Lithgow Lets Loose on Stage and Page

An Interview with John Lithgow

By Carol Band






Well known as an actor, John Lithgow has garnered acclaim for his roles on both stage and screen. With numerous awards, including two Tony Awards and two Oscar nominations, Lithgow is one of the most versatile actors of his generation. But it was his role as the wacky alien dad and high commander in NBC’s hit comedy series 3rd Rock from the Sun that won him multiple Emmys, a Golden Globe Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and made him famous in living rooms across the nation.


Although adults may know the 59-year-old Lithgow from his impressive body of work on Broadway, TV and in the movies, children are more likely to recognize his voice as that of the evil Lord Farquaad in the animated film Shrek. If they haven’t seen the movies, they might have sung along with his rollicking children’s CDs, or they might even have read one of his five immensely popular children’s books.


“Writing children’s books is not something that I pursued. It pursued me,” Lithgow explains. His first book, The Remarkable Farkle McBride, published in 2000, was purely accidental.


“I was writing a children’s introduction to the symphony,” he recalls. “Soon, I realized that I had the text for a book. And once the first one was successful, others followed.”


Since then, the prolific Lithgow has penned four other children’s stories, as well as a book for parents. His newest creation is a whimsical storybook, Carnival of the Animals. This, like his first book, also began with a piece of classical music.


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