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John Lithgow

 

Lithgow, John [Arthur] (b. 1945), actor. Born in Rochester, New York, he studied at Harvard and at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. The tall, versatile, Everyman‐type actor made his debut at the Antioch Shakespeare Festival in 1953 and was praised for his Broadway bow as the athlete Kenny Kendal in The Changing Room (1973) earning a Tony Award. Active on Broadway, Off Broadway, and in regional theatres (as well as in films and television), Lithgow has appeared as seaman Mat Burke in Anna Christie (1977), the ex‐radical Chris in Division Street (1980), boxer McClintock in Requiem for a Heavyweight (1985), newspaper editor Walter Burns in The Front Page (1986), French diplomat René Gallimard in M. Butterfly (1988), and columnist J. J. Hunsecker in Sweet Smell of Success (2002).

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John Lithgow

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John Lithgow
Happy 60th birthday to Emmy- and Tony Award-winning actor John Lithgow. Well known to TV audiences for his three-time Emmy award-winning role as Dick Solomon in the NBC sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun, Lithgow has also won a Tony award for his performance on Broadway in the 2002 musical Sweet Smell of Success. Lithgow is currently on stage in the Broadway adaptation of the film Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, for which he was nominated for this year's Best Actor in a Musical Tony. He was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor Oscars for The World According to Garp (1983) and Terms of Endearment (1984).

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From our Archives: Today's Highlights, October 19, 2005

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John Lithgow

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Biography

A distinguished actor of stage, television, and movies who is at home playing everything from menacing villains, big-hearted transsexuals, and loopy aliens, John Lithgow is also a composer and performer of children's songs, a Harvard graduate, a talented painter, and a devoted husband and father: in short, he is a true Renaissance man.

Once hailed by the Wall Street Journal as "the film character actor of his generation," Lithgow is the son of a theater director who once headed Princeton's McCarter Theater and produced a series of Shakespeare festivals in Ohio, where Lithgow was six when he made his first theatrical bow in Henry VI, Part 3. His parents raised Lithgow in a loving home that encouraged artistic self-expression and took a broad view of the world. As a youth, Lithgow was passionate about painting and at age 16, he was actively involved with the Art Students League in New York. When the acting bug bit, Lithgow's father was supportive. After Lithgow graduated from Harvard, he received a Fulbright scholarship to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art; while in England, Lithgow also worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company and for the Royal Court Theatre. He returned to the U.S. in the early '70s and worked on Broadway where he won his first Tony and a Drama Desk Award for his part in The Changing Room (1973). Lithgow remained in New York for many years, establishing himself as one of Broadway's most respected stars and would go on to appear in at least one play per year through 1982. He would subsequently receive two more Tony nominations for Requiem for a Heavyweight and M. Butterfly. He made his first film appearance in Dealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues (1972). The film itself was an inauspicious affair as were his other subsequent early efforts, though by the early '80s, his film roles improved and diversified dramatically. Though capable of essaying subtle, low-key characters, Lithgow excelled in over-the-top parts as the next decade in his career demonstrates.

He got his first real break and a Best Supporting Actor nomination when he played macho football player-turned-sensitive woman Roberta Muldoon in The World According to Garp (1982). In 1983, he provided one of the highlights of Twilight Zone--The Movie as a terrified airline passenger and earned a second Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination in Terms of Endearment where he appeared with Shirley Maclaine and Jack Nicholson, as well as playing a fiery preacher in Footloose. That year, he won his first Emmy nomination for his work in the scary nuclear holocaust drama The Day After. In 1984, he played the crazed Dr. Lizardo in the cult favorite The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai. In Ricochet (1992), Lithgow proved himself a terrifying villain with his portrayal of a psychopathic killer hell-bent for revenge against Denzel Washington, the man who incarcerated him. In 1990, he made Babysong video tapes of his performing old and new children's songs on the guitar and banjo. Though he had already established himself on television as a guest star, Lithgow gained a large and devoted following when he was cast as an alien captain who, along with his clueless crew, attempts to pass for human in the fresh, well-written NBC sitcom Third Rock From the Sun (1996). The role has won him multiple Emmys and Golden Globe awards. When not busy working on the show, in theater, or in feature films, Lithgow is at home playing "Superdad" to his children and his wife, a tenured college professor at U.C.L.A. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
Filmography:

John Lithgow

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NOVA: Dogs and More Dogs

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Orange County

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Shrek

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NOVA: Life's Greatest Miracle

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Don Quixote

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Rugrats in Paris: The Movie

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Life on Mars? New Scientific Evidence

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Johnny Skidmarks

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Homegrown

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A Civil Action

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Hollow Point

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Redwood Curtain

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The Tuskegee Airmen

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Love, Cheat & Steal

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A Good Man in Africa

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Princess Caraboo

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Silent Fall

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World War II: When Lions Roared

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Cliffhanger

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Indian Summer

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The Wrong Man

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The Pelican Brief

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The Country Mouse and the City Mouse: A Christmas Tale

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Raising Cain

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At Play in the Fields of the Lord

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Ricochet

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Dr. Seuss: Yertle the Turtle

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Memphis Belle

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Baby Songs: John Lithgow's Kid-Size Concert

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The Last Elephant

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Out Cold

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Traveling Man

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Distant Thunder

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Harry and the Hendersons

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The Manhattan Project

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Mesmerized

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Santa Claus: The Movie

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The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension!

