Winner of five Emmys, two Tonys, two Golden Globes, and a two-time Oscar nominee, John Lithgow is one of the most acclaimed and beloved actors of our time. Equally adept at comedy and drama, stage and screen, the versatile Lithgow is also a noted storyteller, with eight children’s books, including six New York Times bestsellers, on his impressive resume. Now, with DRAMA: An Actor’s Education, Lithgow shares his own story, reflecting on how his childhood and early career shaped his identity and his craft.

Lithgow was inspired to write this autobiography during a difficult time, as he nursed his dying father and eased the old man’s final days through storytelling. Arthur Lithgow was an actor, director, producer, and great lover of Shakespeare, who colored John’s unconventional childhood with exuberant theatricality. At its core, DRAMA is a tribute to this most important relationship and influence.   With wit and candor, Lithgow recalls his peripatetic youth, as his close-knit family moved around the country in the wake of Arthur’s theatrical pursuits.  Making the fateful decision to pursue a life as an actor while at Harvard, young John was soon immersed in the theatre worlds of New York and London, collaborating with the likes of Mike Nichols, Bob Fosse, Liv Ullmann, Meryl Streep, and Brian DePalma.