African-American Tony nominees and winners
This is a list of black Americans who have been nominated for a Tony Award for outstanding achievement in theater. Winners are listed in bold.
Facts and figures
Multiple nominations
As of 2016 ceremony:
- George C. Wolfe - 22
- August Wilson - 9
- Audra McDonald - 8
- Paul Tazewell - 6
- Gregory Hines - 5
- Donald McKayle - 5
- Lloyd Richards - 5
- Savion Glover - 4
- Bill T. Jones - 4
- James Earl Jones - 4
- Brian Stokes Mitchell - 4
- Mbongeni Ngema - 4
- Stew - 4
- Hilton Battle - 3
- Vinnette Carroll - 3
- Viola Davis - 3
- Micki Grant - 3
- David Alan Grier - 3
- Geoffrey Holder - 3
- Henry LeTang - 3
- Tonya Pinkins - 3
- Gilbert Price - 3
- Ron Simons - 3
- Courtney B. Vance - 3
- Daryl Waters - 3
- Mary Alice - 2
- Debbie Allen - 2
- Gretha Boston - 2
- Charles Brown - 2
- André De Shields - 2
- Cleavant Derricks - 2
- Brandon Victor Dixon - 2
- Charles S. Dutton - 2
- George Faison - 2
- Laurence Fishburne - 2
- K. Todd Freeman - 2
- Whoopi Goldberg - 2
- Joshua Henry - 2
- Linda Hopkins - 2
- Lena Horne - 2
- Ernestine Jackson - 2
- Eartha Kitt - 2
- LaChanze - 2
- Adriane Lenox - 2
- Kenny Leon - 2
- Claudia McNeil - 2
- S. Epatha Merkerson - 2
- Patina Miller - 2
- Zakes Mokae - 2
- Sophie Okonedo - 2
- Josephine Premice - 2
- Condola Rashad - 2
- Phylicia Rashad - 2
- Vivian Reed - 2
- Roger Robinson - 2
- Anika Noni Rose - 2
- Diana Sands - 2
- Anna Deavere Smith - 2
- Ron Taylor - 2
- Lynne Thigpen - 2
- Tamara Tunie - 2
- Leslie Uggams - 2
- Melvin Van Peebles - 2
- Ben Vereen - 2
- Lillias White - 2
- Dick Anthony Williams - 2
- Billy Wilson - 2
- Jeffrey Wright - 2
- Samuel E. Wright - 2
Multiple wins
As of 2014 ceremony:
- Audra McDonald - 6
- George C. Wolfe - 5
- Hinton Battle - 3
- Ron Simons - 3
- Viola Davis - 2
- Geoffrey Holder - 2
- Bill T. Jones - 2
- James Earl Jones - 2
Actor in a Musical
Actor in a Play
| Best Performance by an Actor in a Play | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result | Milestone |
| 1960 | Sidney Poitier | A Raisin in the Sun | Nominated | |
| 1969 | James Earl Jones | The Great White Hope | Won | First African-American winner in a play. |
| 1976 | Moses Gunn | The Poison Tree | Nominated | |
| 1980 | Charles Brown | Home | Nominated | |
| 1987 | James Earl Jones | Fences | Won | |
| 1990 | Charles S. Dutton | The Piano Lesson | Nominated | |
| 1991 | Courtney B. Vance | Six Degrees of Separation | Nominated | |
| 1993 | K. Todd Freeman | The Song of Jacob Zulu | Nominated | |
| 2001 | Brian Stokes Mitchell | King Hedley II | Nominated | |
| 2002 | Jeffrey Wright | Topdog/Underdog | Nominated | |
| 2005 | James Earl Jones | On Golden Pond | Nominated | |
| 2008 | Laurence Fishburne | Thurgood | Nominated | |
| 2010 | Denzel Washington | Fences | Won | |
| 2012 | James Earl Jones | Gore Vidal's The Best Man | Nominated | |
Actress in a Musical
Actress in a Play
| Best Performance by an Actress in a Play | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result |
| 1960 | Claudia McNeil | A Raisin in the Sun | Nominated |
| 1963 | Tiger Tiger Burning Bright | Nominated | |
| 1965 | Beah Richards | The Amen Corner | Nominated |
| Diana Sands | The Owl and the Pussycat | Nominated | |
| 1994 | Anna Deavere Smith | Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 | Nominated |
| 1995 | Mary Alice | Having Our Say | Nominated |
| 2001 | Leslie Uggams | King Hedley II | Nominated |
| 2004 | Phylicia Rashād | A Raisin in the Sun | Won |
| 2005 | Gem of the Ocean | Nominated | |
| 2008 | S. Epatha Merkerson | Come Back, Little Sheba | Nominated |
| 2010 | Viola Davis | Fences | Won |
| 2013 | Cicely Tyson | The Trip to Bountiful | Won |
| 2014 | LaTanya Richardson Jackson | A Raisin in the Sun | Nominated |
| Audra McDonald | Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill | Won | |
| 2016 | Lupita Nyong'o | Eclipsed | Nominated |
| Sophie Okonedo | Arthur Miller's The Crucible | Nominated | |
Best Musical
| Best Musical | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result |
| 1975 | Ken Harper (as producer) | The Wiz | Won |
| 1996 | George C. Wolfe (as producer) | Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk | Nominated |
| 2000 | The Wild Party | Nominated | |
| 2002 | Whoopi Goldberg (as producer) | Thoroughly Modern Millie | Won |
| 2004 | George C. Wolfe (as producer) | Caroline, or Change | Nominated |
| 2006 | Oprah Winfrey (as producer), Quincy Jones (as producer) | The Color Purple | Nominated |
