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John Lithgow

John Lithgow Quotes

Actor

John Lithgow, born in October 1945 in New York, USA, is an accomplished actor renowned for his exceptional performances in theater, film, and television. He has received numerous awards, including Tony Awards and Emmy Awards.

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Famous John Lithgow Quotes

“My only regret is that we didn't have more kids. I came from a family of four kids, but my wife and I just started too late.”

Kids Four Wife Regret Late My Wife Too Late

Author:John Lithgow

“We should have charity for what the dead say. We may disapprove of what they say, but we should not insult them and revile them knowing they cannot not defend themselves.”

Should May Knowing Should Have Charity Insult

Author:John Lithgow

“Instead of being a theater actor who sometimes does movies I became a movie actor who sometimes does theater.”

Doe Sometimes Actors Theater Movie Actors

Author:John Lithgow

“If my life was a play, age 35 was my intermission.”

Ifs Play Age Intermission

Author:John Lithgow

“My father was a man of the theater. I grew up in a theater family. As a young man, as a boy, I gypsied around with my siblings and my parents to, like, eight different towns, went to eight different schools. All those things were extremely formative, and I think that's what happens.”

Thinking Men Different Happens School Young Father Parent Boys Grew Grew Up Theater Towns Eight Young Man Sibling My Siblings Theater Family

Author:John Lithgow

“It's very interesting, I had an extremely intense experience with my dad in 2002, when he was an old man and very ill and I was taking care of him and my mother, and he was extremely depressed, virtually lost the will to live, and I realized my main job was cheering him up to save his life.”

Men Care Jobs Mother Lost Interesting Dad My Dad Ill I Realized Intense Old Man Cheer Very Interesting Will To Live

Author:John Lithgow

“Growing up I didn't want to be an actor. I sort of didn't want to go into the family business; the main reason being there was something I wanted to do far more, which was be an artist.”

Want Reason Wanted Artist Actors Growing Up Growing Being There

Author:John Lithgow

“Having grown up in the theater family, having done a huge amount of acting from a very little boy to precocious teenager in Shakespeare festivals that my father produced, I went off to college and fell in with the theater gang. I was already an experienced actor. I became a kind of campus star. I heard all this applause and laughter.”

Kind Littles Done Actors Father Stars Acting Boys Heard College Huge Amount Laughter Theater Teenager Festivals Gang Applause Little Boys Campus Precocious Off To College Theater Family

Author:John Lithgow

“It's my theory that if you hear enough applause and laughter at a young enough age, you're doomed”

Ifs Enough Age Young Theory Laughter Doomed Applause

Author:John Lithgow

“One of the things that gives me a lot of pleasure about both the solo show and the book is that it tells people about my dad. He really was an important man. He was a kind of pioneer of regional theater. He was the first American producer to ever produce all of Shakespeare plays.”

People Men Giving Firsts Kind Important Book Play Shows Pleasure Produce Dad Give Me Theater My Dad Producers Solo Pioneers Shakespeare Play

Author:John Lithgow

“I think there are all sorts of ways of turning into an actor, and there are a vast variety of different actors. You know, you interview plenty of actors and you know they come at it from a different direction and acting means different things to a lot of people.”

People Thinking Knows Way Mean Different Actors Acting Plenty Variety Interviews Different Things Different Directions

Author:John Lithgow

“I got a wonderful college education. I went to Harvard. In those four years I accumulated a lot of knowledge but I also created a kind of habit of learning that has stayed with me my whole life.”

Years Kind Whole Four Wonderful College Habit Whole Life Four Years Harvard College Education

Author:John Lithgow

“I always tell that to young people - go to college, do theater, work with an audience. Don't try to learn how to act in front of millions and millions of people. Don't make that your first ambition, to be on a sitcom or get into the movies. Learn who you are as an actor, and the best way to do that is to do it in front of an audience.”

People Way Trying Firsts Young Actors Millions Audience Fronts College Ambition Theater Who You Are Best Way Sitcom

Author:John Lithgow

“I learned the most about myself, and you ask what I learned? Well, I learned my strengths and my weaknesses, and it's far more important to learn about your weaknesses than your strengths.”

Wells Important Asks Weakness

Author:John Lithgow

“I really prize and love great painting. It's so out of date now. It's slightly come back in.”

Painting And Love Prize

Author:John Lithgow

“I was married very young. I lived a very middle class life. I was married at age 21, divorced at 31. I didn't sleep on people's couches.”

People Age Young Sleep Class Middle Married Middle Class Divorced Couches Middle Class Life

Author:John Lithgow

“I went to Princeton High School, when I was very serious about being an artist. I was in a theatre family but I didn't want to become an actor.”

Want School Artist Actors Serious High School Theatre Being An Artist Princeton

Author:John Lithgow

“I certainly had my years as an out of work actor but I was married with a baby. My wife was supporting us.”

Years Actors Wife Baby Married My Wife

Author:John Lithgow

“I don't hesitate to do nudity as an actor if it's done well.”

Ifs Wells Done Actors Nudity

Author:John Lithgow

“You have to overcome enormous self-consciousness, but nudity is about the strongest thing you can do in an acting performance. It's the most unsettling or the most comic or the most sexual.”

Self Can Do Acting Consciousness Performances Overcoming Enormous Comic Strongest Nudity Self Consciousness

Author:John Lithgow

“I look for every opportunity to mix comedy and horror and tragedy. I love catching audiences off-guard.”

Looks Opportunity Audience Comedy Horror Tragedy Catching

Author:John Lithgow

“That's how you deal with stardom; you make it the least important part of your life.”

