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143-482: John Winslow Irving (born John Wallace Blunt Jr. ; March 2, 1942) is an American - Canadian novelist , short story writer , and screenwriter . Irving achieved critical and popular acclaim after the international success of The World According to Garp in 1978. Many of Irving's novels, including The Hotel New Hampshire (1981), The Cider House Rules (1985), A Prayer for Owen Meany (1989), and A Widow for One Year (1998), have been bestsellers . He won
286-709: A BAFTA Award , and four Grammy Awards . Lithgow has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2001 and was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2005. Lithgow made his Broadway debut in The Changing Room (1972) for which he received his first Tony Award . In 1976 Lithgow acted alongside Meryl Streep in the plays 27 Wagons Full of Cotton , A Memory of Two Mondays and Secret Service at The Public Theatre . He received Tony Award nominations for Requiem for
429-439: A Golden Globe Award for this role and won an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor In A Drama Series . He guest starred on How I Met Your Mother in the role of Barney Stinson 's father, Jerry. In 2008 through 2009, Lithgow played Joe Keller in a Broadway revival of Arthur Miller 's All My Sons directed by Simon McBurney . Lithgow starred alongside Dianne Wiest , Patrick Wilson and Katie Holmes in her Broadway debut at
572-643: A Western culture largely derived from the traditions of Northern and Western European colonists, settlers, and immigrants. It also includes significant influences of African-American culture . Westward expansion integrated the Creoles and Cajuns of Louisiana and the Hispanos of the Southwest and brought close contact with the culture of Mexico . Large-scale immigration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries from Eastern and Southern Europe introduced
715-631: A transexual ex-football player in The World According to Garp (1982) and a lonely banker in Terms of Endearment (1983). He also acted in films such as Footloose (1984), Harry and the Hendersons (1987), A Civil Action (1998), Shrek (2001), Kinsey (2004), Love Is Strange (2014), Interstellar (2014), Miss Sloane (2016), Beatriz at Dinner (2017), Late Night (2019), Bombshell (2019), and Killers of
858-528: A "very important" role in their lives, a proportion unusual among developed countries . However, similar to the other nations of the Americas. Many faiths have flourished in the United States, including both later imports spanning the country's multicultural immigrant heritage, as well as those founded within the country; these have led the United States to become the most religiously diverse country in
1001-538: A Birthday, Holiday, or Any Day a Celebration for Kids , Carnival of the Animals , A Lithgow Palooza: 101 Ways to Entertain and Inspire Your Kids , I'm a Manatee , Micawber , The Remarkable Farkle McBride , Mahalia Mouse Goes to College and I Got Two Dogs . He also appeared as a guest on Ants in Your Pants , a Canadian children's program. Lithgow launched into a career as a recording artist with Singin' in
1144-560: A Crown was released on September 29, 2020, by Chronicle Books . Lithgow contributed voiceover work for the audio book version of A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo , a 2018 children's book written by Jill Twiss , a comedy writer for HBO 's television show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver . The book is a loose parody of Marlon Bundo's A Day in the Life of the Vice President , a children's book written by then–Vice President of
1287-506: A Heavyweight (1985), M. Butterfly (1988), and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (2005). In 2002, Lithgow received his second Tony Award, this time for a musical, Sweet Smell of Success . In 2007, he made his Royal Shakespeare Company debut as Malvolio in Twelfth Night . He returned to Broadway in the plays The Columnist (2012), A Delicate Balance (2014), and Hillary and Clinton (2019). He starred as Dick Solomon in
1430-471: A Sound , a children's picture book originally included in A Widow for One Year , was published with illustrations by Tatjana Hauptmann. Irving's 11th novel, Until I Find You , was released on July 12, 2005. On June 28, 2005, The New York Times published an article revealing that Until I Find You (2005) contains two specifically personal elements about his life that he had never before discussed publicly: his sexual abuse at age 11 by an older woman, and
1573-457: A cameo on Louis C.K. 's Louie in the season five episode "Sleepover" alongside Glenn Close , Michael Cera and Matthew Broderick . In 2016, Lithgow appeared in the first season of The Crown (2016) portraying Winston Churchill . Lithgow won numerous awards for his performance including a Primetime Emmy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award . Lithgow then starred in the independent film Beatriz at Dinner (2017). Lithgow starred in
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#17327877598631716-455: A departure from the themes and settings of his previous novels, it received ambivalent reviews by American critics but became a national and international bestseller on the strength of Irving's reputation for fashioning literate, engrossing page-turners. Irving returned in 1998 with A Widow for One Year , which was named a New York Times Notable Book. In 1999, after nearly 10 years in development, Irving's screenplay for The Cider House Rules
1859-400: A distinct categorization. This new category would also include Israeli Americans . The Census Bureau does not currently ask about whether one is Sikh , because it views them as followers of a religion rather than members of an ethnic group, and it does not combine questions concerning religion with race or ethnicity. As of December 2015, the sampling strata for the new MENA category includes
2002-477: A documentary about human embryonic development. That same year Lithgow returned to Broadway portraying J.J. Hunsecker in the adaptation of the 1957 film Sweet Smell of Success acting alongside Brian d'Arcy James . Lithgow won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his performance. In 2005, he starred on Broadway in the musical-comedy Dirty Rotten Scoundrels alongside Norbert Leo Butz at
2145-493: A history of being interested in ghosts. And here come the ghosts again. In my new novel, my fifteenth, the ghosts are more prominent than before; the novel begins and ends with them. Like A Widow for One Year , this novel is constructed as a play in three acts. I'm calling Act I 'Early Signs.' I began writing it on New Year's Eve—not a bad night to start a ghost story." In an interview with Mike Kilen for The Des Moines Register , published on October 26, 2017, Irving revealed that
2288-519: A message on the Facebook page devoted to him and his work that he had "finished 'Avenue of Mysteries.' It is a shorter novel for me, comparable in length to 'In One Person.'" Simon & Schuster published the book in November, 2015. On November 3, 2015, Irving revealed that he'd been approached by HBO and Warner Brothers to reconstruct The World According to Garp as a miniseries . He described
2431-511: A new adaptation of Stephen King 's novel, Pet Sematary (2019). In 2017, Lithgow starred in Trial & Error as a professor who becomes implicated in the murder of his wife in the first season (spring 2017) of the mockumentary series. In 2018, Lithgow was one of the actors who voiced the audiobook A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo . In 2019, Lithgow lent his voice for an audio play If You Win by Emily Chadick Weiss for Playing on Air and
2574-404: A new novel, his 13th, based in part on a speech from Shakespeare 's Richard II . Simon & Schuster published the novel, titled In One Person (2012), taking over from Random House. In One Person has a first-person viewpoint, Irving's first such narrative since A Prayer for Owen Meany (Irving decided to change the first-person perspective of Until I Find You to third person less than
