Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play
| Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play | |
|---|---|
| Description | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play |
| Location | New York City |
| Presented by | American Theatre Wing The Broadway League |
| Currently held by | Frank Langella for The Father (2016) |
| Website | TonyAwards.com |
The Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role 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 actors 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] Despite the award first being presented in 1947, there were no nominees announced until 1956.
Winners and nominees
indicates the winner
1940s
| Year | Actor | Play | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 1st Tony Awards | |||
| José Ferrer | Cyrano de Bergerac | Cyrano de Bergerac | |
| Fredric March | Years Ago | Clinton Jones | |
| 1948 2nd Tony Awards | |||
| Henry Fonda | Mister Roberts | Lieutenant Roberts | |
| Paul Kelly | Command Decision | Brigadier General K.C. Dennis | |
| Basil Rathbone | The Heiress | Dr. Austin Sloper | |
| 1949 3rd Tony Awards | |||
| Rex Harrison | Anne of the Thousand Days | Henry VIII |
