John Lithgow: Movies, Awards & Box Office
- films
- 95
- on screen
- 1972–2026
- box office
- $1.47B
- award win
- 1
- average score
- 64
- Born
- October 19, 1945 (age 80)
- Birthplace
- Rochester, New York, U.S.
- Full name
- John Arthur Lithgow
- Citizenship
- United States
- Occupations
- Actor, author, musician, poet
- Years active
- 1972-present
- Spouses
- Jean Taynton, Mary Yeager
- Children
- 3
The Best John Lithgow Movies
The highest-rated films John Lithgow is credited on, by the Movie Echo Score that blends critic reviews, audience ratings and lasting impact. Conclave (2024) scores highest, at 80. The full ranking adds the biggest box office hits and the most awarded films.
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Movie Echo Score: Score 80 Conclave 2024 · Tremblay -
Movie Echo Score: Score 80 Live in Front of a Studio Audience: The Facts of Life and Diff’rent Strokes 2021 · Philip Drummond -
Movie Echo Score: Score 80 On Broadway 2021 · History -
Movie Echo Score: Score 74 Killers of the Flower Moon 2023 · Prosecutor Peter Leaward -
Movie Echo Score: Score 70 Cabrini 2024 · Mayor Gould -
Movie Echo Score: Score 70 The Rule of Jenny Pen 2025 · Horror
John Lithgow's Career in Numbers
John Lithgow's films in numbers — as an actor, not counting appearances as themselves: when they were made, the genres John Lithgow works in most and the milestones along the way. The filmography runs from Dealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues (1972) to Jimpa (2026), and the 1990s were the busiest decade.
John Lithgow Movies by Decade
- 1970s 5
- 1980s 19
- 1990s 22
- 2000s 5
- 2010s 19
- 2020s 11
The 1990s were John Lithgow's busiest decade, with 22 films.
John Lithgow Movies by Genre
- Drama 27
- Comedy 14
- Animation 5
- Documentary 5
- Romance 4
- Mystery 3
- Action 3
- Tv movie 3
- Horror 2
- Thriller 2
Drama is the genre John Lithgow has worked in most, with 27 films, ahead of comedy (14).
John Lithgow Career Milestones
- First film
- Dealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues 1972
- Biggest box office hit
- Cliffhanger $255M worldwide
- Best-rated film
- Conclave Movie Echo Score 80
- Newest film
- Jimpa 2026
John Lithgow Filmography: Every Movie
Every film John Lithgow is credited on, newest first, with the role, the box office and the Movie Echo Score. Rated films average a score of 64. Re-order the list to see the best-rated films or the biggest hits first.
John Lithgow Movies as an Actor
81- 2026
Jimpa as Jim, Jimpa · Drama Worldwide box office: $336K Movie Echo Score: 45 - 2025 The Rule of Jenny Pen Horror Worldwide box office: $648K Movie Echo Score: 70
- 2025
Jimpa as Jimpa · Drama Movie Echo Score: 35 - 2024
Spellbound as Bolinar · Animation Movie Echo Score: 58 - 2024 Conclave as Tremblay · Thriller Worldwide box office: $128M Movie Echo Score: 80
- 2024 Cabrini as Mayor Gould · Biography Worldwide box office: $20.6M Movie Echo Score: 70
- 2023 Killers of the Flower Moon as Prosecutor Peter Leaward · Crime Worldwide box office: $159M Movie Echo Score: 74
- 2023
Sharper as Richard Hobbes · Drama Worldwide box office: $114K Movie Echo Score: 70 - 2021 Live in Front of a Studio Audience: The Facts of Life and Diff’rent Strokes as Philip Drummond · Comedy Movie Echo Score: 80
- 2021 On Broadway History Movie Echo Score: 80
- 2021
Show of Titles as "There's No Business Like Show Business" Performer · Comedy - 2019
Bombshell as Roger Ailes · Biography Worldwide box office: $61.4M Movie Echo Score: 62 - 2019
Late Night as Walter Lovell · Drama Worldwide box office: $22.4M Movie Echo Score: 65 - 2019
The Tomorrow Man as Ed · Drama Worldwide box office: $354K Movie Echo Score: 50 - 2019
Pet Sematary as Jud · Mystery Worldwide box office: $113M Movie Echo Score: 53 - 2018
Pet Sematary: The Tale of Timmy Baterman as Jud Crandall · Horror - 2017
Pitch Perfect 3 as Fergus · Comedy Worldwide box office: $185M Movie Echo Score: 58 - 2017
Daddy's Home 2 as Don · Comedy Worldwide box office: $181M Movie Echo Score: 46 - 2017
Beatriz at Dinner Drama Worldwide box office: $7.43M Movie Echo Score: 69 - 2016
Miss Sloane Drama Worldwide box office: $9.1M - 2014
9 Kisses as Man in Club · Romance - 2014
The Homesman Drama Worldwide box office: $3.82M - 2014
The Jungle Bunch 2: The Great Treasure Quest as Maurice (voice) · Animation Worldwide box office: $226K - 2014
Love Is Strange Drama Worldwide box office: $3.06M - 2014
The Roosevelts: An Intimate History as James Roosevelt (voice) · Documentary - 2013
Timms Valley as Ol' Gregory Timms · Animation - 2013
National Theatre Live: The Magistrate as Posket · Comedy Worldwide box office: $33.4K - 2012
