History Creator / JohnLithgow

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* ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'' (2001) as Lord Farquaad (voice)

He has a reputation as being of the nicest people anyone could hope to meet, with fellow actors and other colleagues saying how much of a pleasure it is to work with him. He's also a talented children's entertainer, having authored many children's books and music [=CDs=] for children. In 2011 he published ''Drama: An Actor's Education'', an autobiographical account of his life in theater.

* ''Series/AmazingStories'' (1 episode, 1986) as John Walters

Lithgow joined ''Series/{{Dexter}}'' for its fourth season, playing [[FamilyValuesVillain Arthur Mitchell]] AKA [[BigBad The Trinity Killer]]. His complex, layered, and downright terrifying portrayal was met with widespread critical acclaim and earned him another Emmy as well as a UsefulNotes/{{Golden Globe|Award}} for Best Supporting Actor. He had a recurring role on ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'' as Jerry Whitaker, and played UsefulNotes/WinstonChurchill in Netflix's ''Series/TheCrown2016'', which earned him several awards. He has also enjoyed a career on Broadway, most recently playing real-life AgentPeacock Joseph Alsop in ''The Columnist''.

* ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'' (4 episodes, 2011–14) as Jerry Whittaker

* ''Theatre/TheFrontPage'' (1986–87) as Walter Burns

A dorm room housemate of UsefulNotes/AlGore and Creator/TommyLeeJones at [[UsefulNotes/IvyLeague Harvard]] in the mid-1960s, Lithgow's career has taken many odd turns with a variety of roles. Following his career on stage, where he twice won a Tony, he successfully moved into film with a number of versatile roles, the best-known of which are Roberta Muldoon in ''Film/TheWorldAccordingToGarp'', Reverend Shaw Moore in ''Film/{{Footloose}}'', Sam Burns in ''Film/TermsOfEndearment'', and George Henderson in the family classic ''Film/HarryAndTheHendersons''. He had a tendency to play villains, such as assassin Burke in ''Film/BlowOut'', Cain in ''Film/RaisingCain'', Earl Talbot Blake in the Creator/DenzelWashington crime thriller ''Film/{{Ricochet}}'', [[FakeBrit Eric Qualen]] in the Creator/SylvesterStallone vehicle ''Film/{{Cliffhanger}}'', and LargeHam Doctor Emilio Lizardo/Lord John Whorfin in ''Film/TheAdventuresOfBuckarooBanzaiAcrossTheEighthDimension''. His more recent films include ''Film/RiseOfThePlanetOfTheApes'', ''Film/{{Interstellar}}'', and ''Film/PetSematary2019''.

In 1996, Lithgow moved onto the small screen, playing lead character Dick Solomon in the oddball sci-fi sitcom ''Series/ThirdRockFromTheSun''. The show ran until 2001 and earned him three of his five Emmys. He's also lent his voice to audiobooks, dramatic readings, and animated movies, such as the first ''WesternAnimation/Shrek1'' in which he played the villain Lord [[UnfortunateNames Farquaad]]. Not to mention playing Yoda in NPR's [[Radio/StarWarsRadioDramas radio dramatizations]] of ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'' and ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi''.

Lithgow joined ''Series/{{Dexter}}'' for its fourth season, playing [[FamilyValuesVillain Arthur Mitchell]] AKA [[BigBad The Trinity Killer]]. His complex, layered, and downright terrifying portrayal was met with widespread critical acclaim and a Golden Globe Award for the Best Supporting Actor and another Emmy. He also has had a career on Broadway, most recently as real-life AgentPeacock Joseph Alsop in ''The Columnist''. He occasionally appeared as Jerry Whitaker on ''Series/HowIMetYourMother''. He also played UsefulNotes/WinstonChurchill in Netflix's ''Series/TheCrown2016'' which earned him several awards.

He happens to be one of the nicest people anyone could hope to meet, with fellow actors and colleagues saying how much of a pleasure it is to work with him. He's also a talented children's entertainer, having authored many children's books and music [=CDs=] for children. Recently, he published an autobiographical account of his life in theater, which he titled ''Drama: An Actor's Education''.

!Tropes

** He was the first choice for the role of Doc Brown in ''Film/BackToTheFuture'' before Creator/ChristopherLloyd was cast, but turned down the offer due to filming conflicts with ''Film/TwilightZoneTheMovie''.

* BadassBaritone: His deep voice is put to good use in his more dramatic roles.

