Want to know the best John Lithgow movies? How about the worst John Lithgow movies? Curious about John Lithgow box office grosses or which John Lithgow movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which John Lithgow movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences? Well you have come to the right place…as we have that information and lots moree.
John Lithgow (1945-) is an Oscar® nominated American actor. Lithgow has also found success as a musician, comedian, poet, author, and singer. He has received two Tony Awards, six Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe® Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards®, four Drama Desk Awards®, and has been nominated for two Academy Awards® and four Grammy Awards®. His IMDb page shows over 117 acting credits since 1972 . This page will rank 50 John Lithgow Movies in 6 different statistical categories. Television roles, shorts and uncredited roles are not included in the rankings.
John Lithgow Movies Ranked In Chronological Order With Ultimate Movie Rankings Score (1 to 5 UMR Tickets) *Best combo of box office, reviews and awards.
Year
Movie (Year)
Rating
S
Year Movie (Year) Rating S
1983
Terms of Endearment (1983)
AA Best Picture Win
AA Best Supp Actor Nom
1979
All That Jazz (1979)
AA Best Picture Nom
2001
Shrek (2001)
Voice Only
2014
Interstellar (2014)
2011
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
2006
Dreamgirls (2006)
1993
Cliffhanger (1993)
1993
The Pelican Brief (1993)
2023
Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)
AA Best Picture Nom
1984
Footloose (1984)
2000
Rugrats in Paris: The Movie (2000)
1984
2010 (1984)
1998
A Civil Action (1998)
1982
The World According to Garp (1982)
AA Best Supp Actor Nom
1981
Blow Out (1981)
2012
The Campaign (2012)
2016
The Accountant (2016)
1976
Obsession (1976)
2017
Pitch Perfect 3 (2017)
1983
Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)
1990
Memphis Belle (1990)
2004
Kinsey (2004)
2017
Daddy's Home 2 (2017)
2012
This Is 40 (2012)
1978
The Big Fix (1978)
1991
Ricochet (1991)
1987
Harry and the Hendersons (1987)
2019
Bombshell (2019)
2019
Pet Sematary (2019)
2002
Orange County (2002)
2019
Late Night (2019)
1992
Raising Cain (1992)
2014
The Homesman (2014)
1984
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai (1984)
2024
Cabrini (2024)
1995
The Tuskegee Airmen (1995)
HBO Movie
1985
Santa Claus: The Movie (1985)
2014
Love Is Strange (2014)
2017
Beatriz at Dinner (2017)
2004
The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004)
HBO Movie
2009
Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009)
1991
At Play in the Fields of the Lord (1991)
2023
Sharper (2023)
Apple TV
1986
The Manhattan Project (1986)
1979
Rich Kids (1979)
2016
Miss Sloan (2016)
1982
I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can (1982)
1994
Princess Caraboo (1994)
1984
The Glitter Dome (1984)
HBO Movie
1988
Distant Thunder (1988)
1993
The Wrong Man (1993)
1989
Out Cold (1989)
1998
Homegrown (1998)
1994
Silent Fall (1994)
2010
Leap Year (2010)
2011
New Year's Eve (2011)
2019
The Tomorrow Man (2019)
1985
Mesmerized/My Letter To George (1985)
2022
The Bubble (2022)
Netflix
1994
A Good Man in Africa (1994)
John Lithgow Movies Can Be Ranked 6 Ways In This Table
The really cool thing about this table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies anyway you want.
Sort John Lithgow movies by co-stars of his movies.
Sort John Lithgow movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost
Sort John Lithgow movies by domestic yearly box office rank or trivia
Sort John Lithgow movies how they were received by critics and audiences. 60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie.
Sort by how many Oscar® nominations and how many Oscar® wins each John Lithgow movie received.
Sort John Lithgow movies by Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score. UMR Score puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.
Use the sort and search buttons to make this a very interactive table.
