John Lithgow



"Up there with my awards, I have a great big statue of Groucho Marx, just to put everything in perspective. "

- John Lithgow

John Lithgow is a highly prolific and accomplished Academy Award-nominated American actor, musician and author. A dormroom housemate of Al Gore and Tommy Lee Jones, Lithgow's career has taken many odd turns with a variety of roles. Following his career on stage, Lithgow successfully moved into film with a number of versatile roles, the best-known of which are likely Roberta Muldoon in The World According To Garp, Rev. Shaw Moore in Footloose, Sam Burns in Terms of Endearment, and George Henderson in family classic Harry and the Hendersons. He had a tendancy to play villains, such as Cain in Raising Cain, Earl Talbot Blake in the Denzel Washington movie Ricochet, and Eric Qualen in the Sylvester Stallone vehicle Cliffhanger. One of his more recent films is Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

In 1996, Lithgow moved onto the small screen, playing lead character Dick Solomon in the oddball sci-fi sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun. The show ran until 2001, and earned him three Primetime Emmys. He's also lent his voice to audiobooks, dramatic readings and animated movies such as the ridiculously popular Shrek franchise, in which he played villain Lord Farquaad.

Lithgow joined Dexter for its fourth season, playing Arthur Mitchell AKA 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 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 CD's for children.

Tropes

 * Cool Old Guy
 * Large Ham: When it's called for.
 * Cliffhanger in particular isn't just being a Large Ham, it's a pig farm the size of Nebraska.
 * Mean Character, Nice Actor