John Lithgow, 80, celebrates making history at Tony Awards 2026 with emotional speech

John Lithgow made history at the Tony Awards 2026, becoming the oldest male actor to win a competitive Tony at age 80.

Lithgow won Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play for his portrayal of children’s author Roald Dahl in “Giant.”

“Oh my God, this is wonderful,” he began his emotional acceptance speech onstage at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Sunday night.

Lithgow gave a shoutout to the other nominees in his category — Will Harrison, Nathan Lane, Daniel Radcliffe and Mark Strong — before he gushed over “Giant,” calling it “an extraordinary play” that was “made by people full of love and kindness.”

The legendary actor also said he feels “lucky” because he won his first Tony Award 53 years ago for “The Changing Room,” which he performed at London’s Royal Court Theatre — just like “Giant.”

“Two Tony bookends, with 53 years between them,” Lithgow said as he fought back tears.

He continued, “In those years, I have worked with hundreds of fantastic theater artists. I’ve had dozens and dozens of ecstatic theater moments onstage.

“But I have to tell you, this moment has got to be one of the best,” Lithgow added, as the crowd cheered.

Now held by Lithgow, the record for the oldest man ever to win a competitive acting Tony was previously set by Roy Dotrice at age 77 when he won Best Featured Actor in a Play for “A Moon for the Misbegotten” in 2000. Dotrice died at age 94 in 2017.

Lithgow has won three Tonys, his second being for “Sweet Smell of Success” in 2002. He was nominated four other times in 1985, 1988, 2005 and 2012.

In “Giant,” Lithgow plays Dahl in the 1980s when the British author faced backlash for making antisemitic comments.

The play premiered in London in 2024 and won three Laurence Olivier Awards, including Best New Play and Best Actor for Lithgow.

The Broadway production of “Giant” opened in March, with Elliot Levey, Rachael Stirling and Aya Cash joining Lithgow in reprising their roles.

Two-time Tony winner Nicholas Hytner directs “Giant,” which ends its Broadway run on June 28.

During an appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on March 9, Lithgow explained how the topics in “Giant” feel relevant to today’s political climate.

“It’s a piece of history,” Lithgow shared, “It’s an examination of that day. And as you can imagine, in this day and age, it’s extraordinarily timely.”