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The Glitter Dome

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Footloose

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2010

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The Day After

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Terms of Endearment

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Twilight Zone: The Movie

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Faerie Tale Theatre: Goldilocks and the Three Bears

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I'm Dancing As Fast As I Can

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The World According to Garp

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Blow Out

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The Oldest Living Graduate

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Big Blonde

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All That Jazz

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Rich Kids

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The Big Fix

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Secret Service

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Obsession

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  • Genres: Spoken Word

Biography

Though he is best known for his roles in Broadway productions like The Changing Room (for which he won a Tony) and films like Terms of Endearment, The World According to Garp, Footloose, and Shrek, John Lithgow is also a best-selling children's author as well as a performer. In 1999 his first album for kids, Singin' in the Bathtub, which covered classic songs, was released, followed three years later by Farkle and Friends, which accompanied his book The Remarkable Farkle McBride and found Lithgow backed by the Bill Elliott Swing Orchestra. Continuing in his pursuit to make high-quality, intelligent music that both children and adults could enjoy, Lithgow released The Sunny Side of the Street, which revisited the Great American Songbook and featured guest performances from Madeleine Peyroux and cabaret singer Maude Maggart, in 2006. ~ Marisa Brown, Rovi
Wikipedia on Answers.com:

John Lithgow

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John Lithgow

John Lithgow in 2007
Born John Arthur Lithgow
October 19, 1945 (1945-10-19) (age 66)
Rochester, New York, U.S.
Alma mater Harvard College
Occupation Actor, musician, poet, author
Years active 1972–present
Spouse Jean Taynton (1966–1980)
Mary Yeager (1981–present)
Children Ian Lithgow
Phoebe Lithgow

John Arthur Lithgow (play /ˈlɪθɡ/ lith-goh; born October 19, 1945) is an American actor, musician, and author. Presently, he is involved with a wide range of media projects, including stage, television, film, and radio. He also has written and published several books of poetry and children's literature.

He appeared in the films The World According to Garp (1982) and Terms of Endearment (1983), receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for each. Lithgow is known for his roles as the Reverend Shaw Moore in Footloose, Dick Solomon on the NBC sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun, the voice of Lord Farquaad in Shrek, and the Trinity Killer on Showtime's Dexter, for which he won Golden Globe and Emmy awards.

On the stage, he appeared in the musical adaptation of Sweet Smell of Success, winning the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. He again appeared in a musical, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, again receiving a Tony nomination for Best Leading Actor in a Musical.

He has also recorded music, such as the 1999 album of children's music, Singin' in the Bathtub, and has written poetry and short stories for children, such as Marsupial Sue.

Contents

Early life

Lithgow was born in Rochester, New York. His mother, Sarah Jane (née Price), was a retired actress, and his father, Arthur Washington Lithgow III, was a theatrical producer and director who ran the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey.[1][2] Because of his father's job, the family moved frequently during Lithgow's childhood; he spent his teenage years in Akron and Lakewood, Ohio.[3]

Lithgow attended Harvard College, and graduated with an A.B. magna cum laude in 1967, in history and literature. He lived in Adams House as an undergraduate. Lithgow later served on Harvard's Board of Overseers. Lithgow credits a performance at Harvard of Gilbert and Sullivan's Utopia Limited with helping him decide to become an actor.[4] After graduation, Lithgow won a Fulbright Scholarship to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

Stage career

In 1973, Lithgow debuted on Broadway in David Storey's The Changing Room, for which he received both the Tony and Drama Desk Award as Best Featured Actor in a Play. The following year he starred opposite Lynn Redgrave in My Fat Friend, and in 1976 he starred opposite Meryl Streep in Arthur Miller's A Memory of Two Mondays. He was nominated for two Best Actor Tonys for Requiem for a Heavyweight (1985) and M. Butterfly (directed by John Dexter, 1988).