2717-482: A part of New Spain , was the first person of European descent born in what is now the continental United States. Virginia Dare , born in 1587 in Roanoke Island in present-day North Carolina , was the first child born in the original Thirteen Colonies to English parents. The Spaniards also established a continuous presence in what over three centuries later would become a possession of the United States with
2860-545: A performance at Harvard of Gilbert and Sullivan 's Utopia Limited with helping him decide to become an actor. He was a pupil of dramatist Robert Chapman who was the director of Harvard's Loeb Drama Center. Lithgow graduated from Harvard in 1967 with an A.B. magna cum laude and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa . After he graduated, Lithgow won a Fulbright Scholarship to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art . Also after graduation, he served as
3003-520: A pilot in the Army Air Forces during World War II. In July 1943, John Blunt Sr. was shot down over Burma but survived. The incident was incorporated into The Cider House Rules . Irving did not find out about his father's heroism until 1981, when he was almost 40 years old. Irving's career began at the age of 26 with the publication of his first novel, Setting Free the Bears (1968). The novel
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#17327877598633146-440: A racially diverse ethnicity that comprises the largest minority group in the nation. People of European descent, or White Americans (also referred to as European Americans and Caucasian Americans), constitute the majority of the 331 million people living in the United States, with 191,697,647 people or 57.8% of the population in the 2020 United States census . They are considered people who trace their ancestry to
3289-681: A reaction to the prevailing European consensus that America's domestic originality was degenerate . Prevalent ideas and ideals that evolved domestically, such as national holidays , uniquely American sports , military tradition, and innovations in the arts and entertainment give a strong sense of national pride among the population as a whole. American culture includes both conservative and liberal elements, scientific and religious competitiveness, political structures, risk taking and free expression, materialist and moral elements. Despite certain consistent ideological principles (e.g. individualism , egalitarianism , faith in freedom and democracy ),
3432-487: A remake of the classic Twilight Zone episode " Nightmare at 20,000 Feet " in Twilight Zone: The Movie as the paranoid passenger made famous on the television show by William Shatner . In an interview with Bill Moyers , Lithgow reveals this role as his favorite of his film career. Also in 1983 Lithgow appeared in a minor role in the nuclear apocalypse TV film The Day After . In 1984, he starred in
3575-535: A revival of Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance . He starred opposite Glenn Close , Martha Plimpton , Lindsay Duncan , Bob Balaban and Clare Higgins . Pam MacKinnon directed the limited 18-week production at the John Golden Theatre . Lithgow gained critical attention for starring in Ira Sachs ' independent romance film Love Is Strange (2014). The film received a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes with
3718-506: A series of skits on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert . In October 2019, Lithgow published Dumpty: The Age of Trump in Verse , a book of poems and illustrations. The project originated when Lithgow was asked to perform a Gilbert and Sullivan –style song he wrote about Michael Flynn . The book charted at number three on The New York Times hardcover nonfiction bestsellers in its first week. A follow-up book title Trumpty Dumpty Wanted
3861-664: A short memoir focusing on writing and wrestling. In 2000, Irving revealed that he and Tod "Kip" Williams were co-writing a screenplay for an adaptation of the novel A Widow for One Year (1998). This adaptation became The Door in the Floor , starring Jeff Bridges and Kim Basinger , released in 2004, directed by Williams. In 2002, his four most highly regarded novels, The World According to Garp , The Cider House Rules , A Prayer for Owen Meany , and A Widow for One Year , were published in Modern Library editions. Owen Meany
4004-552: A total of 1,834,212 self-identifying individuals. Barack Obama , 44th President of the United States who is biracial- his mother is white (of English and Irish descent) and his father is of Kenyan birth- only self-identifies as being African American. According to the 2020 United States census, 8.4% or 27,915,715 Americans chose to self-identify with the "some other race" category, the third most popular option. Also, 42.2% or 26,225,882 Hispanic/Latino Americans chose to identify as some other race as these Hispanic/Latinos may feel
4147-472: A variety of elements. Immigration from Africa , Asia , and Latin America has also had impact. A cultural melting pot , or pluralistic salad bowl , describes the way in which generations of Americans have celebrated and exchanged distinctive cultural characteristics. The United States currently has 37 ancestry groups with more than one million individuals. White Americans with ancestry from Europe,
4290-495: A year before publication). In One Person features a 60-year-old, bisexual protagonist named William, looking back on his life in the 1950s and '60s. The novel shares a similar theme and concern with The World According to Garp , the latter being in part about "people who hate you for your sexual differences," said Irving. He won a Lambda Literary Award in 2013 in the Bisexual Fiction category for In One Person , and
4433-467: Is Maine , while the state with the lowest percentage is Hawaii . Europe is the largest continent that Americans trace their ancestry to, and many claim descent from various European ethnic groups . The Spaniards were the first Europeans to establish a continuous presence in what is now the continental United States in 1565. Martín de Argüelles , born in 1566 in San Agustín, La Florida then
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4576-549: Is abortion . Many drew parallels between the novel and Charles Dickens ' Oliver Twist (1838). Irving's next novel was A Prayer for Owen Meany (1989), another New England family epic about religion set in a New England boarding school and in Toronto, Ontario . The novel was influenced by The Tin Drum (1959) by Günter Grass , and the plot contains further allusions to The Scarlet Letter (1850) by Nathaniel Hawthorne and
4719-626: Is a diverse country, racially , and ethnically . Six races are officially recognized by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes: Alaska Native and American Indian, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, White, and people of two or more races. "Some other race" is also an option in the census and other surveys. The United States Census Bureau also classifies Americans as "Hispanic or Latino" and "Not Hispanic or Latino", which identifies Hispanic and Latino Americans as
4862-518: Is considered a serious under-count as they tend to self-report and identify as simply " Americans " (since the introduction of a new "American" category in the 1990 census) due to the length of time they have inhabited America. This is highly over-represented in the Upland South , a region that was settled historically by the British. Overall, as the largest group, European Americans have
5005-537: Is home to people of many racial and ethnic origins ; consequently, American law does not equate nationality with race or ethnicity but with citizenship. The majority of Americans or their ancestors immigrated to the United States or are descended from people who were brought as slaves within the past five centuries, with the exception of the Native American population and people from Alaska , Hawaii , Puerto Rico , Guam , Texas , and formerly
5148-513: Is indigenous to the Americas , originally migrated to the two continents between 10,000 and 45,000 years ago. These Paleoamericans spread throughout the two continents and evolved into hundreds of distinct cultures during the pre-Columbian era . Following the first voyage of Christopher Columbus , the European colonization of the Americas began, with St. Augustine , Florida becoming
