The Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor 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.
| Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play | |
|---|---|
 2024 Recipient: Jeremy Strong | |
| Awarded for | 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 | Jeremy Strong for An Enemy of the People (2024) |
| Website | TonyAwards.com |
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]
The award was originally called the Tony Award for Actors—Play. It was first presented to José Ferrer and Fredric March at the 1st Tony Awards for their portrayals of Cyrano De Bergerac and Clinton Jones in Cyrano de Bergerac and Years Ago, respectively. Before 1956, nominees' names were not made public;[2] the change was made by the awards committee to "have a greater impact on theatregoers".[3]
Nine actors hold the record for having the most wins in this category, with a total of two. Brian Bedford and Jason Robards are tied with the most nominations, with a total of seven. George in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? 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 | Actor | Project | Role(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 (1st) |
José Ferrer | Cyrano de Bergerac | Cyrano De Bergerac | |
| Fredric March | Years Ago | Clinton Jones | ||
| 1948 (2nd) |
Henry Fonda | Mister Roberts | Lt. Roberts | |
| Paul Kelly | Command Decision | Brigadier General K.C. Dennis | ||
| Basil Rathbone | The Heiress | Dr. Austin Sloper | ||
| 1949 (3rd) | ||||
| Rex Harrison | Anne of the Thousand Days | Henry VIII |
1950s
edit1960s
edit1970s
edit1980s
edit1990s
edit2000s
edit2010s
edit2020s
editStatistics
editMost wins
edit- 2 wins
Most nominations
edit- 7 nominations
- 6 nominations
- 5 nominations
- 4 nominations
- 3 nominations
- Jeff Daniels
- Ben Gazzara
- Judd Hirsch
- John Lithgow
- Fredric March
- Alec McCowen
- Brían F. O'Byrne
- Ralph Richardson
- Liev Schreiber
- 2 nominations
- Alan Bates
- Richard Burton
- Gabriel Byrne
- Tom Courtenay
- Bryan Cranston
- Billy Crudup
- Jim Dale
- Brian Dennehy
- José Ferrer
- Ralph Fiennes
- Albert Finney
- Henry Fonda
- John Gielgud
- Rex Harrison
- Corey Hawkins
- Philip Seymour Hoffman
- Wilfrid Hyde-White
- Bill Irwin
- Derek Jacobi
- Kevin Kline
- Alfred Lunt
- Jack Lemmon
- Jefferson Mays
- Ian McKellen
- Alfred Molina
- Zero Mostel
- Liam Neeson
- Milo O'Shea
- Al Pacino
- Roger Rees
- Alan Rickman
- Cyril Ritchard
- Tom Sturridge
- Denzel Washington
- Nicol Williamson
- John Wood
Character win total
edit- 3 wins
- George from Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
- 2 wins
- Henry from The Real Thing
- James Tyrone Sr. from Long Day's Journey into Night
- Prior Walter from Angels in America
- Troy Maxson from Fences
Character nomination total
edit- 4 nominations
- Eddie Carbone from A View from the Bridge
- George from Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
- James Tyrone Sr. from Long Day's Journey into Night
- Willy Loman from Death of a Salesman
- 3 nominations
- Bri from A Day in the Death of Joe Egg
- Hamlet from Hamlet
- Henry Drummond from Inherit the Wind
- John Merrick from The Elephant Man
- 2 nominations
- Antonio Salieri from Amadeus
- Charlie Fox from Speed-the-Plow
- Father Brendan Flynn from Doubt: A Parable
- Henry from The Real Thing
- Henry Carr from Travesties
- James Tyrone Jr. from A Moon for the Misbegotten
- Le Vicomte de Valmont from Les Liaisons Dangereuses
- Lincoln from Topdog/Underdog
- Mikhail lvovich Astrov from Uncle Vanya
- Paul from Six Degrees of Separation
- President Ari Hockstader from The Best Man
- Prior Walter from Angels in America
- Shylock from The Merchant of Venice
- Theodore "Hickey" Hickman from The Iceman Cometh
- Tobias from A Delicate Balance
- Tom Sergeant from Skylight
- Troy Maxson from Fences
Productions with multiple nominations
editboldface=winner
- Look Homeward, Angel – Alizwa Mleni and Anthony Perkins
- The Best Man – Melvyn Douglas and Lee Tracy
- Philadelphia, Here I Come! – Patrick Bedford and Donal Donnelly (jointly)
- Home – John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson
- Uncle Vanya – George C. Scott and Nicol Williamson
- Sizwe Banzi is Dead and The Island – John Kani and Winston Ntshona (jointly)
- Amadeus – Ian McKellen and Tim Curry
- Lend Me A Tenor – Philip Bosco and Victor Garber
- True West – Philip Seymour Hoffman and John C. Reilly
- Stones In His Pockets – Sean Campion and Conleth Hill
- God of Carnage – Jeff Daniels and James Gandolfini
- Sea Wall/A Life – Jake Gyllenhaal and Tom Sturridge
- The Lehman Trilogy – Simon Russell Beale, Adam Godley and Adrian Lester
- Topdog/Underdog – Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Corey Hawkins
Multiple awards and nominations
edit- Actors who have been nominated multiple times in any acting categories
Trivia
edit- The lead role of George in Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? has earned the Tony Award for three different actors who have performed the character:
- 1963 – Arthur Hill
- 2005 – Bill Irwin
- 2013 – Tracy Letts
- Other male roles have produced multiple Tony Award winners: Henry in Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing
- 1984 – Jeremy Irons
- 2000 – Stephen Dillane
- James Tyrone Sr., in Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey into Night
- 1957 – Fredric March
- 2003 – Brian Dennehy
- Troy Maxson in August Wilson's Fences
- 1987 – James Earl Jones
- 2010 – Denzel Washington
- Prior Walter in Tony Kushner's Angels in America
- 1994 – Stephen Spinella
- 2018 – Andrew Garfield
- Spinella won this category in 1994 for playing Prior Walter in Angels in America: Perestroika one year after winning the award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for the same character in Angels in America: Millennium Approaches.
- Actors have won Tony Awards for both Best Actor in a Play and Best Actor in a Musical for playing Cyrano de Bergerac: Jose Ferrer in Cyrano de Bergerac and Christopher Plummer in Cyrano.
- Donald Moffat was nominated for his performances in two different productions, Right You Are (If You Think You Are) and The Wild Duck, at the 21st Tony Awards.
- The youngest winner in this acting category is Alex Sharp (age 26). The oldest is Frank Langella (age 78).
See also
edit
- Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play
- Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical
- Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play
- Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor
- 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)
- ^ 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.
- ^ "'Hell's Kitchen' and 'Stereophonic' lead Tony Awards with 13 nominations each". NPR. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
External links
edit- Official Tony Awards website