In 1996, Lithgow moved onto the small screen, playing lead character Dick Solomon in the oddball sci-fi sitcom ''Series/ThirdRockFromTheSun''. The show ran until 2001 and earned him three of his five Emmys. He's also lent his voice to audiobooks, dramatic readings, and animated movies, such as the ridiculously popular ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'' franchise in which he played the villain Lord [[UnfortunateNames Farquaad]]. Not to mention playing Yoda in NPR's [[Radio/StarWarsRadioDramas radio dramatizations]] of ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'' and ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi''.

* EvilIsBigger: He's played a lot of villains and he's usually noticeably taller than the actors playing the heroes.

* FakeBrit: Even if not fully, he usually uses a [[UsefulNotes/BritishAccents Received Pronunciation accent]] in varying degrees in most of his roles and he is so well-respected that he could be mistaken for a British actor anyway. Lithgow spent two years in England on a Fulbright scholarship in his youth and [[GotMeDoingIt picked up the accent without even realizing he was doing it]].

John Arthur Lithgow (born October 19, 1945 in Rochester, New York) is a highly prolific and accomplished UsefulNotes/AcademyAward-nominated American actor, musician, and author.

In 1996, Lithgow moved onto the small screen, playing lead character Dick Solomon in the oddball sci-fi sitcom ''Series/ThirdRockFromTheSun''. The show ran until 2001 and earned him three of his five Emmys. He's also lent his voice to audiobooks, dramatic readings, and animated movies, such as the ridiculously popular ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'' franchise in which he played the villain Lord Farquaad. Not to mention playing Yoda in NPR's [[Radio/StarWarsRadioDramas radio dramatizations]] of ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'' and ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi''.

** He was the original choice to play Frasier Crane in ''Series/Cheers'' but turned it down to focus on his film career.

** Lampshaded with a HamToHamCombat with ''Creator/JonLovitz'' on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' between Lovitz's Master Thespian and Lithgow's [[SpellMyNameWithAThe The]] Great Baudelaire, each actors trying to upstage the other.

** He was originally cast as [[BigBad Hades]] in ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}'' before the casting of Creator/JamesWoods. However, even after he recorded all of his dialogue for the film, Creator/{{Disney}} found that he didn't have the right balance of menace and comedic timing they were looking for.

** He was originally cast as [[BigBad Hades]] in ''WesternAnimation/Hercules'' before the casting of Creator/JamesWoods. However, even after he recorded all of his dialogue for the film, Creator/{{Disney}} found that he didn't have the right balance of menace and comedic timing they were looking for.

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[[caption-width-right:210:John Lithgow checks out this article.]]

** His role in Creator/SteveMartin's ''Film/LAStory'' was cut entirely after filming was completed.
** He was considered for the role of The Joker when Creator/SamRaimi was attached to direct ''Film/Batman1989'', and later auditioned for Creator/TimBurton.
** Before Creator/BradDourif was cast, he was considered for the role of Charles Lee Ray/Chucky in ''Film/ChildsPlay''.
** He would have played Hannibal Lector in Film/SilenceOfTheLambs if Creator/AnthonyHopkins declined the role

** He would have played Hannibal Lector in Film/SilenceOfTheLambs if Creator/Anthony Hopkins declined the role

John Arthur Lithgow (born October 19, 1945) is a highly prolific and accomplished UsefulNotes/AcademyAward-nominated American actor, musician, and author.

A dorm room housemate of UsefulNotes/AlGore and Creator/TommyLeeJones at [[UsefulNotes/IvyLeague Harvard]] in the mid-1960s, Lithgow's career has taken many odd turns with a variety of roles. Following his career on stage, where he twice won a Tony, he successfully moved into film with a number of versatile roles, the best-known of which are Roberta Muldoon in ''Film/TheWorldAccordingToGarp'', Reverend Shaw Moore in ''Film/{{Footloose}}'', Sam Burns in ''Film/TermsOfEndearment'', and George Henderson in the family classic ''Film/HarryAndTheHendersons''. He had a tendency to play villains, such as Cain in ''Film/RaisingCain'', Earl Talbot Blake in the Creator/DenzelWashington crime thriller ''Film/{{Ricochet}}'', [[FakeBrit Eric Qualen]] in the Creator/SylvesterStallone vehicle ''Film/{{Cliffhanger}}'', and LargeHam Doctor Emilio Lizardo/Lord John Whorfin in ''Film/TheAdventuresOfBuckarooBanzaiAcrossTheEighthDimension''. His more recent films include ''Film/RiseOfThePlanetOfTheApes'', ''Film/{{Interstellar}}'', and ''Film/PetSematary2019''.

** Before Creator/BradDourif was cast, Creator/JohnLithgow was considered for the role of Charles Lee Ray/Chucky in ''Film/ChildsPlay''.