American theatre award for Broadway actresses
The Tony Award forBest Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play is an honor presented at theTony Awards , a ceremony established in 1947 as the Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, to actresses for quality leading roles in aBroadway play. The awards are named afterAntoinette 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 ofThe Broadway League and theAmerican Theatre Wing , to "honor the best performances and stage productions of the previous year."[ 1] [ 2]
The award was originally called theTony Award for Actress—Play . It was first presented toIngrid Bergman andHelen Hayes at the1st Tony Awards for their portrayals of Mary Grey /Joan of Arc and Addie Bemis inJoan of Lorraine Happy Birthday 1956 , nominees' names were not made public;[ 3] [ 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 inthe 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
Ingrid Bergman won forJoan of Lorraine Helen Hayes won twiceJudith Anderson won the award forMedea Shirley Booth won this award twice; in 1950 and 1953Audrey Hepburn won forOndine Julie Harris won a record breaking five times in this categoryAnne Bancroft won forThe Miracle Worker Margaret Leighton won forNight of the Iguana (1962)Sandy Dennis won forAsh Wednesday (1964)Rosemary Harris won forThe Lion in Winter Maureen Stapleton won forThe Gingerbread Lady (1971)Colleen Dewhurst won forA Moon for the Misbegotten (1973)Ellen Burstyn won forSame Time, Next Year Jessica Tandy won twice in 1978 and 1981Glenn Close won twice in 1984 and 1992Lily Tomlin won forThe Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe (1986)Joan Allen won forBurn This (1988)Pauline Collins forShirley Valentine (1989)Dame Maggie Smith won forLettice and Lovage (1990)Mercedes Ruehl won forLost in Yonkers (1991)Madeline Kahn won forThe Sisters Rosenweig (1993)Cherry Jones won twice forThe Heiress (1995) and forDoubt (2005)Janet McTeer won forA Doll's House (1997)Dame Judi Dench won forAmy's View (1999)Jennifer Ehle won forThe Real Thing (2000)Mary-Louise Parker won twice forProof (2001) andThe Sound Inside (2020)Lindsay Duncan won forPrivate Lives (2002)Vanessa Redgrave won forLong Day's Journey into Night (2003)Phylicia Rashad won forRaisin in the Sun (2004)Marcia Gay Harden won forGod of Carnage (2009)Viola Davis won forFences (2010)Cicely Tyson , age 91, won forA Trip to Bountiful (2012)Audra McDonald won forLady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill (2014)Dame Helen Mirren won forThe Audience (2015)Jessica Lange won forLong Day's Journey into Night (2016)Glenda Jackson won forThree Tall Women Elaine May won forThe Waverly Gallery Jodie Comer won forPrima Facie Sarah Paulson won forAppropriate Sarah Snook won forThe Picture of Dorian Gray 9 nominations 8 nominations 7 nominations 6 Nominations 5 nominations 4 nominations 3 nominations 2 nominations Character win total [ edit ] Character nomination total [ edit ] 5 nominations 4 nominations 3 nominations 2 nominations Characters nominated for both theTony Award for Best Actress in a Musical and Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play
Productions with multiple nominations [ edit ] boldface =Winner
Multiple awards and nominations [ edit ] Actresses who have been nominated multiple times in any acting categories ^ Kirkley, Donald (April 21, 1968)."Operation Frenzy Before the Tony Awards" .The Baltimore Sun the original on January 11, 2012. RetrievedDecember 24, 2011 . (subscription required) ^ Gans, Andrew (December 18, 2007)."League of American Theatres and Producers Announces Name Change" .Playbill the original on December 21, 2007. RetrievedSeptember 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. Retrieved2012-01-14 . ^ Gelb, Arthur (April 1, 1956)."Popularizing the Tony Awards" .The New York Times . RetrievedJanuary 14, 2011 . (subscription required) ^ "1956 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1957 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1958 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1959 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1960 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1961 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1962 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1963 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1964 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1965 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1966 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1967 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1968 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1969 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1970 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1971 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1972 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1973 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1974 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1975 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1976 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1977 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1978 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1979 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1980 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1981 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1982 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1983 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1984 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1985 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1986 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1987 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1988 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1989 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1990 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1991 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1992 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1993 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1994 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1995 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1996 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1997 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1998 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "1999 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "2000 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "2001 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "2002 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "2003 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "2004 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "2005 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "2006 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "2007 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "2008 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "2009 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 11, 2023 .^ "2010 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 10, 2023 .^ "2011 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 10, 2023 .^ "2012 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 10, 2023 .^ "2013 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 10, 2023 .^ "2014 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 10, 2023 .^ "Tony Nominations 2015: Full List" .Variety . April 28, 2015. RetrievedAugust 10, 2023 .^ "2016 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 10, 2023 .^ "2017 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 10, 2023 .^ "2018 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 10, 2023 .^ "2019 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 10, 2023 .^ "2020 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 10, 2023 .^ "2022 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . RetrievedAugust 10, 2023 .^ "2023 Tony Awards Nominees" .American Theatre Wing . May 2, 2023. RetrievedAugust 10, 2023 .^ "Sarah Paulson Gives Shout Out to Partner Holland Taylor as She Wins Her First Tony: 'Thank You for Loving Me' .People . RetrievedJune 16, 2024 .^ "2025 Tony Awards: 'Buena Vista Social Club,' 'Death Becomes Her,' 'Maybe Happy Ending' Lead Nominations" .The Hollywood Reporter . RetrievedMay 1, 2025 .
1947–1975 1976–2000 2001–present
Play Musical Special (non-competitive) Retired Ceremonies Nominee demographics * Divided into separate awards for plays and musicals
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