John Lithgow made his debut in the 1972 Paul Williams-directed film ‘Dealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues’ where he played the role of ‘John.’ Following his debut, he went on to star in films like ‘Obsession’ (1976), ‘The Big Fix’ (1978), ‘Rich Kids’ (1979), ‘All That Jazz’ (1979), ‘Blow Out’ (1981), and ‘I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can’ (1982). In 1982, he starred as ‘Roberta Muldoon’ in the American comedy-drama film ‘The World According to Garp’ directed by George Roy Hill. The film received mostly positive reviews from critics and earned a 74% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Lithgow also received an ‘Academy Award’ nomination for her performance in the film. He earned another ‘Academy Award’ nomination for his portrayal of ‘Sam Burns’ in the 1983 American family comedy-drama film ‘Terms of Endearment’ directed by James L. Brooks. The film saw critical acclaim upon release and was a massive commercial success, grossing over $165 million against a budget of $8 million. The following year, he appeared in the Herbert Ross-directed American musical drama film, ‘Footloose.’ While the film received a mixed response from critics, it became a major commercial success.
Lithgow continued to star in films like ‘Santa Claus: The Movie’ (1985), ‘My Letter to George’ (1986), ‘The Manhattan Project’ (1986), ‘Harry and the Hendersons’ (1987), ‘Distant Thunder’ (1988), ‘Out Cold’ (1989), ‘Memphis Belle’ (1990), ‘L.A. Story’ (1991), ‘At Play in the Fields of the Lord’ (1991), ‘Raising Cain’ (1992), ‘The Wrong Man’ (1993), ‘The Pelican Brief’ (1993), ‘Silent Fall’ (1994), and ‘A Good Man in Africa’ (1994). In 1996, he joined the main cast of the American television sitcom, ‘3rd Rock from the Sun,’ created by Bonnie Turner and Terry Turner. He played the role of ‘Dick Solomon’ which earned him several awards including the ‘Golden Globe Award,’ 3 ‘Primetime Emmy Awards,’ and 2 ‘Screen Actors Guild Awards.’ The show ran for 6 seasons and aired its final episode in 2001. He continued to appear in television series and films such as ‘Cosby’ (1999), ‘Don Quixote’ (2000), ‘Freedom: A History of Us’ (2003), ‘Twenty Good Years’ (2006), and ‘Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!’ (2006).
In 2009, he starred as ‘Arthur Mitchell’ in the American crime drama television series ‘Dexter.’ His performance in the series earned him a ‘Golden Globe Award.’ In 2011, he became a part of the American sitcom ‘How I Met Your Mother’ created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas. He played the role of Jerome "Jerry" Whitaker and remained a part of the show until it went off-air in 2014. Lithgow next appeared in television series like ‘Once Upon a Time in Wonderland’ (2013-2014), ‘Drunk History’ (2014), ‘Louie’ (2015), ‘The Crown’ (2016-2019), ‘Trial & Error’ (2017), ‘Perry Mason’ (2020), ‘Wolfboy and the Everything Factory’ (2021), and ‘Live in Front of a Studio Audience’ (2021). In 2021, he reprised his role as ‘Arthur Mitchell’ in the Episode: "Skin of Her Teeth" of the American crime drama mystery miniseries ‘Dexter: New Blood.’ He is all set to appear in the upcoming American thriller television series ‘The Old Man.’