Important Deals Stardom

Author:John Lithgow

“I grew up in a theater family. My father was a regional theater classical repertory producer. He created Shakespeare festivals. He produced all of Shakespeare's plays, mostly in Shakespeare festivals in Ohio. One of them, the Great Lakes Theater Festival in Cleveland, is still going. So I grew up not wanting to be an actor, not wanting to go into the family business.”

Stills Play Actors Father Grew Grew Up Theater Producers Lakes Festivals Ohio Cleveland Great Lakes Shakespeare's Plays Theater Family

Author:John Lithgow

“I was very interested in being a painter. I had facility, I had talent, and I loved painting and printmaking, and I was quite serious about it.”

Talent Painting Serious Painter Facility Printmaking

Author:John Lithgow

“I went to Harvard and immediately fell into the theater gang, and I was already an experienced actor, so you go with the flow! I've already used the phrase "campus star."”

Used Actors Stars Flow Theater Phrases Gang Harvard Campus

Author:John Lithgow

“Anyone who hears enough laughter and applause at a young age will become an actor, whether they intend to or not.”

Enough Age Young Actors Laughter Young Age Applause

Author:John Lithgow

“I'm always being asked to play roles or characters that I don't really resemble.”

Play Character Roles

Author:John Lithgow

“It's nice when you've done enough movies that you can do your own anthology.”

Done Enough Can Do Nice Anthology Enough Movie

Author:John Lithgow

“Any character you play, you're on his side. You do have the third eye that looks at what an appalling creature he is, but you have to look at what's good about him.”

Author:John Lithgow

“If we are ever going to save this society and the world, there has got to be a way for us to work together. That may be more than we can ever hope to achieve, just because of human nature.”

World Together Achieve Human Nature Working Together

Author:John Lithgow

“The problem is that people are pulling farther apart, rather than make an effort to get back together. There have been remarkable moments that united this country. It makes everyone feel relieved. Then because of economic stress, political shifts, we get wrenched apart again. I think it's cyclical. I am an optimist by nature. There are moments, the period after 9/11, the way we responded. The election of Barack Obama. There are moments where the country felt good about being American. I'm waiting for that to happen again.”

People Thinking Country Moments Problem Together Political Waiting Effort Economic Stress Election Barack Remarkable Optimist Relieved

Author:John Lithgow

“I subscribe to the great George G. Scott quote, "All actors are in trouble. Directors who don't help are a pain in the ass". We all need help from directors. We are all equally insecure.”

Helping Pain Trouble Ass Insecure Need Help

Author:John Lithgow

“I'm as flighty as anybody. You put a lot out there. I've been through the process a lot. When I play a major role, it's my instinct to create a nice atmosphere. People in the major roles dominate the tone of an entire film. To my mind, it's much easier to work creatively when everyone's friendly.”

People Mind Film Nice Instinct Atmosphere Friendly

Author:John Lithgow

“I can't get used to the fact that I'm 68 years old. I still feel like a youngster. I am playing a part even older than 68 - 71 years old. It's kind of startling to see myself in a movie and realize, "Yup. That's exactly what I look like."”

Author:John Lithgow

“I'm a con artist in that I'm an actor. I make people believe something is real when they know perfectly well it isn't.”

People Knows Believe Wells Real Artist Actors Con Artist

Author:John Lithgow

“Time sneaks up on you like a windshield on a bug.”

Humor Inspiration Funny Time Bugs Sneak

Author:John Lithgow

“I Need a Good Book I need a good story. I need a good book. The kind that explodes Off the shelf. I need some good writing, Alive and exciting, To contemplate all by myself. I need a good novel, I need a good read. I probably need Two or three. I need a good tale Of love and betrayal Or perhaps an adventure at sea. I need a good saga. I need a good yarn. A momentous and mightily Or slight one. But with thousands and thousands And thousands of books, I need someone to tell me The right one. -John Lithgow”

Needs Writing Kind Two Book Stories Three Novel Alive Sea Adventure Exciting Betrayal Tales Contemplating Shelves Good Book Good Story Good Writing Saga Yarn Good Reads Love And Betrayal

Author:John Lithgow

“The most exciting acting tends to happen in roles you never thought you could play.”

Inspirational Play Happens Motivational Actors Acting Roles Exciting

Author:John Lithgow

“Everybody's a dreamer.”

Author:John Lithgow

“Academics tend to have wonderfully infantile senses of humor.”

Humor Senses Sense Of Humor Infantile

Author:John Lithgow

“For me, working on stage is much more exhausting than all the other mediums, but it's also much more thrilling.”

Stage Mediums Thrilling Exhausting

Author:John Lithgow

“I consider myself a very lucky actor that, approaching 60, I'm still employed and employable.”

Stills Actors Lucky Employed Eugenics

Author:John Lithgow

“I can't imagine doing an hour-long dramatic series because it's so much work. A sitcom is a wonderful gig. You work from 10 to 4 every day, it's fun, and you get to live at home.”

Long I Can Home Fun Hours Imagine Wonderful Series Dramatic Gigs Sitcom

Author:John Lithgow

“I find I have to walk a little faster in public these days, but it's very easy to remember when nobody had any idea who I was.”

Littles Ideas Remember Easy Walks Faster These Days Remember When

Author:John Lithgow

“I gave up shame a long time ago.”

Long Long Time Shame Long Time Ago Gave Up

Author:John Lithgow

“I keep looking for things I haven't done yet.”

Author:John Lithgow

“I have a lot of faith in people.”

Author:John Lithgow

“I was in 20 Shakespearean plays by the time I was 20.”

Author:John Lithgow

“I never get tired of hearing compliments.”

Tired Hearing Compliment

Author:John Lithgow

“If you read in front of your kids, it's very likely that they'll become readers, too”

Ifs Kids Fronts Reader

Author:John Lithgow

About the Author

Born: October 19, 1945
Known for: Actor
Quotes: 66

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