This Is 40 Comedy Worldwide box office: $88.2M - 2011
New Year’s Eve as Jonathan Cox (uncredited) · Romance - 2011
Prohibition as Reader / H.L. Mencken (voice) · Documentary - 2005
Einstein’s Big Idea as Narrator (voice) U.S. edition · Documentary - 2004
The Life and Death of Peter Sellers as Blake Edwards · Drama Worldwide box office: $1.79M - 2003
The Ghost of Lord Farquaad as Ghost of Farquaad (voice) · Family - 2001
Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party as Lord Farquaad (singing voice) · Comedy - 2000
Don Quixote as Don Quixote de La Mancha / Alonso Quixano · Comedy - 1998
Johnny Skidmarks as Sergeant Larry Skovik · Crime - 1997
Officer Buckle and Gloria as Narrator (voice) · Animation - 1996
Hollow Point as Thomas Livingston · Action - 1996
Special Effects: Anything Can Happen as Narrator · Documentary - 1995
The Tuskegee Airmen as Senator Conyers · Drama - 1995
My Brother’s Keeper as Tom Bradley / Bob Bradley · Drama - 1995
American Cinema as Narrator · Documentary - 1995
Redwood Curtain as Laird Riordan · Drama - 1994
Silent Fall as Dr. Rene Harlinger · Mystery Worldwide box office: $3.18M - 1994
Princess Caraboo as Professor Wilkinson · Drama Worldwide box office: $3.06M - 1994
A Good Man in Africa Comedy Worldwide box office: $2.31M - 1994
World War II: When Lions Roared as Franklin Delano Roosevelt · Drama - 1993
The Country Mouse & the City Mouse: A Christmas Tale as Alexander (voice) · Drama - 1993
Love, Cheat & Steal as Paul Harrington · Thriller - 1993
The Wrong Man as Phillip Mills · Romance - 1993
Cliffhanger Action Worldwide box office: $255M - 1993
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble as Narrator · Family - 1992
Raising Cain Drama Worldwide box office: $37.2M - 1991
At Play in the Fields of the Lord as Leslie Huben · Romance Worldwide box office: $1.35M - 1991
Ricochet Action Worldwide box office: $21.8M - 1991
The Boys as Artie Margulies · Comedy - 1990
Ivory Hunters as Robert Carter · Tv movie - 1989
Traveling Man as Ben Cluett · Comedy - 1989
Out Cold as Dave · Comedy Worldwide box office: $294K - 1988
Distant Thunder as Mark Lambert · Drama Worldwide box office: $156K - 1987
Harry and the Hendersons Fantasy Worldwide box office: $50M - 1986
The Manhattan Project Sci-Fi Worldwide box office: $3.9M - 1986
Resting Place as Maj. Kendall Laird · Drama - 1985
Mesmerized as Oliver Thompson · Drama - 1985
Santa Claus: The Movie as B.Z. · Fantasy - 1985
The Amazing Bone as Narrator · Animation - 1984
2010 Adventure - 1984
2010: The Year We Make Contact as Dr. Walter Curnow · Sci-Fi Worldwide box office: $40.4M - 1984
The Glitter Dome as Sgt. Marty Wellborn · Drama - 1984
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension Adventure Worldwide box office: $6.25M - 1984
Goldilocks and the Three Bears as Goldilocks' Father · Tv movie - 1983
The Day After as Joe Huxley · Tv movie - 1982
The World According to Garp Drama Worldwide box office: $29.7M - 1982
I’m Dancing as Fast as I Can as Mr. Brunner · Drama Worldwide box office: $291K - 1981
Blow Out Mystery Worldwide box office: $12M - 1980
The Oldest Living Graduate as Clarence · Drama - 1979
Rich Kids as Paul Philips · Drama Worldwide box office: $1.86M - 1978
The Big Fix as Sam Sebastian · Comedy Worldwide box office: $13.1M - 1977
Secret Service as Capt. Thorne · Drama - 1976
Obsession Drama - 1972
Dealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues as John · Comedy
John Lithgow in Documentaries & Specials
14- 2025
SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night as Self · Documentary - 2023
Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic as Self · Documentary - 2019
On Broadway as Self · Documentary Worldwide box office: $82.7K Movie Echo Score: 80 - 2018
Mister Rogers: It’s You I Like as Self · Documentary - 2017
Broadway: The Next Generation as Self · Tv movie - 2016
Shakespeare Live! From the RSC as Self - Performer · Documentary Worldwide box office: $747K - 2015
Inside ‘Interstellar’ as Self · Documentary - 2013
Marvin Hamlisch: What He Did For Love as Self · Documentary - 2011
Shrek: Once Upon a Time as Self · Documentary - 2002
Buckaroo Banzai Declassified as Self · Documentary - 1996
The West as Self · Documentary - 1990
Night of 100 Stars III as Self · Comedy - 1985
Santa Claus: The Making of the Movie as Self · Documentary - 1984
2010 : The Odyssey Continues as Himself · Documentary
John Lithgow: Awards & Nominations
1 win from 6 nominations across 3 award bodies, from 1983 to 2024. Every ceremony is listed newest first, with the category and the film.