5291-453: Is now United States territory since the founding of San Juan, Puerto Rico (the oldest continuously inhabited settlement on American soil) in 1521 by Juan Ponce de León , and the founding of St. Augustine, Florida (the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in the continental United States) in 1565 by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés . In the State of Texas , Spaniards first settled the region in
5434-459: Is now one of his literary agents. They have a daughter, Eva Everett, born in 1991. In 2015, Eva came out as a trans woman. Irving has homes in Toronto and Pointe au Baril, Ontario . On December 13, 2019, Irving became a Canadian citizen. He has said he plans to keep his U.S. citizenship, reserving the right to be outspoken about the United States and his dislike of Donald Trump , whom he referred to as vulgar, narcissistic, and xenophobic. Irving
5577-554: Is now the United States since before the Revolutionary War , relatively large waves of Chinese, Filipino, and Japanese immigration did not begin until the mid-to-late 19th century. Immigration and significant population growth continue to this day. Due to a number of factors, Asian Americans have been stereotyped as " perpetual foreigners ". As defined by the United States Census Bureau and
5720-598: Is the Asian American population, comprising 19,618,719 people in 2020, or 5.9% of the United States population. California is home to 5.6 million Asian Americans, the greatest number in any state. In Hawaii, Asian Americans make up the highest proportion of the population (57 percent). Asian Americans live across the country, yet are heavily urbanized, with significant populations in the Greater Los Angeles Area , New York metropolitan area , and
5863-593: The WTF with Marc Maron podcast in 2019. In September 2011, Lithgow was featured in a one-night only production of Dustin Lance Black 's play 8 , a staged reenactment of the federal trial that overturned California's Prop 8 ban on same-sex marriage —as Attorney Theodore Olson to raise money for the American Foundation for Equal Rights . In 2015, Lithgow did the voice over work for Gore Vidal in
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6006-496: The Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 72nd Academy Awards for his script of the film adaptation of The Cider House Rules . Five of his novels have been adapted into films ( Garp , Hotel New Hampshire , Owen Meany , Cider House , and Widow for One Year ). Several of Irving's books and short stories have been set in and around New England, in fictional towns resembling Exeter, New Hampshire . Irving
6149-674: The Academy Honorary Award at the Governors Awards . In 2023, Lithgow acted in Martin Scorsese 's Killers of the Flower Moon as Prosecutor Peter Leaward. The film co-starred Leonardo DiCaprio , Lily Gladstone , and Robert De Niro and received ten Academy Award nominations including for Best Picture . In May 2024 it was announced that Lithgow would be starring alongside Olivia Colman in
6292-705: The Bigfoot -themed family comedy Harry and the Hendersons . In 1985, he starred in Requiem for a Heavyweight written by Rod Serling at the Martin Beck Theatre . In 1988 he starred in David Henry Hwang 's M. Butterfly alongside BD Wong at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre . In 1986, Lithgow received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his appearance in
6435-759: The Book of Revelation in certain parts of the performance. He returned for a 2005 revival, the Houston Ballet production of the same show in 2007, and the Pennsylvania Ballet production of it in 2008. In 2007, Lithgow played Malvolio in the Royal Shakespeare Company 's production of Twelfth Night , at The Courtyard Theatre , Stratford-upon-Avon , in the United Kingdom. Lithgow starred with Jeffrey Tambor in
6578-540: The Hot Type interview was over and he was speaking off the record, and that footage from the interview had been manipulated. Wolfe appeared on Hot Type later in 1999, calling Irving, Norman Mailer , and John Updike his "three stooges" who were panicked by his newest novel, A Man in Full (1998). Irving's 10th book, The Fourth Hand (2001), also became a bestseller. In 2004, A Sound Like Someone Trying Not to Make
6721-648: The IMAX film Special Effects: Anything Can Happen (1996). In television, Lithgow is probably most widely known for his starring role as Dick Solomon in the 1996–2001 NBC sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun . He received six consecutive nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series and won three times (1996, 1997, 1999). His son Ian regularly appeared alongside him as Leon, one of his physics students. In 1998, he appeared in
6864-466: The Imperial Theatre . While both were nominated for the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical , Butz won over Lithgow. That same year Lithgow was elected into the American Theater Hall of Fame for his work on Broadway, as well as for his operas by Verdi and Wagner . In 2003, Lithgow wrote the narrations for Christopher Wheeldon ballet Carnival of the Animals and appeared as
7007-574: The Kingdom of Kongo ). The first West African slaves were brought to Jamestown, Virginia in 1619. The English settlers treated these captives as indentured servants and released them after a number of years. This practice was gradually replaced by the system of race-based slavery used in the Caribbean . All the American colonies had slavery, but it was usually the form of personal servants in
7150-618: The Office of Management and Budget (OMB), an "American Indian or Alaska Native" is a person whose ancestry have origins in any of the original peoples of North, Central, or South America. 2.3 million individuals who are American Indian or Alaskan Native are multiracial; additionally the plurality of American Indians reside in the Western United States (40.7%). Collectively and historically this race has been known by several names ; as of 1995, 50% of those who fall within
7293-639: The Philippines , who became American through expansion of the country in the 19th century; additionally, American Samoa , the United States Virgin Islands , and Northern Mariana Islands came under American sovereignty in the 20th century, although American Samoans are only nationals and not citizens of the United States. Despite its multi-ethnic composition, the culture of the United States held in common by most Americans can also be referred to as mainstream American culture ,
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#17327877598637436-582: The Playhouse Theatre . In 1979, Lithgow appeared in Bob Fosse 's semi-autobiographical movie All That Jazz as Lucas Sergeant. The character was loosely based on the real-life Broadway director and choreographer Michael Bennett , known for his work on Follies , Company , Dreamgirls and A Chorus Line . Between 1978 and 1980, Lithgow appeared in ten episodes of the radio drama revival series CBS Radio Mystery Theater . Lithgow voiced
7579-525: The Sahel , and the Afrikaners of Southern Africa . African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans or Afro-Americans, and formerly as American Negroes ) are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa. According to the 2020 United States census, there were 39,940,338 Black and African Americans in the United States, representing 12.1% of
7722-586: The San Francisco Bay Area . The United States census defines Asian Americans as those with origins to the countries of East Asia , South Asia , and Southeast Asia . Although Americans with roots in West Asia were once classified as "Asian", they are now excluded from the term in modern census classifications. The largest sub-groups are immigrants or descendants of immigrants from Cambodia, mainland China, India, Japan, Korea, Laos, Pakistan,
