher Reeve Collection" (exclusive to JCPenney), with four percent of sales benefiting the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation.
(1972-73) Wrote, produced, and acted on radio show "Under |
| Spouse: |
Mary Yeager (December 12, 1981 - present) (2 children)Jean Taynton (September 10, 1966 - 1980) (divorced, 1 child) |
| Children: |
Ian LithgowPhoebe LithgowNathan Lithgow |
| Parents: |
Sarah Jane Lithgow (Price)
Arthur Washington Lithgow III |
|
