John Lithgow wins third Tony Award
Actually this spring is the first sort of rush of television I’ve done in *** long time, the Hallmark Hall of Fame and then the following Sunday night, I was in an amazing stories that my own private sweep week, you know, your name is really getting to be well known now. Yeah, it’s still mispronounced but it’s well known. It’s let go. I heard you in the hall. Uh How many people say Lithgow *** lot of most, I consider the pronunciation of my name. My my little secret. Let me ask you this, John, do you care how big your part is? It seems like like terms of endearment. It wasn’t *** huge role. You got *** little Oscar nomination for that. It wasn’t bad. But I mean, you don’t seem to care as long as the part is good. Is that it or what? Well, I, I uh I care to *** degree but I’m, I, I would rather play *** small, wonderful part in *** terrific movie than *** great big part in *** turkey. I mean, I’m no fool. Uh And it’s also, I mean, I’m *** character man. Look at Jack Nicholson. Uh, he he doesn’t hesitate to take parts like Eugene o’neill and Reds and his part in terms of endearment. I think that’s *** marvelous thing about Jack. He goes for what fascinates him, interests him. Well, you’re now in the leading man category though, with Manhattan project. Well, I, uh at least I, the story is kind of about me, about me and this young boy, we’re sort of different versions of each other. I’m, I’m an older version of him. Two Science Whizzes have sort of come to terms with what they do. I wish the world were *** simpler place, Paul but it’s not, don’t worry about it. They can’t do anything to me. Why not? I’m underage. That’s really brilliant. What do you think this is the school play? They don’t care how old you are, how cute they’re gorillas, they can hurt you, don’t you get it? If you try to tough it out with them, they’ll lock you in *** room somewhere and throw away the room. Despite your success uh on the screen, you, uh you went back to Broadway. What? To get the old juices flowing again. It’s, it’s where I came from the theater. And I still regard that as the most basic acting in *** way, the most immediate connection with an audience. The theater is always evolving and, and it always, you know, with the people who say Broadway is dying, it’s, it’s in the great tradition of theater is dead. Back from Aristophanes’s Day. You know, but you can’t, you can’t, you can’t stifle that form. It’s always gonna come booming back.
John Lithgow took home the first Tony Award Sunday night for “Giant.” A blockbuster revival of “Death of a Salesman” was racking up awards even before the halfway mark.Lithgow won best lead actor in a play as children’s author Roald Dahl in Mark Rosenblatt’s production set in 1983, when the author is facing intense backlash to his antisemitic comments. The role earned Lithgow his first Olivier Award in London and now the Tony for lead actor in a play, his third.Video above: John Lithgow on ‘Hallmark Hall of Fame’, Broadway, 1986The win puts Lithgow in an exclusive group of actors who have won in three separate acting categories. He previously won featured actor in a play for “The Changing Room” and lead actor in a musical for “Sweet Smell of Success.”“Two Tony bookends with 53 years between them,” he said. “In those years, I have worked with hundreds of just fantastic theater artists. I’ve had dozens and dozens of ecstatic moments on the stage, but I have to tell you right now, this moment has got to be one of the best.”A revival of “Death of a Salesman” won at least five Tonys, nearing the record for most statuettes ever won by play revival, which is seven.
John Lithgow took home the first Tony Award Sunday night for “Giant.” A blockbuster revival of “Death of a Salesman” was racking up awards even before the halfway mark.
Lithgow won best lead actor in a play as children’s author Roald Dahl in Mark Rosenblatt’s production set in 1983, when the author is facing intense backlash to his antisemitic comments. The role earned Lithgow his first Olivier Award in London and now the Tony for lead actor in a play, his third.
Video above: John Lithgow on ‘Hallmark Hall of Fame’, Broadway, 1986
The win puts Lithgow in an exclusive group of actors who have won in three separate acting categories. He previously won featured actor in a play for “The Changing Room” and lead actor in a musical for “Sweet Smell of Success.”
“Two Tony bookends with 53 years between them,” he said. “In those years, I have worked with hundreds of just fantastic theater artists. I’ve had dozens and dozens of ecstatic moments on the stage, but I have to tell you right now, this moment has got to be one of the best.”
A revival of “Death of a Salesman” won at least five Tonys, nearing the record for most statuettes ever won by play revival, which is seven.
