John Lithgow Becomes Oldest Acting Tony Winner

Actor John Lithgow made history at the 79th Tony Awards on Sunday, June 7, becoming the oldest winner ever in a competitive acting category. The 80-year-old won the award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play for his portrayal of author Roald Dahl in "Giant." The win also set a record for the longest gap between competitive acting Tonys, coming 53 years after his first win in 1973 for his Broadway debut in "The Changing Room."

The ceremony, held at Radio City Music Hall in New York and hosted by pop singer Pink, capped a record-breaking Broadway season that generated $1.91 billion in grosses. Lithgow's victory was among the night's highlights. In his acceptance speech, he called the moment one of the best of his career. He described "Giant" as an extraordinary play about cruelty in a cruel age, made by people full of love and kindness. The drama depicts a crisis in Dahl's life during the 1980s as he faced fallout from remarks widely deemed antisemitic.

Lithgow's win marks his third Tony overall, having also won for lead actor in a musical for "Sweet Smell of Success" in 2002. This achievement places him in a rare group of performers who have won Tonys in...