| 2007 | Tamara Tunie (as producer) | Spring Awakening | Won |
| 2010 | Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter (as producer), Will Smith (as producer), Jada Pinkett Smith (as producer) | Fela! | Nominated |
| 2011 | Whoopi Goldberg (as producer) | Sister Act | Nominated |
| 2014 | Wynton Marsalis (as producer) | After Midnight | Nominated |
| Ron Simons (as producer) | A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder | Won | |
Best Play
| Best Play | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result |
| 1960 | Lorraine Hansberry (as playwright) | A Raisin in the Sun | Nominated |
| 1974 | Joseph A. Walker (as playwright) | The River Niger | Won |
| 1977 | Ntozake Shange (as playwright) | For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf | Nominated |
| 1980 | Samm-Art Williams (as playwright) | Home | Nominated |
| 1985 | August Wilson (as playwright) | Ma Rainey's Black Bottom | Nominated |
| 1987 | Fences | Won | |
| 1988 | Joe Turner's Come and Gone | Nominated | |
| 1990 | The Piano Lesson | Nominated | |
| 1992 | Two Trains Running | Nominated | |
| 1993 | Tug Yourgrau (as playwright) | The Song of Jacob Zulu | Nominated |
| 1994 | George C. Wolfe (as producer) | Angels in America: Perestroika | Won |
| Anna Deavere Smith (as playwright), George C. Wolfe (as producer) | Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 | Nominated | |
| 1995 | Camille Cosby (as producer) | Having Our Say | Nominated |
| 1996 | August Wilson (as playwright) | Seven Guitars | Nominated |
| 1998 | George C. Wolfe (as producer) | Golden Child | Nominated |
| 2000 | The Ride Down Mt. Morgan | Nominated | |
| 2001 | August Wilson (as playwright) | King Hedley II | Nominated |
| 2002 | Suzan-Lori Parks (as playwright), George C. Wolfe (as producer) | Topdog/Underdog | Nominated |
| 2003 | George C. Wolfe (as producer) | Take Me Out | Won |
| 2005 | August Wilson (as playwright) | Gem of the Ocean | Nominated |
| 2007 | August Wilson (as playwright), Tamara Tunie (as producer) | Radio Golf | Nominated |
| 2013 | Ron Simons (as producer) | Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike | Won |
| 2016 | Danai Gurira (as playwright), La La Anthony (as producer), Stephen Byrd (as producer), and Alia Jones-Harvey (as producer) | Eclipsed | Nominated |
Book of a Musical
| Best Book of a Musical | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result |
| 1972 | Melvin Van Peebles | Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death | Nominated |
| 1973 | Micki Grant | Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope | Nominated |
| 1977 | Vinnette Carroll | Your Arms Too Short to Box with God | Nominated |
| 1992 | George C. Wolfe | Jelly's Last Jam | Nominated |
| 1996 | Reg E. Gaines | Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk | Nominated |
| 1999 | Ron Taylor, Lita Gaithers, Charles Bevel | It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues | Nominated |
| 2000 | George C. Wolfe | The Wild Party | Nominated |
| 2008 | Stew | Passing Strange | Won |
| 2010 | Bill T. Jones | Fela! | Nominated |
| 2016 | George C. Wolfe | Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed | Nominated |
Choreography
| Best Choreography | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result |
| 1965 | Donald McKayle | Golden Boy | Nominated |
| 1974 | Raisin | Nominated | |
| 1975 | Doctor Jazz | Nominated | |
| George Faison | The Wiz | Won | |
| 1976 | Billy Wilson | Bubbling Brown Sugar | Nominated |
| 1977 | Talley Beatty | Your Arms Too Short to Box with God | Nominated |
| 1979 | Henry LeTang and Billy Wilson | Eubie! | Nominated |
| 1981 | Henry LeTang and Donald McKayle | Sophisticated Ladies | Nominated |
| 1983 | George Faison | Porgy and Bess | Nominated |
| 1988 | Ndaba Mhlongo and Mbongeni Ngema | Sarafina! | Nominated |
| 1989 | Cholly Atkins, Henry LeTang, Frankie Manning, and Fayard Nicholas | Black and Blue | Won |
| 1992 | Hope Clarke, Ted L. Levy, and Gregory Hines | Jelly's Last Jam | Nominated |
| 1996 | Savion Glover | Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk | Won |
| 2007 | Bill T. Jones | Spring Awakening | Won |
| 2010 | Fela! | Won | |
| 2016 | Savion Glover | Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed | Nominated |
Costume Design
| Best Costume Design | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result |
| 1975 | Geoffrey Holder | The Wiz | Won |
| 1978 | Timbuktu! | Nominated | |