| R | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Adj. B.O. Worldwide (mil) | Review | Oscar Nom / Win | UMR Score | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Actual B.O. Domestic (mil) | Adj. B.O. Domestic (mil) | Adj. B.O. Worldwide (mil) | B.O. Rank by Year | Review | Oscar Nom / Win | UMR Score | S |
| 1 | Terms of Endearment (1983) AA Best Picture Win AA Best Supp Actor Nom |
Shirley MacLaine & Debra Winger |
108.40 | 371.0 | 371.00 | 2 | 83 | 11 / 05 | 99.9 | |
| 2 | All That Jazz (1979) AA Best Picture Nom |
Roy Scheider & Jessica Lange |
52.60 | 226.0 | 226.00 | 14 | 80 | 09 / 04 | 99.4 | |
| 3 | Shrek (2001) Voice Only |
Mike Myers & Eddie Murphy |
267.70 | 510.7 | 924.20 | 4 | 88 | 02 / 01 | 98.9 | |
| 4 | Interstellar (2014) | Matthew McConaughey & Michael Caine |
188.00 | 248.1 | 890.80 | 16 | 81 | 05 / 01 | 98.3 | |
| 5 | Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) | James Franco | 176.80 | 240.3 | 655.00 | 11 | 77 | 01 / 00 | 96.9 | |
| 6 | Dreamgirls (2006) | Jamie Foxx & Eddie Murphy |
103.40 | 169.3 | 253.90 | 20 | 76 | 08 / 02 | 96.2 | |
| 7 | Cliffhanger (1993) | Sylvester Stallone | 84.00 | 218.9 | 664.00 | 10 | 64 | 03 / 00 | 94.2 | |
| 8 | The Pelican Brief (1993) | Denzel Washington & Julia Roberts |
100.80 | 262.4 | 508.50 | 8 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 92.7 | |
| 9 | Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) AA Best Picture Nom |
Leonardo DiCaprio & Robert De Niro |
67.80 | 67.8 | 156.50 | 35 | 84 | 10 / 00 | 91.3 | |
| 9 | Footloose (1984) | Kevin Bacon | 80.00 | 256.8 | 256.80 | 7 | 55 | 02 / 00 | 91.2 | |
| 10 | Rugrats in Paris: The Movie (2000) | Susan Sarandon & Debbie Reynolds |
76.50 | 153.0 | 153.00 | 29 | 68 | 00 / 00 | 90.2 | |
| 13 | 2010 (1984) | Roy Scheider & Helen Mirren |
40.40 | 129.6 | 129.60 | 19 | 66 | 05 / 00 | 88.1 | |
| 12 | A Civil Action (1998) | John Travolta & Robert Duvall |
56.70 | 130.3 | 130.30 | 37 | 67 | 02 / 00 | 88.0 | |
| 14 | The World According to Garp (1982) AA Best Supp Actor Nom |
Glenn Close & Robin Williams |
29.70 | 108.9 | 108.90 | 24 | 74 | 02 / 00 | 87.7 | |
| 14 | Blow Out (1981) | John Travolta | 12.00 | 46.5 | 46.50 | 67 | 86 | 00 / 00 | 83.9 | |
| 15 | The Campaign (2012) | Will Ferrell & Zach Galifianakis |
86.90 | 117.7 | 142.10 | 35 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 83.7 | |
| 17 | The Accountant (2016) | Ben Affleck & Anna Kendrick |
86.30 | 107.5 | 193.40 | 37 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 82.0 | |
| 16 | Obsession (1976) | Cliff Robertson & Directed by Brian De Palma |
13.50 | 68.5 | 68.50 | 50 | 74 | 01 / 00 | 81.9 | |
| 19 | Pitch Perfect 3 (2017) | Anna Kendrick & Elizabeth Banks |
104.90 | 126.1 | 221.00 | 29 | 54 | 00 / 00 | 80.2 | |
| 21 | Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983) | Dan Aykroyd & Albert Brooks |
29.50 | 100.8 | 145.30 | 24 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 78.5 | |
| 21 | Memphis Belle (1990) | Matthew Modine & Eric Stoltz |
27.40 | 69.9 | 69.90 | 44 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 78.3 | |
| 22 | Kinsey (2004) | Liam Neeson | 10.30 | 17.8 | 29.40 | 140 | 83 | 01 / 00 | 77.5 | |
| 23 | Daddy's Home 2 (2017) | Will Ferrell & Mark Wahlberg |
104.00 | 125.0 | 217.10 | 30 | 50 | 00 / 00 | 77.1 | |
| 22 | This Is 40 (2012) | Paul Rudd & Wyatt Russell |
67.50 | 91.5 | 119.30 | 43 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 76.0 | |
| 25 | The Big Fix (1978) | Richard Dreyfuss | 15.50 | 71.4 | 71.40 | 46 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 71.7 | |
| 24 | Ricochet (1991) | Denzel Washington & John Lithgow |
21.80 | 55.7 | 55.70 | 61 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 71.7 | |
| 27 | Harry and the Hendersons (1987) | Don Ameche | 29.80 | 82.1 | 82.10 | 41 | 53 | 01 / 01 | 68.2 | |
| 26 | Bombshell (2019) | Charlize Theron & Margot Robbie |
31.80 | 37.4 | 68.50 | 78 | 65 | 03 / 01 | 67.3 | |
| 29 | Pet Sematary (2019) | Stephen King & Horror |
54.70 | 64.4 | 132.10 | 51 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 65.9 | |
| 32 | Orange County (2002) | Colin Hanks & Jack Black |
41.10 | 76.3 | 76.30 | 61 | 54 | 00 / 00 | 64.7 | |
| 31 | Late Night (2019) | Emma Thompson | 15.50 | 18.2 | 23.40 | 108 | 72 | 00 / 00 | 63.9 | |