7865-618: The Schoenfeld Theatre . He hosted Paloozaville , a children's Video on demand program on Mag Rack based on his bestselling children's books. Lithgow also appears in Books By You , a children's computer game and guides them through the steps to personalize a pre-designed book. In 2010, Lithgow starred in the Off-Broadway production of Douglas Carter Beane 's comedy Mr & Mrs Fitch alongside Jennifer Ehle at
8008-474: The Second Stage Theater which ran from February 22, 2010, to April 4, 2010. The same year, he appeared briefly in the romantic comedy Leap Year playing Amy Adams ' father. On October 1, 2010, Lithgow appeared on Doug Benson 's podcast Doug Loves Movies , with fellow guests Paul F. Tompkins and Jimmy Pardo . He has appeared on Chris Hardwick 's show The Nerdist Podcast in 2012 and
8151-581: The United Kingdom . Unlike migration from other countries, United States migration is not concentrated in specific countries, possibly as a result of the roots of immigration from so many different countries to the United States. As of 2016 , there were approximately 9 million United States citizens living outside of the United States. As the result of U.S. tax and financial reporting requirements that apply to non-resident citizens, record numbers of American citizens renounced their U.S. citizenship in
8294-579: The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom , the framers of the Constitution rejected any religious test for office. The First Amendment specifically denied the federal government any power to enact any law respecting either an establishment of religion or prohibiting its free exercise, thus protecting any religious organization, institution, or denomination from government interference. European Rationalist and Protestant ideals mainly influenced
8437-570: The Western Hemisphere and beyond, including the District of Columbia, the seat of government of the United States. English is the unofficial national language . Although there is no official language at the federal level, some laws—such as U.S. naturalization requirements —standardize English. In 2007, about 226 million, or 80% of the population aged five years and older, spoke only English at home. Spanish , spoken by 12% of
8580-551: The flag of the United States – for example, typically a top hat with red and white stripes and white stars on a blue band, and red and white striped trousers. Columbia is a poetic name for the Americas and the feminine personification of the United States of America, made famous by African American poet Phillis Wheatley during the American Revolutionary War in 1776. It has inspired the names of many persons, places, objects, institutions, and companies in
8723-767: The northern states (north of the Mason–Dixon line ) had abolished slavery. However, slavery would persist in the southern states until the end of the American Civil War and the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment . Following the end of the Reconstruction era , which saw the first African American representation in Congress , African Americans became disenfranchised and subject to Jim Crow laws , legislation that would persist until
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#17327877598638866-597: The slavery era within the boundaries of the present United States. As an adjective, the term is usually spelled African-American . Montinaro et al. (2014) observed that around 50% of the overall ancestry of African Americans traces back to the Niger-Congo -speaking Yoruba of southwestern Nigeria and southern Benin (before the European colonization of Africa this people created the Oyo Empire ), reflecting
9009-426: The 10-episode Dexter limited series , with Clyde Phillips returning as the head writer. The series premiered on November 7, 2021. In 2022 Lithgow portrayed Harold Harper in the Hulu series The Old Man opposite Jeff Bridges . For his performance he received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film . In 2022, Lithgow presented Liv Ullmann with
9152-485: The 22 member states of the Arab League . Following consultations with MENA organizations, the Census Bureau announced in 2014 that it would establish a new MENA ethnic category for populations from the Middle East , North Africa , and the Arab world , separate from the "white" classification that these populations had previously sought in 1909. The groups felt that the earlier "white" designation no longer accurately represents MENA identity, so they successfully lobbied for
9295-408: The American culture has a variety of expressions due to its geographical scale and demographic diversity. Americans have migrated to many places around the world, including Argentina , Australia , Brazil , Canada , Chile , China , Costa Rica , France , Germany , Hong Kong , India , Japan , Mexico , New Zealand , Pakistan , the Philippines , South Korea , the United Arab Emirates , and
9438-442: The Americas landed in the late 15th to mid-16th centuries. Many fled ethnic or ethnoreligious persecution during the Spanish Inquisition ; a few were taken to the Americas as slaves. In 2014, the United States Census Bureau began finalizing the ethnic classification of people of Middle Eastern and North African ("MENA") origins. According to the Arab American Institute (AAI), Arab Americans have family origins in each of
9581-415: The Award the next year. Garp was later made into a film directed by George Roy Hill , starring Robin Williams in the title role and Glenn Close as his mother; it garnered several Academy Award nominations, including nominations for Close and John Lithgow . Irving makes a brief cameo appearance in the film as the referee in one of Garp's high school wrestling matches. The World According to Garp
9724-442: The Bathtub , a 1999 album of children's music. In June 2002, Lithgow released his second children's album Farkle and Friends ; however, Waylon Jennings died four months before its release, and it was dedicated to his memory. It was the musical companion to his book The Remarkable Farkle McBride , which tells the story of a young musical genius. Farkle and Friends features the vocal talents of Lithgow and Bebe Neuwirth , backed by
9867-699: The Bill Elliott Swing Orchestra as well. In August 2006, Lithgow released a Franz Schubert tribute album, The Sunny Side of the Street , his third children's album and first with Razor & Tie . This album features versions of classic songs from the Great American Songbook , including "Getting to Know You" and "Ya Gotta Have Pep". Produced by J. C. Hopkins , the album features guest appearances by Madeleine Peyroux , Wayne Knight , Sherie Rene Scott and Maude Maggart . Lithgow also makes occasional appearances on stage and television singing children's songs, accompanying himself on guitar. In June 2019, Lithgow portrayed Donald Trump in The Investigation: A Search for
10010-433: The Census Bureau's working classification of 19 MENA groups, as well as Iranian , Turkish , Armenian , Afghan , Azerbaijani , and Georgian groups. In January 2018, it was announced that the Census Bureau would not include the grouping in the 2020 census. Black and African Americans are citizens and residents of the United States with origins in sub-Saharan Africa . According to the Office of Management and Budget ,
10153-479: The Director of the Arts and Literature Department at WBAI , the Pacifica radio station in New York City. In 1972, Lithgow made his film debut in Dealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues . In 1976 he starred in a pivotal role in Brian De Palma 's Obsession with Cliff Robertson and Genevieve Bujold as Robertson's long time business partner Robert Lasalle. In 1973, Lithgow debuted on Broadway in David Storey 's The Changing Room at
10296-526: The English language, legal system and other cultural inheritances, had a formative influence. Other important influences came from other parts of Europe, especially Germany , France , and Italy . Original elements also play a strong role, such as Jeffersonian democracy . Thomas Jefferson's Notes on the State of Virginia was perhaps the first influential domestic cultural critique by an American and
