John Lithgow is just getting higher with age.
Together with his newest Tony Awards win for actor in a play for “Big,” Lithgow, 80, grew to become the oldest man ever to win a aggressive performing Tony. The report was beforehand held by Roy Dotrice at 77, for featured actor in a play within the 2000 “A Moon for the Misbegotten,” adopted by two veteran performers. The late Dick Latessa gained featured actor in a musical for “Hairspray” in 2003 at 73, whereas André De Shields tied it in 2019 for “Hadestown.” De Shields, himself 80 this yr, was nominated once more tonight within the featured actor in a musical class for his flip as Outdated Deuteronomy within the revival “Cats: The Jellicle Ball,” however misplaced to Ali Louis Bourzgui from “The Misplaced Boys.”
In “Big,” a drama about Roald Dahl’s antisemitism, Lithgow additionally opened the longest hole between aggressive performing Tony wins within the awards’ historical past at 53 years. His first got here in 1973, for featured actor in a play in “The Altering Room,” a span that surpasses Angela Lansbury’s earlier mark of 43 years — 1966 to 2009 — by a full decade, with Patti LuPone (42 years) and Frank Langella (41) shut behind.
John Lithgow within the West Finish manufacturing of “Big.”
Johan Persson
It was Lithgow’s third profession Tony, and it got here on the expense of Nathan Lane, who was chasing a fourth of his personal for “Loss of life of a Salesman,” alongside fellow nominees Mark Robust (“Oedipus”), Daniel Radcliffe (“Each Sensible Factor”) and Will Harrison (“Punch”).
The victory additionally places Lithgow in a uncommon membership of 4 performers. With wins now for a featured play position (“The Altering Room”), a number one musical flip (“Candy Odor of Success,” 2002) and a number one play efficiency (“Big”), he’s certainly one of solely 4 performers ever to win in three totally different performing classes — becoming a member of Kevin Kline and Boyd Gaines, additionally three-category winners, and Audra McDonald, the one performer to have triumphed in 4.
“I’m such a fortunate actor. That is my third Tony Award. My first one was 53 years in the past at my Broadway debut within the American premiere of an English play, which by a tremendous coincidence originated at London’s Royal Court docket Theatre, identical to ‘Big,’” Lithgow stated whereas accepting the award. “Two Tony bookends with 53 years between them. In these years, I’ve labored with a whole bunch of simply incredible theatre artists. I’ve had dozens and dozens of ecstatic moments on the stage, however I’ve to let you know proper now, this second has bought to be the most effective.”
