Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play
| Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play | |
|---|---|
 2024 Recipient: Sarah Paulson | |
| Awarded for | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play |
| Location | New York City |
| Presented by | American Theatre Wing, The Broadway League |
| Currently held by | Sarah Paulson for Appropriate (2024) |
| Website | TonyAwards.com |
The Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play is an honor presented at the Tony Awards, a ceremony established in 1947 as the Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, to actresses for quality leading roles in a Broadway play. The awards are named after Antoinette Perry, an American actress who died in 1946.
Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the Tony Award Productions, a joint venture of The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, to "honor the best performances and stage productions of the previous year."[1][2]
The award was originally called the Tony Award for Actress—Play. It was first presented to Ingrid Bergman and Helen Hayes at the 1st Tony Awards for their portrayals of Mary Grey / Joan of Arc and Addie Bemis in Joan of Lorraine and Happy Birthday, respectively. Before 1956, nominees' names were not made public;[3] the change was made by the awards committee to "have a greater impact on theatregoers".[4]
There have been two ties and one three-way tie in this category. Julie Harris holds the record for having the most wins and nominations in this category, with a total of five wins from nine nominations. Medea in the play of the same name is the character to take the award the most times, winning three times.
Winners and nominees
[edit] indicates the winner
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1940s
[edit]| Year | Actress | Play | Role(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 (1st) | ||||
| Ingrid Bergman | Joan of Lorraine | Mary Grey / Joan of Arc | ||
| Helen Hayes | Happy Birthday | Addie Bemis | ||
| 1948 (2nd) | ||||
| Judith Anderson | Medea | Medea | ||
| Katharine Cornell | Antony and Cleopatra | Cleopatra | ||
| Jessica Tandy | A Streetcar Named Desire | Blanche DuBois | ||
| 1949 (3rd) | ||||
| Martita Hunt | The Madwoman of Chaillot | Countess Aurelia |
1950s
[edit]1960s
[edit]1970s
[edit]1980s
[edit]1990s
[edit]2000s
[edit]2010s
[edit]2020s
[edit]| Year | Actress | Play | Role(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 (74th) | ||||
| Mary-Louise Parker | The Sound Inside | Bella Baird | [69] | |
| Joaquina Kalukango | Slave Play | Kaneisha | ||
| Laura Linney | My Name Is Lucy Barton | Lucy Barton | ||
| Audra McDonald | Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune | Frankie | ||
| 2021 | No ceremony | |||
| 2022 (75th) | ||||
| Deirdre O'Connell | Dana H. | Dana H. | [70] | |
| Gabby Beans | The Skin of Our Teeth | Sabina | ||
| LaChanze | Trouble in Mind | Wiletta Mayer | ||
| Ruth Negga | Macbeth | Lady Macbeth | ||
| Mary-Louise Parker | How I Learned to Drive | Li'l Bit | ||
| 2023 (76th) | ||||
| Jodie Comer | Prima Facie | Tessa Ensler | [71] | |
| Jessica Chastain | A Doll's House | Nora Helmer | ||
| Jessica Hecht | Summer, 1976 | Alice | ||
| Audra McDonald | Ohio State Murders | Suzanne Alexander | ||
| 2024 (77th) | ||||
| Sarah Paulson | Appropriate | Antoinette "Toni" Lafayette | [72] | |
| Betsy Aidem | Prayer for the French Republic | Marcelle Salomon Benhamou | ||
| Jessica Lange | Mother Play | Phyllis | ||
| Rachel McAdams | Mary Jane | Mary Jane | ||
| Amy Ryan | Doubt: A Parable | Sister Aloysius Beauvier | ||
Statistics
[edit]Most wins
[edit]- 5 wins
- 3 wins
- 2 wins
Most nominations
[edit]- 9 nominations
- 8 nominations
- 7 nominations
- 6 Nominations
- 5 nominations
- 4 nominations
- Eileen Atkins
- Glenda Jackson
- Linda Lavin
- Margaret Leighton
- Laurie Metcalf
- Estelle Parsons
- Maureen Stapleton
- Jessica Tandy
- Irene Worth
- 3 nominations
- Zoe Caldwell
- Helen Hayes
- Madeline Kahn
- Audra McDonald
- Janet McTeer
- Helen Mirren
- Kate Nelligan
- Geraldine Page
- Lynn Redgrave
- Vanessa Redgrave
- Diana Rigg
- Maggie Smith
- 2 nominations
- Joan Allen
- Nina Arianda
- Elizabeth Ashley
- Jayne Atkinson
- Anne Bancroft
- Barbara Bel Geddes
- Eve Best
- Shirley Booth
- Kate Burton
- Glenn Close
- Gladys Cooper
- Blythe Danner
- Lindsay Duncan
- Jennifer Ehle
- Tovah Feldshuh
- Uta Hagen
- Swoosie Kurtz
- Jessica Lange
- Frances McDormand
- Siobhán McKenna
- Claudia McNeil
- Amy Morton
- Cynthia Nixon
- Amanda Plummer
- Phylicia Rashad
- Mercedes Ruehl
- Marian Seldes
- Kim Stanley
- Kathleen Turner
- Liv Ullmann
Character win total
[edit]- 3 wins
- 2 wins
- Amanda Prynne from Private Lives
- Annie from The Real Thing
- Joan of Arc from Joan of Lorraine and The Lark
- Mary Tyrone from Long Day's Journey into Night
- Nora Helmer from A Doll's House and A Doll's House, Part 2
Character nomination total
[edit]- 5 nominations
- Josie Hogan from A Moon for the Misbegotten
- 4 nominations
- Medea from Medea
- Martha from Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
- Nora Helmer from A Doll's House and A Doll's House, Part 2
- 3 nominations
- Amanda Prynne from Private Lives
- Beatrice from Much Ado About Nothing
- Claire Zachanassian from The Visit
- Joan of Arc from Joan of Lorraine, The Lark and Saint Joan
- Lady Macbeth from Macbeth
- Lena Younger from A Raisin in the Sun
- Maggie Pollitt from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
- Mary Tyrone from Long Day's Journey into Night
- 2 nominations
- Amanda Wingfield from The Glass Menagerie
- Anna Christopherson from Anna Christie
- Annie from The Real Thing
- Blanche DuBois from A Streetcar Named Desire
- Claire from A Delicate Balance
- Eleanor of Aquitaine from The Lion in Winter
- Elizabeth I from Vivat! Vivat Regina! and Mary Stuart
- Elizabeth Proctor from The Crucible
- Emma from Betrayal
- Emma 'Billie' Dawn from Born Yesterday
- Fonsia Dorsey from The Gin Game
- Golda Meir from Golda and Golda's Balcony
- Heidi Holland from The Heidi Chronicles
- Hesione Hushabye from Heartbreak House
- Josephine from A Taste of Honey
- Julie Cavendish from The Royal Family
- Kyra Hollis from Skylight
- Lola Delaney from Come Back, Little Sheba
- Portia from The Merchant of Venice
- Princess Cosmonopolis from Sweet Bird of Youth
- Regina Giddens from The Little Foxes
- Ruth from The Homecoming
- Sarah Melody from A Touch of the Poet and More Stately Mansions
- Sarah Norman from Children of a Lesser God
- Sheila from A Day in the Death of Joe Egg
- Sister Aloysius Beauvier from Doubt
Characters nominated for both the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical and Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play
- Joan of Arc from Goodtime Charley, Saint Joan, Joan of Lorraine and The Lark
- Countess Aurelia from The Madwoman of Chaillot and Dear World
