At Harvard’s annual Arts First event, the Dominican student group of that
university called Fuerza Latina recognized the Dominican heritage of actor John
Lithgow by showing a map of the Dominican Republic, a Dominican flag and an
11-page printout listing Lithgows from the last century. The actor has won
enormous critical acclaim, as well as two Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe, an
American Comedy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award for his starring role in
NBC’s hit comedy series ?Third Rock from the Sun.?
His 1982 Academy Award-nominated portrayal of Roberta Muldoon in The World
According to Garp brought Lithgow his first wave of national attention after a
20-year career in Broadway theater.
While born in the US, Lithgow is the son of Arturo Lithgow of Puerto Plata. The
Lithgow family originally emanated from Scotland, but eventually settled in the
Dominican Republic by way of New England in the United States. The family has
and continues to live in various provinces in the Dominican Republic. Their
original occupation was in the sugar business of Puerto Plata, but they also ran
a railroad on the North Shore and have been active in Civil Service in the
generations before Arturo Lithgow. John Lithgow is an alumnus of Harvard and has
a daughter Pheobe who will graduate there this year.
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~arts/