| 31 | Raising Cain (1992) | Lolita Davidovich & Directed by Brian De Palma |
21.40 | 55.5 | 55.50 | 61 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 63.5 | |
| 33 | The Homesman (2014) | Tommy Lee Jones & Meryl Streep |
2.40 | 3.2 | 3.20 | 166 | 75 | 00 / 00 | 61.4 | |
| 33 | The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai (1984) | Christopher Lloyd | 9.10 | 29.2 | 29.20 | 81 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 61.3 | |
| 36 | Cabrini (2024) | David Morse | 18.10 | 18.1 | 18.60 | 54 | 68 | 00 / 00 | 58.3 | |
| 35 | The Tuskegee Airmen (1995) HBO Movie |
Laurence Fishburne | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 244 | 74 | 00 / 00 | 58.0 | |
| 37 | Santa Claus: The Movie (1985) | Dudley Moore | 23.70 | 72.0 | 72.00 | 38 | 50 | 00 / 00 | 55.7 | |
| 37 | Love Is Strange (2014) | Alfred Molina | 2.30 | 3.0 | 3.90 | 167 | 71 | 00 / 00 | 54.2 | |
| 38 | Beatriz at Dinner (2017) | Salma Hayek & Connie Britton |
7.10 | 8.6 | 8.60 | 129 | 68 | 00 / 00 | 52.2 | |
| 39 | The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004) HBO Movie |
Geoffrey Rush | 0.00 | 0.1 | 4.50 | 377 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 51.3 | |
| 40 | Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009) | John Goodman & Hugh Dancy |
44.30 | 63.6 | 155.70 | 65 | 49 | 00 / 00 | 48.7 | |
| 41 | At Play in the Fields of the Lord (1991) | Tom Berenger & Daryl Hannah |
1.30 | 3.4 | 3.40 | 157 | 68 | 00 / 00 | 48.6 | |
| 42 | Sharper (2023) Apple TV |
Julianne Moore | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 251 | 68 | 00 / 00 | 47.4 | |
| 43 | The Manhattan Project (1986) | John Lithgow & Christopher Collet |
3.90 | 11.3 | 11.30 | 120 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 44.8 | |
| 45 | Rich Kids (1979) | Trini Alvarado & Jeremy Levy |
1.90 | 8.0 | 8.00 | 122 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 42.4 | |
| 45 | Miss Sloan (2016) | Jessica Chastain & Mark Strong |
3.50 | 4.4 | 11.30 | 187 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 42.0 | |
| 46 | I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can (1982) | Jill Clayburgh & Nicol Williamson |
0.30 | 1.1 | 1.10 | 149 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 38.5 | |
| 47 | Princess Caraboo (1994) | Kevin Kline | 3.10 | 8.1 | 8.10 | 160 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 34.3 | |
| 48 | The Glitter Dome (1984) HBO Movie |
James Garner | 0.00 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 209 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 31.8 | |
| 49 | Distant Thunder (1988) | Ralph Macchio | 0.20 | 0.4 | 0.40 | 245 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 25.7 | |
| 50 | The Wrong Man (1993) | Rosanna Arquette | 0.00 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 273 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 24.4 | |
| 51 | Out Cold (1989) | Teri Garr | 0.30 | 0.8 | 0.80 | 188 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 20.4 | |
| 52 | Homegrown (1998) | Billy Bob Thornton & Hank Azaria |
0.10 | 0.2 | 0.20 | 249 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 17.6 | |
| 53 | Silent Fall (1994) | Richard Dreyfuss | 3.20 | 8.4 | 8.40 | 156 | 50 | 00 / 00 | 16.0 | |
| 55 | Leap Year (2010) | Amy Adams & Matthew Goode |
25.90 | 35.4 | 44.60 | 101 | 41 | 00 / 00 | 15.4 | |
| 54 | New Year's Eve (2011) | Robert DeNiro & Halle Berry |
54.50 | 74.1 | 193.10 | 63 | 27 | 00 / 00 | 14.6 | |
| 56 | The Tomorrow Man (2019) | Blythe Danner | 0.40 | 0.4 | 0.40 | 186 | 51 | 00 / 00 | 13.9 | |
| 57 | Mesmerized/My Letter To George (1985) | Jodie Foster | 0.00 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 223 | 47 | 00 / 00 | 10.0 | |
| 58 | The Bubble (2022) Netflix |
Karen Gillan & Directed by Judd Apatow |
0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 287 | 41 | 00 / 00 | 4.7 | |
| 59 | A Good Man in Africa (1994) | Sean Connery | 2.30 | 6.1 | 6.10 | 169 | 31 | 00 / 00 | 1.2 |
HI WORK HORSE “Musician, comedian, poet, author, singer” you tell us above, so John strikes me as among ACTORS being a versatile figure like Hirsch who tried his hand at night club entertaining, rock singing, composing of film music and even made an attempt at being a film critic.
