Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play
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| Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play | |
|---|---|
| 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 | Elaine May for The Waverly Gallery (2019) |
| 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. The award is given to actresses for quality leading roles in a Broadway play.[1] Despite the award first being presented in 1947, there were no nominees announced until 1956. There have been two ties in this category, and one three-way tie.
Winners and nominees[edit]
indicates the winner
1940s[edit]
| Year | Actress | Play | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 1st Tony Awards | |||
| Ingrid Bergman | Joan of Lorraine | Mary Grey / Joan of Arc | |
| Helen Hayes | Happy Birthday | Addie Bemis | |
| 1948 2nd Tony Awards | |||
| Judith Anderson | Medea | Medea | |
| Katharine Cornell | Antony and Cleopatra | Cleopatra | |
| Jessica Tandy | A Streetcar Named Desire | Blanche DuBois | |
| 1949 3rd Tony Awards | |||
| 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 | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 Postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic |
N/A | ||
Multiple wins[edit]
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Multiple nominations[edit]
Multiple character wins[edit]
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Multiple character nominations[edit]
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Productions with multiple nominations[edit]
- The Chalk Garden -- Gladys Cooper and Siobhán McKenna
- Toys In The Attic -- Maureen Stapleton and Irene Worth
- The Killing of Sister George -- Beryl Reid (winner) and Eileen Atkins
- 'night, Mother -- Kathy Bates and Anne Pitoniak
- A Streetcar Named Desire -- Blythe Danner and Frances McDormand
- The Sisters Rosensweig -- Madeline Kahn (winner) and Jane Alexander
- A Delicate Balance -- Rosemary Harris and Elaine Stritch
- August: Osage County -- Deanna Dunagan (winner) and Amy Morton
- God of Carnage -- Marcia Gay Harden (winner) 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]
Actress who have been nominated multiple times in any acting categories[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Kirkley, Donald (April 21, 1968). "Operation Frenzy Before the Tony Awards". The Baltimore Sun. p. T2. Retrieved December 24, 2011.