What Ever Happened to the Cast of 3rd Rock from the Sun?

Dr. Dick Solomon wasn’t your average sitcom lead—he was an alien commander disguised as a human physics professor, trying (and failing) to understand Earth’s simplest customs. Lithgow played him with glorious exaggeration: pompous one second, childlike the next. His elastic expressions and theatrical timing made Dick one of TV’s great comedic performances.

Before 3rd Rock, John Lithgow was already an acclaimed stage and film actor, with two Oscar nominations (The World According to Garp, Terms of Endearment) and a Tony to his name. What he hadn’t done was a broad sitcom—and his fearless leap into physical comedy shocked and delighted audiences.