Full Name: John Arthur Lithgow; Profession: American actor, stage and screen performer, author, comedian, musician and children’s storyteller; Nationality: American; Born: October 19, 1945; Birthplace: Rochester, New York, United States; Generation: Silent Generation (born within the commonly defined 1928–1945 Silent Generation cohort); Chinese Zodiac: Wood Rooster (Year of the Rooster for births between February 13, 1945 and February 1, 1946); Zodiac Sign: Libra (Sun in Libra for birthdays on October 19); Age in 2026: 81 (turning 81 on October 19, 2026); Marital Status: Married to UCLA professor Mary Yeager since 1981, following an earlier marriage and subsequent divorce from teacher Jean Taynton (married 1966, divorced 1980); Children: Three – son Ian from his first marriage, and daughter Phoebe and son Nathan from his second marriage; Cause of Death: Not applicable – alive and continuing to work and receive major honors in 2026; Description: John Arthur Lithgow is widely regarded as one of the most versatile and distinguished American actors of his generation, celebrated for a career that spans theater, film, television, voice acting, writing and music, with major honors including multiple Tony Awards, Emmy Awards, Golden Globes and Academy Award nominations that reflect his extraordinary range from tender, eccentric comedic characters to chilling dramatic villains. He grew up in a theatrical family, the son of an actress mother and a theater-producer father, moved frequently throughout the United States during childhood, and went on to graduate magna cum laude from Harvard University in history and literature before winning a Fulbright scholarship to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, giving him rigorous classical training and a deep grounding in Shakespearean and contemporary drama that has shaped his work for decades. On stage, he first achieved wide acclaim in the early 1970s with his Tony Award–winning performance in “The Changing Room,” followed by many prominent roles including “Sweet Smell of Success,” Arthur Miller plays such as “All My Sons,” and most recently his record‑setting 2026 Broadway triumph as Roald Dahl in the play “Giant,” for which he won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Play and became the oldest man ever to win a competitive acting Tony, capping more than half a century at the forefront of the theater world. In film and television, he is internationally known for acclaimed performances in works such as “The World According to Garp,” “Terms of Endearment,” “Footloose,” “Twilight Zone: The Movie,” the sitcom “3rd Rock from the Sun,” the drama series “Dexter,” the historical drama “The Crown,” and as the voice of Lord Farquaad in the “Shrek” franchise, demonstrating an ability to move effortlessly between heartfelt warmth, playful humor,r and psychological intensity while continually reinventing himself for new generations of audiences. Beyond acting, he has written numerous children’s books, recorded musical albums and narrations, delivered high‑profile commencement speeches and public readings, and maintained an active presence in both New York and Los Angeles, so that his Libra Sun and Wood Rooster Chinese zodiac combination – traditionally linked with balance, sociability, artistry, bravery and self‑reliance – resonates strongly with his collaborative theatrical work, his bold risk‑taking role choices, and his enduring reputation as a cultured, generous and intellectually curious elder statesman of stage and screen.