| 1996 | Paul Tazewell | Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk | Nominated |
Costume Design of a Musical
| Best Costume Design of a Musical | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result |
| 2006 | Paul Tazewell | The Color Purple! | Nominated |
| 2008 | In the Heights | Nominated | |
| 2010 | Memphis | Nominated | |
| 2012 | ESosa | The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess | Nominated |
| 2016 | Paul Tazewell | Hamilton | Won |
Costume Design of a Play
| Best Costume Design of a Play | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result |
| 2012 | Paul Tazewell | A Streetcar Named Desire | Nominated |
Director of a Musical
| Best Director of a Musical | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result |
| 1972 | Gilbert Moses | Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death | Nominated |
| 1973 | Vinnette Carroll | Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope | Nominated |
| 1974 | Donald McKayle | Raisin | Nominated |
| 1975 | Geoffrey Holder | The Wiz | Won |
| 1977 | Vinnette Carroll | Your Arms Too Short to Box with God | Nominated |
| 1988 | Mbongeni Ngema | Sarafina! | Nominated |
| 1992 | George C. Wolfe | Jelly's Last Jam | Nominated |
| 1996 | Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk | Won | |
| 2004 | Caroline, or Change | Nominated | |
| 2010 | Bill T. Jones | Fela! | Nominated |
| 2016 | George C. Wolfe | Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed | Nominated |
Director of a Play
| Best Director of a Play | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result |
| 1960 | Lloyd Richards | A Raisin in the Sun | Nominated |
| 1987 | Mbongeni Ngema | Asinamali! | Nominated |
| 1987 | Lloyd Richards | Fences | Won |
| 1988 | Joe Turner's Come and Gone | Nominated | |
| 1990 | The Piano Lesson | Nominated | |
| 1993 | George C. Wolfe | Angels in America: Millennium Approaches | Won |
| 1994 | Angels in America: Perestroika | Nominated | |
| 1996 | Lloyd Richards | Seven Guitars | Nominated |
| 2010 | Kenny Leon | Fences | Nominated |
| 2011 | George C. Wolfe | The Normal Heart | Nominated |
| 2013 | George C. Wolfe | Lucky Guy | Nominated |
| 2014 | Kenny Leon | A Raisin in the Sun | Won |
| 2016 | Liesl Tommy | Eclipsed | Nominated |
Featured Actor in a Musical
Featured Actor in a Play
Featured Actress in a Musical
Featured Actress in a Play
Orchestrations
| Best Orchestrations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result |
| 2008 | Stew | Passing Strange | Nominated |
| 2010 | Daryl Waters (shared with David Bryan) | Memphis | Won |
| 2016 | Daryl Waters | Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed | Nominated |
Regional Theatre Award
| Regional Theatre Award | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Result | |
| 1999 | Crossroads Theatre | Won | |
Best Revival of a Musical
| Best Musical | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result |
| 2016 | Oprah Winfrey (as producer) | The Color Purple | Won |
Best Revival of a Play
| Best Revival of a Play | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result |
| 2004 | Susan Batson (as producer) | A Raisin in the Sun | Nominated |
| 2013 | Kevin Liles (as producer), Stephen C. Byrd (as producer), Alia M. Jones (as producer) | The Trip to Bountiful | Nominated |
Score (Music and/or Lyrics)
| Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result |
| 1972 | Melvin Van Peebles | Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death | Nominated |
| 1973 | Micki Grant | Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope | Nominated |
| 1975 | Charlie Smalls | The Wiz | Won |
| 1978 | Micki Grant | Working | Nominated |
| 1979 | Eubie Blake, Noble Sissle, Andy Razaf, F. E. Miller, and Jim Europe | Eubie! | Nominated |
| 1988 | Mbongeni Ngema and Hugh Masekela | Sarafina! | Nominated |
| 1996 | George C. Wolfe | Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk | Nominated |
| 2008 | Stew | Passing Strange | Nominated |
| 2010 | Branford Marsalis | Fences | Nominated |
Special Awards
| Special Tony Awards | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result |
| 1968 | Pearl Bailey | Won | |
| 1981 | Lena Horne | Lena Home: The Lady and Her Music | Won |
| 2006 | Sarah Jones | Bridge & Tunnel | Won |
Special Theatrical Event
| Best Special Theatrical Event | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result |
| 2002 | George C. Wolfe (as producer) | Elaine Stritch at Liberty | Won |