Where did Lithgow grow up? What ethnicity is John Lithgow?

John Arthur Lithgow is an American actor of white ethnicity. He studied at Harvard University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before becoming known for his work on the stage and screen.

Born on October 19, 1945 in Rochester, New York, Lithgow is the third of four children.

During the show Finding Your Roots, Lithgow made an exciting discovery – he discovered that he is a descendant of eight Mayflower passengers, including colonial governor William Bradford.

Due to his father’s job as a theatrical producer and director, the family moved frequently during his childhood.

Where did Lithgow grow up? Lithgow spent his childhood years in Yellow Springs, Ohio, where activist Coretta Scott King was his babysitter and then spent his teenage years in Akron (living at Stan Hywet Hall) and Lakewood, Ohio.

Lithgow graduated from Princeton High School in 1963 and then studied history and English literature at Harvard College.

As an undergrad, Lithgow lived in Adams House and later served on Harvard’s Board of Overseers.

Lithgow credits a performance at Harvard of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Utopia Limited with helping him decide to become an actor.