John Arthur Lithgow was born in Rochester, New York, the son of the retired actress Sarah Jane Price and the producer and theater director Arthur Lithgow.
As a child he moved frequently, as his father founded and ran Shakespearean theaters and festivals throughout the American Midwest.
It wasn’t until he was 16 that his father was appointed to head the McCarter Theater in Princeton, New Jersey, when the family settled. But for John, the theater was not yet a career.
He won a scholarship at the Harvard University and that’s where he discovered his vocation for acting. He graduated magna cum laude with a BA in History and Literature in 1967. Harvard was followed by a fullbright scholarship to study in the Royal Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, London.
Upon his return from London, his strict drama education earned him a distinguished career in Broadway, where he won an award Tony for “The Changing Room“(1973), and was nominated three more times for other awards: the first two as Best Actor in a play (in 1985 by “Requiem for a Heavyweight“and in 1988 by”M. Butterfly“); and the third as Best Actor in a Musical for “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels“(2005). A second prize Tony received it in 2002 for “Sweet Smell of Success“But the theatrical success in the ’70s, produced in him a crisis that led him to divorce and start therapy, and in 1982, his life took a new direction towards the cinema.
His big screen debut came in 1972, in the comedy “Dealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues“; later he worked with Brian De Palma in the thriller “Fascination“; It was Lucas Sergeant in the musical of Bob fosse, “All That Jazz “ (1979) and again, under the direction of Palm, it was seen in “Impact“(1981) together with John Travolta.
In the cinema he also obtained public recognition, being nominated for awards Oscar for his role as Robert Muldoon in “The world according to Garp“(1982) and another nomination for the interpretation of Sam burns on “The strength of affection“(1983).
Later he could be seen next to Kevin bacon in musical comedy “Footloose” (1984); “The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai” (1984); “2010, odyssey two“(1984); the science fiction film, sequel to the acclaimed”2001: A Space Odyssey1968 “The Christmas Comedy”Santa claus“(1985) and”Bigfoot and the Hendersons“(1987).
Already in the ’90s, he participated in various productions such as “Playing in the fields of the Lord“(1992) by Hector Babenco; “Maximum risk“(1993) together with Sylvester Srallone; “The Pelican Report“(1993) with Julia Roberts Y Denzel Washington; “A good man in africa“(1994) with Sean Connery Y “Civil action“(1999), among others.
It was however in the 90s, when he decided that he spent a lot of time in the different locations of the films, so his career took a turn again, this time towards television, achieving a resounding success with his performance as Dick solomon on the network’s television series NBC “3rd Rock from the Sun“This production also brought him closer to his son Ian Lightgow, from his first marriage, who had a regular participation in it.
Despite this, he continued in various projects in the new millennium, being the voice of Lord farquaad in the successful “Shrek“(2001) and starring in numerous films and television series.
Among his latest works are the musical drama “Dreamgirls “ (2006), starring Jamie foxx, Beyoncé Knowles Y Eddie murphy; and romantic comedy “Confessions of a compulsive shopper” Y “It had to be you (Leap Year)“(2010). He has also played John mason in the series “Twenty Good Years” already Arthur Mitchell on “Dexter“.
In his personal life, Lithgow was married to Jean tayton whom he met at Harvard, from 1966 to 1980; with her she had her son Ian.
Then he met the one who is his wife today, Mary yeager, a UCLA economics professor, whom he married in 1981 and with whom he had two children, Nathan Y Phoebe.
Lithgow He is also pastor of Rose Ministries, having officiated at the wedding of his goddaughter.