Certainly your 50 entry tables above comprehensively cover a Lithgow movie career that was very prolific and indeed I remember him from as far back as the 1976 Obsession with Cliff Robertson. I think though that he most impressed me as a serial killer in Season 4 [2009] of the massive hit TV series Dexter which I see also impressed you. Unusual plot line to have a “good guy” serial killer in Dexter himself.
You may recall that Season 6 in 2011 of that series featured [as Travis Marshall The Doomsday Killer] Colin Hanks son of the great Tom and one of the few modern thespians to be regarded within the film community as being in the league of golden oldies like Tracy and Brando as both top box office draws at their peaks AND also amongst the very greatest of actors.
John Lithgow is credited on IMDB with 26 acting awards and 51 noms and his net worth is said to be $45 million to date. I warmly welcome this page and give it a “Vote Up”
Hey Bob. Thanks for the feedback on our John Lithgow page. I loved the first 4 seasons of Dexter. Season 5 was ok….and season 6 was disappointing…and not the way I would have ended the series. Lithgow is indeed accomplished in many fields….and I dare say he has sold more books than Joel did. Interesting that you noticed Lithgow in Obsession. For me it was Blow Out…he played a great bad guy in that one….and Travolta shines in that one as well. Good to see acting has been good to Mr. Lithgow….45 million is a nice nest egg for sure! Good feedback.
HI BRUCE I appreciate your thoughts on my Lithgow post and on my Meg Ryan comments. I agree with you about the gradual deterioration of Dexter and your take on Meg. An actor whom I used to confuse with Lithgow is Michael Moriatry [appeared for example with my Morg Freeman in Along Came a Spider].
When I visited the States it was 20 years ago and in those days I could cope with extensive travelling more than I can today. As Rod Steiger’s Napoleon said in the 1970 Waterloo when recalling one of his great past military battle triumphs “I was younger then.”
However I grew up living, breathing and sleeping American films which were set in the great legendary US places such as Philly, New York, Chicago, Texas, Wichita, Dodge City etc
[and have long taken a keen interest in US current affairs such as Nixon and Watergate].
Therefore I have often felt as if I have spent half of my life in the States. In a way America has become “my home away from home” as the cliché goes and I therefore have a great affection for the place.
Mind you in the early days when that affection was developing I hadn’t come across varmints like you and The Master! Anyway take care and I hope the Cogerson clan are all continuing to prosper in their day job
John Lithgow is great in whatever he does, an extremely versatile actor. From playing a killer in Blow Out to a transvestite in The World According to Garp, to a good ole dad in Harry and the Hendersons,, back to psychopaths in Cliffhanger, Ricochet and Dexter and back to silly grandpas in Daddy’s Home 2. The guy has been around forever and still provides solid performances.
Excellent comment Joseph. I agree he is a very versatile actor. At home in bad guy and good guy roles. Good examples…the loving dad in Harry and Hendersons and the serial killer dad in Dexter. Dexter was one of the few television shows I have watched over the last 10 years. Lithgow’s final grab from the grave was one of the greatest cliffhangers of all-time…the show never rebounded from that high point. Good feedback.
Pretty sure John Lithgow did not die in 1988.
Hey In The Shadows…..you are so correct…..fixed that massive error. Good catch!
Harry and the Hendersons was good!!!
Hey BERN1960….I enjoyed Harry and the Hendersons too. Actually saw that one in theaters over 30 years ago…scary how fast time flies. Thanks for the comment.
Why is “Don Quixote” not listed here?
Hey Antonio….Don Quixote was a television movie, and thus does not have box office grosses….so it was not included in the rankings. It sounds like an interesting movie to watch. Thanks for the visit.