John Lithgow

John Lithgow is an actor who has appeared on Broadway, in films and on television. He has also written and recorded a number of children's books and songs.

Lithgow will join the cast of Dexter for all 12 season 4 episodes. He will play Walter Simmons, a serial killer and arch-nemesis to the main character, Dexter Morgan, played by Michael C. Hall.Reuters: John Lithgow Kills for Dexter Role (May 28, 2009)

When Lithgow was a child, he moved around quite often because his father was a theatrical producer and director. His father also managed a number of Shakespeare festivals in the midwest, and his mother was an actress. Lithgow made his first theatrical bow on Broadway when he was six years old.

After graduating from Harvard University, Lithgow studied in London. When he returned to the United States, he performed in at least one play per year from the early 1970's through 1982.

Lithgow has been an actor since the 1970's and has appeared in a variety of productions including dramas, cartoons, reality television and commercials.

Lithgow stared alongside Isla Fisher in the film Confessions of a Shopaholic, which opened in U.S. theaters on February 13, 2009.

Since 1999, Lithgow has recorded three CDs and written seven books for children. He has also appeared on a number of children's television shows and has been the voice of a number of characters in animated movies.Barnes & Noble: John Lithgow Book

• Note: The IMDb links in this timeline have pop-ups.

• 1945: Born on October 19 in Rochester, New York

• 1974: The Country Girl - IMDb Listing

• 1981: Blow Out - IMDb Listing | Rotten Tomatoes Review

• 1983: Terms of Endearment - IMDb Listing | Rotten Tomatoes Review

• 1983: Twilight Zone: The Movie - IMDb Listing | Rotten Tomatoes Review

• 1984: Footloose - IMDb Listing | Rotten Tomatoes Review

• 1987: Harry and the Hendersons - IMDb Listing | Rotten Tomatoes Review

• 1992: Raising Cane - IMDb Listing | Rotten Tomatoes Review

• 1993: The Pelican Brief - IMDb Listing | Rotten Tomatoes Review

• 1996-2001: 3rd Rock from the Sun - IMDb Listing | Rotten Tomatoes Review

• 2001: Shrek - IMDb Listing | Rotten Tomatoes Review

• 2002: Orange County - IMDb Listing | Rotten Tomatoes Review

• 2003: Shrek 4-D - IMDb Listing

• 2006: Dreamgirls - IMDb Listing | Rotten Tomatoes Review

• 2009: Confessions of a Shopaholic - IMDb Listing | Rotten Tomatoes Review