10439-588: The Flower Moon (2023). Lithgow was born on October 19, 1945, in Rochester, New York . His mother, Sarah Jane ( née Price ), was a retired actress. His father, Arthur Washington Lithgow III , was a theatrical producer and director who ran McCarter Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey . His father was born in Puerto Plata , Dominican Republic , to a European-American family; his great-grandfather
10582-699: The London revival of Arthur Wing Pinero 's The Magistrate as Police Magistrate Aeneas Posket at the National Theatre . In 2014, he returned to Central Park's Delacorte Theater and Shakespeare in the Park for the 2014 summer season in the title role of Shakespeare's King Lear , directed by Tony Award winner Daniel Sullivan . The production was the first play at the theater since 1973 and Lithgow's first time there since 1975 when he had played Laertes. In fall 2014, Lithgow returned to Broadway as Tobias in
10725-508: The Massachusetts Bay Colony was established by English Puritans , Pennsylvania by Irish and English Quakers , Maryland by English and Irish Catholics , and Virginia by English Anglicans . Although some individual states retained established religious confessions well into the 19th century, the United States was the first nation to have no official state-endorsed religion. Modeling the provisions concerning religion within
10868-485: The Middle East, or North Africa form the largest racial and ethnic group at 57.8% of the United States population. Hispanic and Latino Americans form the second-largest group and are 18.7% of the United States population. African Americans constitute the country's third-largest ancestry group and are 12.1% of the total U.S. population. Asian Americans are the country's fourth-largest group, composing 5.9% of
11011-612: The Morosco Theatre, earning him his first Tony nomination for Featured Actor in a Play and his first win. He also won a Drama Desk Award. The following year he starred again on Broadway in the comedy play My Fat Friend opposite Lynn Redgrave at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre . In 1976 he starred on Broadway in Arthur Miller 's A Memory of Two Mondays opposite Meryl Streep and Tom Hulce at
11154-585: The NBC sitcom Twenty Good Years . Since 2006, he has starred in Progresso commercials, advertising their soup brand. On March 5, 2009, Lithgow made a cameo on NBC's 30 Rock acting in the episode " Goodbye, My Friend " with several references to his role in Harry and the Hendersons . In September 2009, Lithgow joined the cast of Dexter as Arthur Mitchell , a serial killer and Dexter Morgan 's nemesis. He won
11297-711: The North (where 2% of the people were slaves), and field hands in plantations in the South (where 25% were slaves); by the beginning of the American Revolutionary War 1/5th of the total population was enslaved. During the revolution, some would serve in the Continental Army or Continental Navy , while others would serve the British Empire in the Ethiopian Regiment , and other units. By 1804,
11440-598: The OMB definition prefer the term "American Indian", 37% prefer "Native American" and the remainder have no preference or prefer a different term altogether. Among Americans today, levels of Native American ancestry (distinct from Native American identity ) differ. Based on a sample of users of the 23andMe commercial genetic test, genomes of self-reported African Americans averaged to 0.8% Native American ancestry, those of European Americans averaged to 0.18%, and those of Latinos averaged to 18.0%. Native Americans, whose ancestry
11583-482: The Office of Management and Budget, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders are "persons having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii , Guam , Samoa , or other Pacific Islands ". Previously called Asian Pacific American , along with Asian Americans beginning in 1976, this was changed in 1997. As of the 2020 United States census, there are 622,018 who reside in the United States, and make up 0.2% of
11726-640: The Pacific also have large Pacific Islander populations such as Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands (Chammoro), and American Samoa (Samoan). The largest concentration of Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, is Honolulu County in Hawaii, and Los Angeles County in the continental United States . The United States has a growing multiracial identity movement. Multiracial Americans numbered 7.0 million in 2008, or 2.3% of
11869-521: The Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Asians overall have higher income levels than all other racial groups in the United States, including whites, and the trend appears to be increasing in relation to those groups. Additionally, Asians have a higher education attainment level than all other racial groups in the United States. For better or for worse, the group has been called a model minority . While Asian Americans have been in what
12012-565: The Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award at the annual Dayton Literary Peace Prize gala on October 28, 2018. In 1964, Irving married Shyla Leary, whom he had met at Harvard in 1963 while taking a summer course in German, before traveling to Vienna with IES Abroad . They have two sons, Colin and Brendan. The couple divorced in the early 1980s. In 1987, he married Janet Turnbull, who had been his publisher at Bantam-Seal Books and
12155-621: The Truth in Ten Acts , a live reading of special counsel Robert Mueller's report on Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. Staged on the altar of New York City's Riverside Church , the reading was created by playwright Robert Schenkkan and narrated by Annette Bening . It also featured Kevin Kline as Mueller, Joel Grey as Jeff Sessions , Jason Alexander as Chris Christie and Alfre Woodard as Hope Hicks . He also portrayed Rudy Giuliani in
12298-776: The United States Mike Pence 's daughter Charlotte Pence and illustrated by his wife Karen Pence . Lithgow married Jean Taynton, a teacher, in 1966. They had one son together, Ian Lithgow . The couple separated following an affair between John Lithgow and actress Liv Ullmann , and divorced in 1980. Lithgow subsequently married UCLA history professor Mary Yeager and they had a son and daughter together. Lithgow has received two Tony Awards , six Emmy Awards , two Golden Globe Awards , three Screen Actors Guild Awards , an American Comedy Award , four Drama Desk Awards and has also been nominated for two Academy Awards and four Grammy Awards . Lithgow has received
12441-555: The United States census does not describe their European and American Indian ancestry as they understand it to be. A significant portion of the Hispanic and Latino population self-identifies as Mestizo , particularly the Mexican and Central American community. Mestizo is not a racial category in the United States census, but signifies someone who has both European and American Indian ancestry. Hispanic or Latino Americans constitute
12584-521: The United States has a high adherence level compared to other developed countries and a diversity in beliefs. The First Amendment to the country's Constitution prevents the Federal government from making any "law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof". The U.S. Supreme Court has interpreted this as preventing the government from having any authority in religion. A majority of Americans report that religion plays
12727-457: The United States population. The country's 3.7 million Native Americans account for about 1%, and some 574 native tribes are recognized by the federal government. In addition to the United States, Americans and people of American descent can be found internationally. As many as seven million Americans are estimated to be living abroad, and make up the American diaspora . The United States
12870-711: The adult population identifies as having no religious belief or no religious affiliation. According to the American Religious Identification Survey , religious belief varies considerably across the country: 59% of Americans living in Western states (the " Unchurched Belt ") report a belief in God , yet in the South (the " Bible Belt ") the figure is as high as 86%. Several of the original Thirteen Colonies were established by settlers who wished to practice their religion without discrimination:
