Will John Lithgow Triple Crown?
Wednesday, August 22, 2018 at 5:00PM by Nathaniel R
John Lithgow to play Roger Ailes
I used to suspect that John Lithgow, who is quite an awards magnet, would join our growing Triple Crown Actors list. But then the big screen portion of his triple threaded career seemed to peter out, with less prominent roles and less frequent movies. This just in: he's been cast in that increasingly starry Fox News Scandal movie alongside Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, and Margot Robbie. He'll be playing the repulsive Roger Aisle, the main antagonist of the film. And you know how Oscar LOVES respected actors playing despicable men in the Supporting category. Perhaps he'll Triple Crown yet?
Lithgow was nominated for two consecutive Best Supporting Actor Oscars in the 1980s (The World According to Garp and Terms of Endearment). Aside from that short round of movie hoopla he's mostly concentrated on racking up Emmys (12 noms, 5 wins to date) and Tonys (6 nominations, 2 wins to date).
What's your favorite performance from this 72 year-old showbiz giant?
Reader Comments (22)
3rd Rock from the Sun
The Crown, he was wonderful and of the recent Churchill's easily the best. I have very few memories of 3rd Rock anymore but he was good on the show I remember and I believe he can triple crown.
Wow, there's so many amazing performances from John Lithgow. I would say Raising Cain as I just think he's great in that film which I always feel is.... UNDERRATED!!!!!
If you guys haven't seen S1 of TRIAL & ERROR, you must. He's fantastically hilarious.
My favourite Lithgow performance that I've seen is Blow Out. Lithgow should absolutely get a Triple Crown, and he's not a bad choice for Ailes.
"Third Rock From the Sun"
"Dexter"
Brian de Palma's "Obsession"
He's always fun to watch! My favorite film performance is probably Love Is Strange, and The Crown (S1) would probably be my favorite of his TV work.
He was very good in Kinsey.
I knew him first as the father in Harry and the Hendersons. Imagine my confusion and horror he plays freaks for the bulk of his filmography.
Aside from his effective turn as Roberta in The World According to Garp which I saw much much later, I was taken by his comic/comedic role in the now-forgotten Princess Caraboo. Especially where he was (mis)pronouncing foreign words to hilarious effect.
He was also heartbreaking in Albee's A Delicate Balance on Broadway.
Jeff Sneider let slip that Allison Janey and Kate McKinnon have been offered roles in this too.
If this isn't the Big Short or American Hustle of next year....what a waste.
Dick Solomon on 3RD ROCK FROM THE SUN is masterful work. In lesser hands, he would have been nothing more than a manchild. Lithgow, aided especially by Jane Curtin, made us root for that character and understand his well-meaning, and in the realm of very broad, play-to-the-back-of-the-room comedy.
Will he do push-ups on stage when he wins?
He’s won SIX Emmys. The Crown, Dexter, 3 for 3rd Rock and his first Emmy win for Amazing Stories. He won for Guest Actor. He’s in a tie for most wins in this category (2).
He should’ve been nominated for Trial & Error too last year.
Kind of difficult to choose between his Dexter performance and Dick Solomon.
I’ll choose Dick Solomon since I’m still upset that he or Showtime or whoever decided to chicken out and go Guest when he could’ve/should’ve gone Supporting for Dexter. Alan Cumming or Gregory Itzin could’ve won instead.
roberta muldoon! former tight end for the philadelphia eagles! i wish lithgow and close had both won for ...garp
I second RAISING CAIN as his finest hour.
His nomination for TERMS OF ENDEARMENT still stuns me - not that he isn't in fine form but it really is the epitome of a coattail Oscar nom.
Love is Strange
I totally see/am on board with Terms of Endearment or Blow Out as an answer to this, but I'm going with 3rd Rock for the reasons Jakey points out. That performance/that show could have gone so terribly wrong, but he managed to pull it off and consistently produce something delightful.
And it was a surprise that Lithgow got the nomination over the still never nominated Jeff Daniels for "Terms of Endearment", but no matter who, they weren't going to stop Nicholson's steam roll for his 3rd that year.
But he was really good in "Garp", "Bllow Out", insane in "Raising Cain" and even "Footloose". He's just good.
but no matter who, they weren't going to stop Nicholson's steam roll for his 3rd that year
You mean his 2nd.
/3rtful is right. I got those wins backwards.
Wow. This casting/movie is just bonkers in the best sort of way.
Havent posted in ages. omg.