- Sally Bowles from I Am a Camera and Cabaret
- Leona Samish from The Time of the Cuckoo and Do I Hear a Waltz?
- Dolly Gallagher Levi from The Matchmaker and Hello Dolly!
- Lena Younger from A Raisin in the Sun and Raisin
- Mame Dennis from Auntie Mame and Mame
- Eliza Gant from Look Homeward, Angel and Angel
- Claire Zachanassian The Visit (play) and The Visit (musical)
- Sister Margaret Alexander from The Amen Corner and Amen Corner (musical)
- Eliza Doolittle from Pygmalion and My Fair Lady
- Lizzie Curry from The Rainmaker and 110 in the Shade.
- Lily Garland / Mildred Plotka from Twentieth Century and On the Twentieth Century
- Madame Arcati from Blithe Spirit and High Spirits
- Anna Christopherson from Anna Christie and New Girl in Town
Productions with multiple nominations
[edit]boldface=Winner
- The Chalk Garden – Gladys Cooper and Siobhán McKenna
- Toys In The Attic – Maureen Stapleton and Irene Worth
- The Killing of Sister George – Beryl Reid and Eileen Atkins
- 'night, Mother – Kathy Bates and Anne Pitoniak
- A Streetcar Named Desire – Blythe Danner and Frances McDormand
- The Sisters Rosensweig – Madeline Kahn and Jane Alexander
- A Delicate Balance – Rosemary Harris and Elaine Stritch
- August: Osage County – Deanna Dunagan and Amy Morton
- God of Carnage – Marcia Gay Harden and Hope Davis
- Mary Stuart – Janet McTeer and Harriet Walter (God of Carnage and Mary Stuart were produced in the same year)
Multiple awards and nominations
[edit]- Actresses who have been nominated multiple times in any acting categories
See also
[edit]
- Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play
- Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical
- Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play
- Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress
- List of Tony Award-nominated productions
References
[edit]- ^ Kirkley, Donald (April 21, 1968). "Operation Frenzy Before the Tony Awards". The Baltimore Sun. p. T2. Archived from the original on January 11, 2012. Retrieved December 24, 2011. (subscription required)
- ^ Gans, Andrew (December 18, 2007). "League of American Theatres and Producers Announces Name Change". Playbill. Archived from the original on December 21, 2007. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
- ^ Simons, Linda Keir (1994). The Performing Arts: a Guide to the Reference Literature. ABC-CLIO. p. 137. ISBN 978-0-87287-982-9. Archived from the original on 2013-06-22. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
- ^ Gelb, Arthur (April 1, 1956). "Popularizing the Tony Awards". The New York Times. Retrieved January 14, 2011. (subscription required)
- ^ "1956 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1957 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1958 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1959 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1960 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1961 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1962 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1963 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1964 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1965 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1966 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1967 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1968 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1969 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1970 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1971 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1972 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1973 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1974 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1975 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1976 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1977 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1978 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1979 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1980 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1981 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1982 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1983 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1984 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1985 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1986 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1987 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1988 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1989 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1990 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1991 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1992 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1993 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1994 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1995 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1996 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1997 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1998 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "1999 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "2000 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "2001 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "2002 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "2003 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "2004 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "2005 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "2006 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "2007 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "2008 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "2009 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "2010 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
- ^ "2011 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
- ^ "2012 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
- ^ "2013 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
- ^ "2014 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
- ^ "Tony Nominations 2015: Full List". Variety. April 28, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
- ^ "2016 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
- ^ "2017 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
- ^ "2018 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
- ^ "2019 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
- ^ "2020 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
- ^ "2022 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
- ^ "2023 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. May 2, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
- ^ "Sarah Paulson Gives Shout Out to Partner Holland Taylor as She Wins Her First Tony: 'Thank You for Loving Me'". People. Retrieved June 16, 2024.