13013-564: The animated movie Spellbound with Rachel Zegler , Nicole Kidman , Javier Bardem and Nathan Lane , to be released on Netflix . Lithgow has done extensive work for children, including several books and albums. He even took the children to some performances of Brahms Hungarian Dance Ballet and Tchaikovsky 's The Nutcracker where he was the conductor of the orchestra while the kids were performing. Some of his book titles are Marsupial Sue , Marsupial Sue Presents "The Runaway Pancake" , Lithgow Party Paloozas!: 52 Unexpected Ways to Make
13156-583: The centrality of this West African region in the Atlantic slave trade . Zakharaia et al. (2009) found a similar proportion of Yoruba associated ancestry in their African American samples, with a minority also drawn from Mandinka populations (founders of the Mali Empire ), and Bantu populations (who had a varying level of social organization during the colonial era, while some Bantu peoples were still tribal, other Bantu peoples had founded kingdoms such as
13299-546: The character of Yoda in the National Public Radio adaptations of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi . In 1982 and 1983, Lithgow was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performances as Roberta Muldoon in The World According to Garp and as Sam Burns in Terms of Endearment . Both films were screen adaptations of popular novels. In 1983, Lithgow appeared in
13442-737: The consensus reading "Held aloft by remarkable performances from John Lithgow and Alfred Molina, Love Is Strange serves as a graceful tribute to the beauty of commitment in the face of adversity." The film also received four Independent Spirit Award nominations, including for both Lithgow and Molina. Lithgow during the 2010s appeared in Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), Jay Roach 's The Campaign (2012), Judd Apatow 's This Is 40 (2012), Christopher Nolan 's Interstellar (2014), and Tommy Lee Jones ' The Homesman (2014). In 2015, Lithgow made
13585-662: The decade from 2010 to 2020. In 2024 a new organization was created to lobby the U.S. Congress for relief from citizenship-based taxation that is often cited as the reason for the record renunciations. John Lithgow John Arthur Lithgow ( / ˈ l ɪ θ ɡ oʊ / LITH -goh ; born October 19 , 1945) is an American actor. He studied at Harvard University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before becoming known for his diverse work on stage and screen . He has received numerous accolades including six Emmy Awards , two Golden Globe Awards , and two Tony Awards as well as nominations for two Academy Awards ,
13728-765: The decision. Still, it was also a consequence of the pragmatic concerns of minority religious groups and small states that did not want to be under the power or influence of a national religion that did not represent them. The American culture is primarily a Western culture , but is influenced by Native American, West African, Latin American, East Asian, and Polynesian cultures. The United States of America has its own unique social and cultural characteristics, such as dialect , music , arts , social habits , cuisine , and folklore . Its chief early European influences came from English , Scottish , Welsh , and Irish settlers of colonial America during British rule. British culture , due to colonial ties with Britain that spread
13871-606: The documentary film Best of Enemies with Kelsey Grammer . On October 18, 2017, Lithgow coauthored the New York Times daily crossword puzzle. In 2012 Lithgow returned to Broadway in David Auburn 's play The Columnist , which played at the Manhattan Theatre Club . The performance earned him a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play . In the winter of 2012–13 he appeared in
14014-548: The elephant character—nurse Mabel Buntz—with the New York City Ballet . In 2004, he portrayed the moralistic, rigid father of Alfred Kinsey in that year's biopic Kinsey ; Liam Neeson also starred. In 2006, Lithgow had a small role in the Academy Award-winning film Dreamgirls as Jerry Harris, a film producer offering Deena Jones ( Beyoncé Knowles ) a film role. In 2005, Lithgow became
14157-544: The episode The Doll of the Amazing Stories anthology series . Additionally, Lithgow has been nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special for The Day After (1983) and two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Special for Resting Place (1986) and My Brother's Keeper (1995). Lithgow was approached about playing Dr. Frasier Crane on Cheers , but turned it down. In 1991, he starred in
14300-712: The family moved frequently during Lithgow's childhood. He spent his childhood years in Yellow Springs, Ohio , where activist Coretta Scott King was his babysitter. He spent his teenage years in Akron (living at Stan Hywet Hall ) and Lakewood, Ohio , followed by Princeton, New Jersey. Lithgow graduated from Princeton High School in 1963. He then studied history and English literature at Harvard College . Lithgow lived in Adams House as an undergraduate and later served on Harvard's Board of Overseers . He credits
14443-613: The film A Civil Action as Judge Walter J. Skinner. He lent his voice to the character Jean Claude in the 2000 Nickelodeon Movies animated film Rugrats in Paris: The Movie . In 2001, Lithgow gained recognition for voicing the evil but dwarfish Lord Farquaad in the Academy Award-winning DreamWorks Animation film Shrek alongside Mike Myers , Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz . In 2002, he narrated Life's Greatest Miracle ,
14586-453: The film Bombshell which starred Charlize Theron , Margot Robbie , and Nicole Kidman . In 2020, Lithgow portrayed the lawyer Elias Birchard "E.B." Jonathan in season one of the HBO reboot of Perry Mason . In the story, Mr. Birchard starts out as the employer of Mason, who is his investigator. On June 28, 2021, Showtime confirmed that Lithgow would reprise his role of Arthur Mitchell in
14729-536: The film Jimpa , directed by Australian director Sophie Hyde and filmed in South Australia , Amsterdam, and Helsinki . That same year he starred in the conspiracy thriller Conclave (2024) directed by Edward Berger . The film revolves around a fictional story about cardinals who are tasked in finding a successor to a deceased Pope. Lithgow starred opposite Ralph Fiennes , Stanley Tucci , and Isabella Rossellini . Also in 2024, he will participate in
14872-742: The film The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension as Dr. Emilio Lizardo / Lord John Whorfin. Also in 1984, he starred in 2010: The Year We Make Contact and played a pastor who condemns dancing in Footloose . In 1985, he starred opposite Jodie Foster in Mesmerized . Also in 1985, he starred in Santa Claus: The Movie alongside Dudley Moore. In 1986, he starred in The Manhattan Project directed by Marshall Brickman . In 1987, Lithgow starred in
15015-604: The film version of The Cider House Rules . After its publication in 1999, he appeared on the CBC Television program Hot Type to promote the book. During the interview, he was asked about author Tom Wolfe "once again" proclaiming the death of the modern novel. Irving responded, "I don't read Tom Wolfe, so I didn't hear what he said." The episode then cut to a photo of Wolfe, and Irving elaborating that Wolfe "can't write" and his writing made Irving gag. When asked about his statements subsequently, Irving has said he believed
15158-544: The first ever actor to deliver a commencement speech at Harvard University and received an honorary Doctor of Arts from his alma mater. He was featured at Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania on December 4–6, 2009 for performances of Mozart's Requiem with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra . He narrated some letters written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , some poems and sections from
