Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play (Tony Award)

Tony Award

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. 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." Despite the award first being presented in 1947, there were no nominees announced until 1956.

Check all the winners of Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play presented under Tony Award since 1947 .

Videos

Tony Awards 2014

News

70th Annual Tony Awards: Full List of Winners (Sat, Jun 18 2016)
69th Tony Awards Winners are Announced (Thu, Jun 11 2015)
69th Tony Award Nominations are Announced (Wed, Apr 29 2015)

Bryan Cranston

Honored for : All The Way

Nominations 2014 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Samuel Barnett	Twelfth Night
Bryan Cranston	All The Way
Chris O'Dowd	Of Mice and Men
Mark Rylance	Richard III
Tony Shalhoub	Act One

Tracy Letts

Honored for : Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Nominations 2013 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Tom Hanks	Lucky Guy
Tom Sturridge	Orphans
Nathan Lane	The Nance
David Hyde Pierce	Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Tracy Letts	Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

James Corden

Honored for : One Man, Two Guvnors

Nominations 2012 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
John Lithgow	The Columnist
Philip Seymour Hoffman	Death of a Salesman
James Earl Jones	The Best Man
Frank Langella	Man and Boy
James Corden	One Man, Two Guvnors

Mark Rylance

Honored for : Jerusalem

Nominations 2011 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Mark Rylance	Jerusalem
Brian Bedford	The Importance of Being Earnest
Bobby Cannavale	The Motherfucker with the Hat
Joe Mantello	The Normal Heart
Al Pacino	The Merchant of Venice

Denzel Washington

Honored for : Fences

Nominations 2010 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Denzel Washington	Fences
Jude Law	Hamlet
Alfred Molina	Red
Liev Schreiber	A View from the Bridge
Christopher Walken	A Behanding in Spokane

Geoffrey Rush

Honored for : Exit the King

Nominations 2009 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Geoffrey Rush	Exit the King
Jeff Daniels	God of Carnage
Raúl Esparza	Speed-the-Plow
James Gandolfini	God of Carnage
Thomas Sadoski	Reasons to Be Pretty

Mark Rylance

Honored for : Boeing Boeing

Nominations 2008 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Mark Rylance	Boeing Boeing
Ben Daniels	Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Laurence Fishburne	Thurgood
Rufus Sewell	Rock 'n' Roll
Patrick Stewart	Macbeth

Frank Langella

Honored for : Frost/Nixon

Nominations 2007 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Frank Langella	Frost/Nixon
Boyd Gaines	Journey's End
Brían F. O'Byrne	The Coast of Utopia: Voyage","The Coast of Utopia: Salvage","The Coast of Utopia: Shipwreck
Christopher Plummer	Inherit the Wind
Liev Schreiber	Talk Radio

Richard Griffiths

Honored for : The History Boys

Nominations 2006 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Richard Griffiths	The History Boys
Ralph Fiennes	Faith Healer
Željko Ivanek	The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
Oliver Platt	Shining City
David Wilmot	The Lieutenant of Inishmore

Bill Irwin

Honored for : Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Nominations 2005 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Bill Irwin	Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Philip Bosco	Twelve Angry Men
Billy Crudup	The Pillowman
James Earl Jones	On Golden Pond
Brían F. O'Byrne	Doubt: A Parable

Jefferson Mays

Honored for : I Am My Own Wife

Nominations 2004 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Jefferson Mays	I Am My Own Wife
Simon Russell Beale	Jumpers
Kevin Kline	Henry IV
Frank Langella	Match
Christopher Plummer	King Lear

Brian Dennehy

Honored for : Long Day's Journey Into Night

Nominations 2003 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Brian Dennehy	Long Day's Journey Into Night
Brian Bedford	Tartuffe
Eddie Izzard	A Day in the Death of Joe Egg
Paul Newman	Our Town
Stanley Tucci	Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune

Alan Bates

Honored for : Fortune's Fool

Nominations 2002 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Alan Bates	Fortune's Fool
Billy Crudup	The Elephant Man
Liam Neeson	The Crucible
Alan Rickman	Private Lives
Jeffrey Wright	Topdog/Underdog

Richard Easton

Honored for : The Invention of Love

Nominations 2001 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Richard Easton	The Invention of Love
Sean Campion	Stones in His Pockets
Conleth Hill	Stones in His Pockets
Brian Stokes Mitchell	King Hedley II
Gary Sinise	One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Stephen Dillane

