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“TWO TONY BOOKENDS WITH 53 YEARS BETWEEN THEM.” — JOHN LITHGOW That’s what he said on stage tonight at Radio City Music Hall. And honestly, let that sink in for a second. John Lithgow just won Best Lead Actor in a Play for “Giant,” where he plays Roald Dahl — the beloved children’s author facing a very uncomfortable reckoning over antisemitic comments he made in 1983. He’s 80 years old. And with this win, he became the oldest man ever to take home a competitive acting Tony. But here’s the part most people don’t know — this puts him in a club of only four performers in Tony history who have won in three different acting categories. The other names in that group? Kevin Kline, Boyd Gaines, and Audra McDonald. His first Tony was back in 1973 for “The Changing Room.” Fifty-three years later, he’s still here. Still on stage. Still making history.

John Lithgow’s 53-Year Tony Journey: A Night of History at Radio City Music Hall

“TWO TONY BOOKENDS WITH 53 YEARS BETWEEN THEM.” That was John Lithgow’s line on stage tonight at Radio City Music Hall, and it landed with the weight of a full career, a full life, and a remarkable sense of timing.

At 80 years old, John Lithgow won Best Lead Actor in a Play for Giant, a performance that has drawn attention for both its craft and its subject matter. In the play, John Lithgow portrays Roald Dahl, the celebrated children’s author, during a difficult public reckoning over antisemitic comments Dahl made in 1983. The role asked for more than imitation. It required restraint, intelligence, and a willingness to sit inside a complicated story.

The Tony win also made history. John Lithgow became the oldest man ever to win a competitive acting Tony Award, a milestone that speaks not only to longevity but to relevance. In an industry that often celebrates the new, John Lithgow has shown that experience can still surprise an audience.

A Career Measured in Decades, Not Moments

What makes the night even more striking is the span between John Lithgow’s first Tony and this one. His first win came in 1973 for The Changing Room. More than five decades later, he stood on the same broad stage of Broadway recognition and added another chapter to a story that has never really stopped unfolding.

There was something deeply moving about the simple math of it: 53 years between two Tony bookends. Few performers get to define a career in such a clean arc. Even fewer continue to evolve in a way that feels earned rather than nostalgic.

“TWO TONY BOOKENDS WITH 53 YEARS BETWEEN THEM.”

That sentence is more than a clever line. It captures the extraordinary patience of a performer who has remained committed to live theater through changing eras, tastes, and expectations.

Joining a Rare Tony Club

With this latest honor, John Lithgow also joined an elite group of performers who have won Tony Awards in three different acting categories. The other members of that club are Kevin Kline, Boyd Gaines, and Audra McDonald.

That distinction matters because it reflects range. It means John Lithgow has not been confined to one type of role, one stage of life, or one kind of success. He has moved across characters and decades with rare adaptability, building a body of work that rewards attention.

Why This Win Resonated

Tonight was not just about a trophy. It was about endurance, risk, and the continuing power of theater to hold difficult human truths. John Lithgow’s performance in Giant reminded audiences that great acting is often less about showing off and more about listening, revealing, and staying present.

For longtime theater fans, the win felt like recognition of a career that has been steady, adventurous, and deeply respected. For newer audiences, it was a reminder that some artists never stop expanding what they can do.

Fifty-three years after his first Tony, John Lithgow is still here. Still on stage. Still making history.

 

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FOR NEARLY 50 YEARS, ONE DOCTOR KEPT STEVIE NICKS SINGING. SHE JUST MADE SURE THE WORLD KNOWS HIS NAME. Stevie Nicks just helped complete a $3 million donation to USC’s Keck School of Medicine. Not for a concert hall. Not for a music program. For a doctor — Dr. Joseph Sugerman, her longtime ear, nose and throat specialist. But here’s the part most people won’t tell you. This wasn’t just gratitude from a distance. Through late nights on the road, years of touring, hours in the recording studio — Dr. Sugerman was the one she always counted on to keep her voice healthy. Nearly 50 years of that kind of quiet, steady care. The donation created an endowed chair in his name at USC, dedicated to advancing vocal medicine. The first person to hold that chair is Dr. Michael M. Johns, director of the USC Voice Center. And Nicks’ connection to USC goes way back — in 1979, Fleetwood Mac brought 112 members of the USC Trojan Marching Band to Dodger Stadium to record “Tusk.” That collaboration became legendary. Some debts aren’t paid with money. But $3 million is a good start when you’re thanking the man who kept your voice alive for half a century.

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50 YEARS AGO, 7 COLLEGE KIDS STARTED ACTING IN AN 88-SEAT CHURCH BASEMENT. LAST NIGHT, ONE OF THEM HELD HER 3RD TONY. Laurie Metcalf just won Best Featured Actress in a Play at the 79th Tony Awards for her role as Linda Loman in Death of a Salesman — alongside Nathan Lane, directed by Joe Mantello. This is her 3rd Tony. Her 7th nomination. But what she did at Radio City Music Hall wasn’t about the numbers. She stood up there and named 6 people. Not agents. Not producers. Six college friends from Illinois State University who started Steppenwolf Theatre together — in a church basement. Gary Sinise. John Malkovich. Jeff Perry. Terry Kinney. Moira Harris. Al Wilder. “I still consider them family,” she said. “I still draw on lessons I learned from them.” After everything — the Emmys, the Oscar nomination, decades on Roseanne — the first people she thanked were the ones who knew her before any of it mattered. Some things don’t change, even after 50 years.