15301-468: The first permanent European settlement in the continental United States . From the 16th through the 19th centuries, the population of Native Americans declined in the following ways: epidemic diseases brought from Europe; genocide and warfare at the hands of European explorers, settlers and colonists, as well as between tribes; displacement from their lands; internal warfare, enslavement ; and intermarriage . Another significant population
15444-496: The founding of the city of San Juan, Puerto Rico , in 1521. In the 2020 United States census, English Americans 46.5 million (19.8%), German Americans 45m (19.1%), Irish Americans 38.6m (16.4%), and Italian Americans 16.8m (7.1%) were the four largest self-reported European ancestry groups in the United States constituting 62.4% of the population. However, the English Americans and British Americans demography
15587-543: The grouping includes individuals who self-identify as African American, as well as persons who emigrated from nations in the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa. The grouping is thus based on geography, and may contradict or misrepresent an individual's self-identification since not all immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa are "Black". Among these racial outliers are persons from Cape Verde , Madagascar , various Arab states, and Hamito-Semitic populations in East Africa and
15730-542: The lack of promotion his novels were receiving from his first publisher, Random House , Irving offered his fourth novel, The World According to Garp (1978), to Dutton , which promised him stronger commitment to marketing. The novel became an international bestseller and cultural phenomenon. It was a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction in 1979 (which ultimately went to Tim O'Brien for Going After Cacciato ) and its first paperback edition won
15873-408: The largest ethnic minority in the United States . They form the second largest group in the United States, comprising 62,080,044 people or 18.7% of the population according to the 2020 United States census. Hispanic and Latino Americans are not considered a race in the United States census, instead forming an ethnic category. People of Spanish or Hispanic and Latino descent have lived in what
16016-454: The late 1600s and formed a unique cultural group known as Tejanos . Uncle Sam is a national personification of the United States and sometimes more specifically of the American government , with the first usage of the term dating from the War of 1812 . He is depicted as a stern elderly white man with white hair and a goatee beard, and dressed in clothing that recalls the design elements of
16159-584: The lowest poverty rate and the second highest educational attainment levels, median household income , and median personal income of any racial demographic in the nation, second only to Asian Americans in the latter three categories. According to the American Jewish Archives and the Arab American National Museum , the first Middle Easterners and North Africans (viz. Jews and Berbers ) to arrive in
16302-586: The movie Ricochet opposite Denzel Washington as Earl Talbot Blake, a criminal seeking revenge against the policeman who sent him to prison. Also in 1991, he played missionary Leslie Huben in the film adaptation of Peter Matthiessen 's novel At Play in the Fields of the Lord . In 1992, he starred as a man with multiple personality disorder in Brian De Palma 's film Raising Cain . In 1992, he became
16445-877: The narrator in the Dr. Seuss video classic, Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories . In 1993, he starred in Renny Harlin 's film Cliffhanger opposite Sylvester Stallone as terrorist leader Eric Qualen, and reunited with Washington in Alan J. Pakula 's film The Pelican Brief . In 1994, Lithgow played Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the NBC miniseries World War II: When Lions Roared (also known as Then There Were Giants ) directed by Joseph Sargent starring alongside Michael Caine and Bob Hoskins . He provided narration for
16588-468: The nation's total population. 14% of the population have at least a bachelor's degree , and 15.1% live in poverty , below the poverty threshold . As compared to the 2000 United States census, this population grew by 40%; and 71% live in the West ; of those over half (52%) live in either Hawaii or California , with no other states having populations greater than 100,000. The United States territories in
16731-459: The novel was quickly made into a film , this time directed by Tony Richardson and starring Jodie Foster , Rob Lowe , and Beau Bridges . "Interior Space", a short story originally published in Fiction magazine in 1980, was selected for the 1981 O. Henry Prize Stories collection. In 1985, Irving published The Cider House Rules . An epic set in a Maine orphanage, the novel's central topic
16874-461: The original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. Non-Hispanic Whites are the majority in 45 states. There are five minority-majority states : California , Texas , New Mexico , Nevada , and Hawaii . In addition, the District of Columbia and the five inhabited U.S. territories have a non-white majority. The state with the highest percentage of non-Hispanic White Americans
17017-583: The passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act due to the civil rights movement . According to United States Census Bureau data, very few African immigrants self-identify as African American. On average, less than 5% of African residents self-reported as "African American" or "Afro-American" on the 2000 U.S. census. The overwhelming majority of African immigrants (~95%) identified instead with their own respective ethnicities. Self-designation as "African American" or "Afro-American"
17160-497: The population at home, is the second most common language and the most widely taught second language. Some Americans advocate making English the country's official language, as it is in at least twenty-eight states. Both English and Hawaiian are official languages in Hawaii by state law. While neither has an official language, New Mexico has laws providing for the use of both English and Spanish, as Louisiana does for English and French. Other states, such as California, mandate
17303-703: The population. Black and African Americans make up the third largest group in the United States, after White and European Americans, and Hispanic and Latino Americans. The majority of the population (55%) lives in the South ; compared to the 2000 United States census, there has also been a decrease of African Americans in the Northeast and Midwest . Most African Americans are the direct descendants of captives from Central and West Africa , from ancestral populations in countries like Nigeria , Benin , Sierra Leone , Guinea-Bissau , Senegal , and Angola , who survived
17446-408: The population; by the 2020 census the multiracial increased to 13,548,983, or 4.1% of the total population. They can be any combination of races (White, Black or African American, Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, "some other race") and ethnicities. The largest population of Multiracial Americans were those of White and African American descent, with
17589-408: The project as being in the early stages. According to the byline of a self-penned, February 20, 2017, essay for The Hollywood Reporter , Irving had completed his teleplay for the five-part series based on The World According to Garp and was working on his fifteenth novel. On June 28, 2017, Irving revealed in a long letter to fans on Facebook that his new novel was primarily a ghost story. "...I have
17732-501: The publication of Spanish versions of certain government documents. The latter include court forms. Several insular territories grant official recognition to their native languages, along with English: Samoan and Chamorro are recognized by American Samoa and Guam , respectively; Carolinian and Chamorro are recognized by the Northern Mariana Islands; Spanish is an official language of Puerto Rico. Religion in