In 2002, Lithgow won a Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of J.J. Hunsecker in the Broadway adaptation of the 1957 film Sweet Smell of Success. In 2005, Lithgow was elected into the American Theatre Hall of Fame for his work on Broadway. He was also nominated for a Best Leading Actor in a Musical Tony for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

In 2007, Lithgow played Malvolio in the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Twelfth Night, at The Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom.[5]

In 2008 through 2009, Lithgow played Joe Keller in a Broadway revival of Arthur Miller's All My Sons.[6]

Lithgow starred alongside Jennifer Ehle in the production of Douglas Carter Beane's comedy Mr & Mrs Fitch presented Off-Broadway by Second Stage Theatre from February 22, 2010, closing April 4, 2010.[7]

Film career

In 1979, Lithgow portrayed Lucas Sergeant in Bob Fosse's semi-autobiographical movie All That Jazz. The character was loosely based on the real-life director/choreographer Michael Bennett, best known for his work on Dreamgirls and A Chorus Line.

In 1983 and 1984, Lithgow was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performances as Roberta Muldoon in The World According to Garp and as Sam Burns in Terms of Endearment. Both films were screen adaptations of popular novels. Lithgow originated the character of Dr. Emilio Lizardo/Lord John Whorfin, an Italian physicist inhabited by an evil alien, which he played in the 1984 cult film The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension. In 1984, Lithgow also played a pastor who condemns dancing in Footloose. He later played the role of American space engineer Walter Curnow in 2010, the sequel to the science fiction classic 2001: A Space Odyssey.

In 1983, Lithgow appeared in a remake of the classic Twilight Zone episode "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" in Twilight Zone: The Movie as the paranoid passenger made famous on the television show by William Shatner. In 1991, he starred in the movie Ricochet opposite Denzel Washington as Earl Talbot Blake, a criminal seeking revenge against the policeman who sent him to prison. In 1992, he starred as a man with multiple personality disorder in Brian De Palma's film Raising Cain, and in 1993, starred as the villainous Eric Qualen in the Sylvester Stallone movie Cliffhanger.

In 1987, Lithgow starred in the Bigfoot-themed family comedy Harry and the Hendersons. In 2002, he narrated Life's Greatest Miracle, a documentary about human embryonic development, while in 2004, he portrayed the moralistic, rigid father of Alfred Kinsey in that year's biopic Kinsey. In 2006, Lithgow had a small role in the Academy Award-winning film Dreamgirls, as Jerry Harris, a film producer offering Deena Jones (Beyoncé Knowles) a film role.[8] He starred in a lead role in the science fiction film Rise of the Planet of the Apes.[9]

As a voice actor, Lithgow is well known for his role as the evil Lord Farquaad in the Shrek movie franchise. His appearances as Farquaad include Shrek, Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party, Shrek 4-D which was originally Shrek 3-D and used as an amusement park attraction, and Shrek the Third. He also was in Confessions of a Shopaholic as Edgar West.

Television career

In terms of his television career, Lithgow is probably most widely known for his starring role as Dick Solomon in the 1996–2001 NBC sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun. He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in the category Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in each of the program's six seasons and won three times, in 1996, 1997, and 1999. His son Ian regularly appeared alongside him as Leon, one of his physics students.

In 1986, Lithgow received a Primetime Emmy Award in the category Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series for his appearance in the episode The Doll of the Amazing Stories anthology series.

Additionally, Lithgow has been nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special for The Day After (1983), and two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Special for Resting Place (1986) and My Brother's Keeper (1995). Lithgow was approached about playing Dr. Frasier Crane on Cheers, but turned it down. Lithgow starred with Jeffrey Tambor in the NBC sitcom Twenty Good Years.

Since 2006 he has starred in Campbell Soup Company's commercials advertising their Campbell's Select premium soup brand.

On March 5, 2009, Lithgow made a cameo on NBC's 30 Rock, in the episode "Goodbye, My Friend," with several references to his role in Harry and the Hendersons.

In September 2009, Lithgow joined the cast of Dexter as Arthur Mitchell, a serial killer and Dexter Morgan's nemesis.[10] He won a Golden Globe Award for this role,[11] and won an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor In A Drama Series.[12]

He guest starred on How I Met Your Mother in the role of Barney Stinson's father, Jerry.[13]

Children's entertainment

Lithgow reading a book to children in 2007

Lithgow has done extensive work for children, including several books and albums. Some of his book titles are Marsupial Sue, Marsupial Sue Presents "The Runaway Pancake," Lithgow Party Paloozas!: 52 Unexpected Ways to Make a Birthday, Holiday, or Any Day a Celebration for Kids, Carnival of the Animals, A Lithgow Palooza: 101 Ways to Entertain and Inspire Your Kids, I'm a Manatee, Micawber, The Remarkable Farkle McBride, Mahalia Mouse Goes to College and I Got Two Dogs. He also appeared as a guest on the Canadian children's program, Ants in Your Pants.

