At 80, John Lithgow Becomes Oldest Winner Of Tony Award For Lead Actor In A Play, 53 Years After First Win

John Lithgow reached a Tony Awards milestone on Sunday, becoming the oldest winner in the Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play category for Giant. Along with that accomplishment, the 80-year-old actor noted during his acceptance speech that it has been an eye-popping 53 years since his first Tony win. “I’m such a lucky actor,” he said, mentioning that he has won two previous Tonys. (They came for The Changing Room and for lead actor in a musical for Sweet Smell of Success.) The win for Changing Room, he said, recognized his Broadway debut. Like Giant, a portrait of controversial author Roald Dahl, it originated in London’s Royal Court Theatre before transferring to Broadway. “Two Tony bookends, with 53 years between them,” Lithgow said. “In those years, I have worked with hundreds of fantastic theater artists. I’ve had dozens and dozens of ecstatic theater moments onstage. But I’ve got to tell you, this moment has got to be one of the best.” In starting the speech, Lithgow offered a disarming take on the usual magnanimity of award speeches by actors. “Oh my God, this is wonderful,” he said. “The other gentlemen in my category, you all deserve this. I got it.” Turning more serious he added, “Because I play the lead role in an extraordinary play, Giant. A stunning play made by people full of love and kindness. But it’s a play about cruelty in a cruel age.” In Giant, Lithgow plays Dahl during a period in the 1980s when the children’s author drew fierce backlash to his antisemitic comments. The performance won Lithgow his first Olivier Award during the show’s London run.