17875-517: The recent entrance in his life of his biological father's family. In his 12th novel, Last Night in Twisted River , published in 2009, Irving's central character is a novelist with, as critic Boyd Tonkin puts it, "a career that teasingly follows Irving's own." Irving has had four novels reach number one on the bestseller list of The New York Times : The Hotel New Hampshire (September 27, 1981), which stayed number one for seven weeks, and
18018-750: The solo play John Lithgow: Stories by Heart , which opened on Broadway on January 11, 2018, at the American Airlines Theatre , written by Lithgow. Lithgow has performed this play around the U.S. starting at the Lincoln Center Theater with Willie Nelson in 2008, with a return performance at Lincoln Center slated for April to May 2019. During this time he also acted in Gavin O'Connor 's The Accountant , John Madden 's Miss Sloane (2016), Sean Anders 's Daddy's Home 2 (2017), Trish Sie 's Pitch Perfect 3 (2017), and
18161-704: The television sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996–2001), winning three Primetime Emmy Awards for Best Actor in a Comedy Series . He received further Primetime Emmy Awards for his performances as Arthur Mitchell in the drama Dexter (2009) and as Winston Churchill in the Netflix drama The Crown (2016–2019). He also starred in HBO 's Perry Mason (2020) and FX 's The Old Man (2022). Lithgow's early film roles include in All That Jazz (1979) and Blow Out (1981) before receiving Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor nominations for his roles as
18304-526: The title of his novel-in-progress was "Darkness As a Bride." The title was taken from Shakespeare's play, Measure for Measure : "If I must die, / I will encounter darkness as a bride, / and hug it in mine arms." He later changed the title to The Last Chairlift Archived February 29, 2024, at the Wayback Machine . The novel was published by Simon & Schuster in October 2022. Irving received
18447-544: The works of Dickens. In Owen Meany, Irving for the first time examined the consequences of the Vietnam War —particularly mandatory conscription , which Irving avoided because he was a married father when of age for the draft. Owen Meany became Irving's best selling book since Garp. Irving returned to Random House for his next book, A Son of the Circus (1995). Arguably his most complicated and difficult book, and
18590-476: The world. The United States has the world's largest Christian population . The majority of Americans (76%) are Christians , mostly within Protestant and Catholic denominations; these adherents constitute 48% and 23% of the population, respectively. Other religions include Buddhism , Hinduism , Islam , and Judaism , which collectively make up about 4% to 5% of the adult population. Another 15% of
18733-436: Was 47 years old. Irving was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as an Outstanding American in 1992. In addition to his novels, he has also published Trying to Save Piggy Sneed (1996), a collection of his writings including a brief memoir and unpublished short fiction, My Movie Business , an account of the protracted process of bringing The Cider House Rules to the big screen, and The Imaginary Girlfriend ,
18876-417: Was a vice consul and vice commercial agent in the country. He is the third of four children and has three siblings: an older brother David Lithgow, an older sister Robin Lithgow, and a younger sister Sarah Jane Bokaer. On the show Finding Your Roots , Lithgow discovered that he is a descendant of eight Mayflower passengers, including colonial governor William Bradford . Because of his father's job,
19019-427: Was adapted into the 1998 film Simon Birch (Irving required that the title and character names be changed because the screenplay's story was "markedly different" from that of the novel; Irving is on record as having enjoyed the film, however). In 2005, Irving received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement . In a New York Magazine interview in 2009, Irving stated that he had begun work on
19162-405: Was also awarded the organization's Bridge Builder Award to honor him as an ally of the LGBT community. On June 10, 2013, Irving announced his next novel, his 14th, titled Avenue of Mysteries , named after a street in Mexico City . In an interview the previous year, he had revealed the last line of the book: "Not every collision course comes as a surprise." On December 19, 2014, Irving posted
19305-459: Was among three books recommended to the Pulitzer Advisory Board for consideration for the 1979 Award in Fiction in the Pulitzer Jury Committee report, although the award was given to The Stories of John Cheever (1978). Garp transformed Irving from an obscure literary writer to a household name, and his subsequent books were bestsellers. The next was The Hotel New Hampshire (1981), which sold well despite mixed reviews from critics. Like Garp ,
19448-399: Was born John Wallace Blunt Jr. in Exeter, New Hampshire , the son of Helen Frances ( née Winslow) and John Wallace Blunt Sr., a writer and executive recruiter; the couple separated during pregnancy. Irving was raised by his mother and stepfather, Colin Franklin Newell Irving, who was a Phillips Exeter Academy faculty member. His uncle Hammy Bissell was also part of the faculty. John Irving
19591-436: Was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2007 and subsequently had a radical prostatectomy . Irving is a second cousin of academic Amy Bishop, who was convicted of perpetrating the 2010 University of Alabama in Huntsville shooting . In 2018, Irving was an honorary degree recipient at Williams College . Americans Americans are the citizens and nationals of the United States of America . The United States
19734-399: Was highest among individuals from West Africa (4%–9%), and lowest among individuals from Cape Verde, East Africa and Southern Africa (0%–4%). African immigrants may also experience conflict with African Americans. According to the 2020 United States census, there are 2,251,699 people who are Native Americans or Alaska Natives alone; they make up 0.7% of the total population. According to
19877-399: Was in the Phillips Exeter wrestling program as a student athlete and as an assistant coach , and wrestling features prominently in his books, stories, and life. While a student at Exeter, Irving was taught by author and Christian theologian Frederick Buechner , whom he quoted in an epigraph in A Prayer for Owen Meany . Irving has dyslexia. Irving never met his biological father, who was
20020-436: Was in the top 15 for over 27 weeks; The Cider House Rules (June 16, 1985); A Widow for One Year (June 14, 1998); and The Fourth Hand (July 29, 2001). Before the publication of Garp made him independently wealthy, Irving sporadically accepted short-term teaching positions (including one at his alma mater , the Iowa Writers' Workshop ). He also served as an assistant coach on his sons' high school wrestling teams until he
20163-428: Was made into a film directed by Lasse Hallström , starring Michael Caine , Tobey Maguire , Charlize Theron , and Delroy Lindo . Irving also made a cameo appearance as a disapproving stationmaster. The film was nominated for several Academy Awards , including Best Picture, and earned Irving an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Irving wrote My Movie Business , a memoir about his involvement in creating
20306-405: Was reasonably well reviewed but failed to gain a large readership. In the late 1960s, he studied under Kurt Vonnegut at the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop . His second and third novels, The Water-Method Man (1972) and The 158-Pound Marriage (1974), were similarly received. In 1975, Irving accepted a position as assistant professor of English at Mount Holyoke College . Frustrated at
20449-476: Was released in spring 2020. Lithgow starred as Bill Clinton opposite Laurie Metcalf as Hillary Clinton in the Lucas Hnath play Hillary and Clinton on Broadway at the John Golden Theatre . The play opened on April 18, 2019, and closed on June 23, 2019. In 2019, Lithgow co-starred in Mindy Kaling 's comedy Late Night . The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival was released June 7, 2019. That same year he portrayed Fox News CEO Roger Ailes in
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