-
Saturn Awards 1 win from 2 nominations -
Actor Awards (SAG) 2 nominations -
Oscars 2 nominations
- 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards
- John Lithgow: Nominated Outstanding Cast Killers of the Flower Moon
- 26th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards
- John Lithgow: Nominated Outstanding Cast Bombshell
- 45th Saturn Awards
- John Lithgow: Nominated Best Supporting Actor in a Film Pet Sematary
- The 56th Academy Awards
- John Lithgow: Nominated Best Supporting Actor Terms of Endearment
- 11th Saturn Awards
- John Lithgow: Win Best Supporting Actor Twilight Zone: The Movie
- The 55th Academy Awards
- John Lithgow: Nominated Best Supporting Actor The World According to Garp
Who Is John Lithgow?
John Lithgow was born in Rochester, New York, U.S. in 1945 and is 80 years old. Credited on films since 1972, as an actor. The background, training and the roles that shaped the career.
John Arthur Lithgow (/ˈlɪθɡoʊ/ LITH-goh; born October 19, 1945) is a prolific American actor. He studied at Harvard University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before gaining fame for his diverse work on stage and screen. Over the course of his career, he earned numerous awards including six Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two Tony Awards, and nominations for two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, and four Grammy Awards. Lithgow has enticed and mesmerized audiences with his performances in various platforms — from his Broadway debut in The Changing Room (1972) to notable roles in movies like All That Jazz (1979), Footloose (1984), and Shrek (2001). Furthermore, Lithgow starred in successful TV series like 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996–2001) and Dexter (2009). He was born on October 19, 1945, 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 John Lithgow Makes Movies With
The actors and directors John Lithgow shares the most films with. Helen Mirren comes first, with 6 films together, followed by Eddie Murphy (4).
John Lithgow: Questions & Answers
How many movies John Lithgow has made, the biggest hit, the best-rated film, the award record and more, answered from the filmography above.
How many movies has John Lithgow been in?
John Lithgow is credited on 95 films, from 1972 to 2026. The filmography on this page lists every one of them, newest first, with the role and the Movie Echo Score.
What is John Lithgow's highest-grossing movie?
Cliffhanger (1993) is John Lithgow's biggest box office hit, with $255M worldwide, ahead of Pitch Perfect 3 (2017) ($185M). Across every film with box office figures, John Lithgow's movies have made $1.47B.
John Lithgow's biggest hits What is the best John Lithgow movie?
By the Movie Echo Score, which blends critic reviews, audience ratings and lasting impact, John Lithgow's best-rated film is Conclave (2024) with a score of 80, followed by Live in Front of a Studio Audience: The Facts of Life and Diff’rent Strokes (2021) (80).
Best John Lithgow movies, ranked Has John Lithgow won an Oscar?
John Lithgow has been nominated for 2 Oscars but has not won one yet. Across every ceremony in the awards database, John Lithgow has 1 win from 6 nominations.
How old is John Lithgow?
John Lithgow is 80 years old, born on October 19, 1945 in Rochester, New York, U.S..
What is John Lithgow's newest movie?
The most recent film on John Lithgow's filmography is Jimpa (2026), in the role of Jim, Jimpa.
Who does John Lithgow work with most often?
John Lithgow shares the most films with Helen Mirren (6 films), Eddie Murphy (4 films) and Peter Coyote (4 films).
The Best John Lithgow Movies, Ranked
Top rated, most awarded and biggest box office hits from 95 credits.
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