Lithgow launched into a career as a recording artist with the 1999 album of children's music, Singin' in the Bathtub. In June 2002, Lithgow released his second children's album Farkle and Friends. It was the musical companion to his book The Remarkable Farkle McBride, which tells the story of a young musical genius. Farkle and Friends features the vocal talents of Lithgow and Bebe Neuwirth backed by the Bill Elliott Swing Orchestra. In August 2006, Lithgow released The Sunny Side of the Street, his third children's album and first with Razor & Tie. This album features versions of classic songs from The Great American Songbook including “Getting to Know You” and “Ya Gotta Have Pep,” with decidedly animated performances geared towards children. Produced by JC Hopkins (Victoria Williams, JC Hopkins Biggish Band featuring Norah Jones), the album features guest appearances by Madeleine Peyroux, Wayne Knight (Seinfeld's Newman), Broadway's Sherie Rene Scott (Aida, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) and cabaret star Maude Maggart. Lithgow also makes occasional appearances on stage and television singing children's songs and accompanying himself on guitar.

Podcasts

On October 1, 2010, Lithgow appeared on Doug Benson's podcast Doug Loves Movies, along with fellow guests Paul F. Tompkins and Jimmy Pardo.

Other appearances

Lithgow voiced the character of Yoda in the National Public Radio adaptations of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. He provided narration for the IMAX film Special Effects: Anything Can Happen. He hosts Paloozaville, a children's Video on Demand program on Mag Rack based on his best-selling children's books. He appeared in the most recent Campbell's SelectSoups commercials, portraying a restaurant waiter serving "customers" in their own household. He often delivers commencement addresses at American universities. Lithgow also appears in Books By You, a children's computer game, and guides them through the steps to finish a pre-designed book.[14]

In 2005, he became the first actor ever to deliver a commencement speech at Harvard University.[15] He was featured at Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on December 4–6, 2009 for performances of Mozart's Requiem with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. He narrated some letters written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, some poems, and sections from the Book of Revelation in certain parts of the performance.[16]

In 2011 he performed a dramatic reading of a Newt Gingrich press release on The Colbert Report[17] and mistakenly called in to apologize on Colbert's yearly Atone Phone.[18] He also voiced a South Carolina TV ad for Colbert Super PAC humorously attacking Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.[19]

Awards and nominations

Lithgow has won five Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, an American Comedy Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.[20] He has also been nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.[20][21] He won the Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television for his appearance as Arthur Mitchell on Dexter.[22]

Work

Filmography

2006. The great robot race

Stage

Discography

Bibliography

References

  1. ^ John Lithgow Biography (1945–)
  2. ^ John Lithgow Biography – Yahoo! Movies
  3. ^ Former Akronite John Lithgow takes on killer role for 'Dexter' | cleveland.com
  4. ^ 'Stupid mistake' changed John Lithgow's life – for the better < News | PopMatters
  5. ^ Billington, Michael. The Guardian, "Theatre review: Twelfth Night, The Courtyard, Stratford-upon-Avon.", September 6, 2007
  6. ^ Cohen, Patricia. The New York Times, "Two Fathers Are Learning Lessons of ‘All My Sons’.", November 12, 2008
  7. ^ Hernandez, Ernio.Blurb vs. Blog: Lithgow and Ehle are Gossipers Mr. & Mrs. Fitch, Opening Off-Broadway Feb. 22" playbill.com, February 22, 2010
  8. ^ John Lithgow a Fatherly Figure for 'Planet of the Apes' Prequel
  9. ^ Trinity, a War Machine, and a Slumdog Eying Planet of the Apes: Rise of the Apes
  10. ^ TV: Showtime's 'Dexter' Posts Record-Breaking Ratings
  11. ^ 2009 Golden Globe Nominees HFPA Nominations and Winners
  12. ^ 2010 Emmy Nominations Include a Few Horror Favorites
  13. ^ HIMYM Exclusive First Look: How Barney Met His Father - TVLine
  14. ^ [1] booksbyyou.com.au
  15. ^ Beth Potier, "Of mice and manatees: Lithgow charms all: Commencement address gives star treatment by actor, author", Harvard Gazette, 2008-06-16.
  16. ^ 'Requiem' an extraordinary Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra tribute to Mozart - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
  17. ^ John Lithgow Performs Gingrich Press Release - The Colbert Report - 2011-19-05 - Video Clip | Comedy Central
  18. ^ Atone Phone - John Lithgow Calls - The Colbert Report - 2011-28-09 - Video Clip | Comedy Central
  19. ^ Colbert Super PAC Ad - Attack In B Minor For Strings
  20. ^ a b Alvin Powell, "Lithgow to speak at Afternoon Exercises: Actor, writer, humanitarian to grace Tercentenary Theatre", Harvard Gazette, 2005-04-07.
  21. ^ In 1982 for his role in The World According to Garp and in 1983 for his role in Terms of Endearment.
  22. ^ HFPA Nominations and Winners HFPA Nominations and Winners
  23. ^ This Is Forty (2012) - Full cast and crew

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