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TOM JONES + DAVID GILMOUR + PURPLE RAIN. THREE NAMES NOBODY EXPECTED IN THE SAME SENTENCE. June 13, 1992. Tom Jones walked out on the set of his ITV show The Right Time in a sharp purple suit. The song — Prince’s “Purple Rain.” The guitarist standing beside him? David Gilmour. From Pink Floyd. Nobody expected this to work. But something happened on that stage that people still can’t quite explain. Jones didn’t try to sound like Prince. He leaned into his own deep, heavy voice and made every line feel painfully personal. And Gilmour — he didn’t copy a single note from the original solo. He played something entirely his own. Long, slow, weeping notes. More Floyd than Minneapolis. Then around the 2:30 mark, Jones let out a raw scream — and Gilmour’s guitar just took off from there, building into something that gave the whole room chills. Two legends from completely different worlds. One night in 1992 that almost nobody talked about — until the footage resurfaced.

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50 YEARS AGO, 7 COLLEGE KIDS STARTED ACTING IN AN 88-SEAT CHURCH BASEMENT. LAST NIGHT, ONE OF THEM HELD HER 3RD TONY. Laurie Metcalf just won Best Featured Actress in a Play at the 79th Tony Awards for her role as Linda Loman in Death of a Salesman — alongside Nathan Lane, directed by Joe Mantello. This is her 3rd Tony. Her 7th nomination. But what she did at Radio City Music Hall wasn’t about the numbers. She stood up there and named 6 people. Not agents. Not producers. Six college friends from Illinois State University who started Steppenwolf Theatre together — in a church basement. Gary Sinise. John Malkovich. Jeff Perry. Terry Kinney. Moira Harris. Al Wilder. “I still consider them family,” she said. “I still draw on lessons I learned from them.” After everything — the Emmys, the Oscar nomination, decades on Roseanne — the first people she thanked were the ones who knew her before any of it mattered. Some things don’t change, even after 50 years.

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FOR NEARLY 50 YEARS, ONE DOCTOR KEPT STEVIE NICKS SINGING. SHE JUST MADE SURE THE WORLD KNOWS HIS NAME. Stevie Nicks just helped complete a $3 million donation to USC’s Keck School of Medicine. Not for a concert hall. Not for a music program. For a doctor — Dr. Joseph Sugerman, her longtime ear, nose and throat specialist. But here’s the part most people won’t tell you. This wasn’t just gratitude from a distance. Through late nights on the road, years of touring, hours in the recording studio — Dr. Sugerman was the one she always counted on to keep her voice healthy. Nearly 50 years of that kind of quiet, steady care. The donation created an endowed chair in his name at USC, dedicated to advancing vocal medicine. The first person to hold that chair is Dr. Michael M. Johns, director of the USC Voice Center. And Nicks’ connection to USC goes way back — in 1979, Fleetwood Mac brought 112 members of the USC Trojan Marching Band to Dodger Stadium to record “Tusk.” That collaboration became legendary. Some debts aren’t paid with money. But $3 million is a good start when you’re thanking the man who kept your voice alive for half a century.

Uncategorized

“TWO TONY BOOKENDS WITH 53 YEARS BETWEEN THEM.” — JOHN LITHGOW That’s what he said on stage tonight at Radio City Music Hall. And honestly, let that sink in for a second. John Lithgow just won Best Lead Actor in a Play for “Giant,” where he plays Roald Dahl — the beloved children’s author facing a very uncomfortable reckoning over antisemitic comments he made in 1983. He’s 80 years old. And with this win, he became the oldest man ever to take home a competitive acting Tony. But here’s the part most people don’t know — this puts him in a club of only four performers in Tony history who have won in three different acting categories. The other names in that group? Kevin Kline, Boyd Gaines, and Audra McDonald. His first Tony was back in 1973 for “The Changing Room.” Fifty-three years later, he’s still here. Still on stage. Still making history.

Uncategorized

TOM JONES + DAVID GILMOUR + PURPLE RAIN. THREE NAMES NOBODY EXPECTED IN THE SAME SENTENCE. June 13, 1992. Tom Jones walked out on the set of his ITV show The Right Time in a sharp purple suit. The song — Prince’s “Purple Rain.” The guitarist standing beside him? David Gilmour. From Pink Floyd. Nobody expected this to work. But something happened on that stage that people still can’t quite explain. Jones didn’t try to sound like Prince. He leaned into his own deep, heavy voice and made every line feel painfully personal. And Gilmour — he didn’t copy a single note from the original solo. He played something entirely his own. Long, slow, weeping notes. More Floyd than Minneapolis. Then around the 2:30 mark, Jones let out a raw scream — and Gilmour’s guitar just took off from there, building into something that gave the whole room chills. Two legends from completely different worlds. One night in 1992 that almost nobody talked about — until the footage resurfaced.