Honored for : The Real Thing

Nominations 2000 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Stephen Dillane	The Real Thing
Gabriel Byrne	A Moon for the Misbegotten
Philip Seymour Hoffman	True West
John C. Reilly	True West
David Suchet	Amadeus

Brian Dennehy

Honored for : Death of a Salesman

Nominations 1999 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Brian Dennehy	Death of a Salesman
Brían F. O'Byrne	The Lonesome West
Corin Redgrave	Not About Nightingales
Kevin Spacey	The Iceman Cometh

Anthony LaPaglia

Honored for : A View from the Bridge

Nominations 1998 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Anthony LaPaglia	A View from the Bridge
Richard Briers	The Chairs
John Leguizamo	Freak
Alfred Molina	Art

Christopher Plummer

Honored for : Barrymore

Nominations 1997 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Christopher Plummer	Barrymore
Brian Bedford	London Assurance
Michael Gambon	Skylight
Antony Sher	Stanley

George Grizzard

Honored for : A Delicate Balance

Nominations 1996 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
George Grizzard	A Delicate Balance
Philip Bosco	Moon Over Buffalo
George C. Scott	Inherit the Wind
Martin Shaw	An Ideal Husband

Ralph Fiennes

Honored for : Hamlet

Nominations 1995 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Ralph Fiennes	Hamlet
Brian Bedford	The School for Husbands","The Imaginary Cuckold
Roger Rees	Indiscretions
Joe Sears	A Tuna Christmas

Stephen Spinella

Honored for : Angels in America: Perestroika

Nominations 1994 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Stephen Spinella	Angels in America: Perestroika
Brian Bedford	Timon of Athens
Christopher Plummer	No Man's Land
Sam Waterston	Abe Lincoln in Illinois

Ron Leibman

Honored for : Angels in America: Millennium Approaches

Nominations 1993 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Ron Leibman	Angels in America: Millennium Approaches
K. Todd Freeman	The Song of Jacob Zulu
Liam Neeson	Anna Christie
Stephen Rea	Someone Who'll Watch Over Me

Judd Hirsch

Honored for : Conversations with my Father

Nominations 1992 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Judd Hirsch	Conversations with my Father
Alan Alda	Jake's Women
Alec Baldwin	A Streetcar Named Desire
Brian Bedford	Two Shakespearean Actors

Nigel Hawthorne

Honored for : Shadowlands

Nominations 1991 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Nigel Hawthorne	Shadowlands
Peter Frechette	Our Country's Good
Tom McGowan	La Bête
Courtney B. Vance	Six Degrees of Separation

Robert Morse

Honored for : Tru

Nominations 1990 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Robert Morse	Tru
Charles S. Dutton	The Piano Lesson
Dustin Hoffman	The Merchant of Venice
Tom Hulce	A Few Good Men

Philip Bosco

Honored for : Lend Me a Tenor

Nominations 1989 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Philip Bosco	Lend Me a Tenor
Mikhail Baryshnikov	Metamorphosis
Victor Garber	Lend Me a Tenor
Bill Irwin	Largely New York

Ron Silver

Honored for : Speed-the-Plow

Nominations 1988 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Ron Silver	Speed-the-Plow
Derek Jacobi	Breaking the Code
John Lithgow	M. Butterfly
Robert Prosky	A Walk in the Woods

James Earl Jones

Honored for : Fences

Nominations 1987 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
James Earl Jones	Fences
Philip Bosco	You Never Can Tell
Richard Kiley	All My Sons
Alan Rickman	Les Liaisons Dangereuses

Judd Hirsch

Honored for : I'm Not Rappaport

Nominations 1986 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Judd Hirsch	I'm Not Rappaport
Hume Cronyn	The Petition
Ed Harris	Precious Sons
Jack Lemmon	Long Day's Journey Into Night

Derek Jacobi

Honored for : Much Ado About Nothing

Nominations 1985 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Derek Jacobi	Much Ado About Nothing
Jim Dale	Joe Egg
Jonathan Hogan	As Is
John Lithgow	Requiem for a Heavyweight

Jeremy Irons

Honored for : The Real Thing

Nominations 1984 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Jeremy Irons	The Real Thing
Calvin Levels	Open Admissions
Rex Harrison	Heartbreak House
Ian McKellen	Ian McKellen: Acting Shakespeare

Harvey Fierstein

Honored for : Torch Song Trilogy

Nominations 1983 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Harvey Fierstein	Torch Song Trilogy
Jeffrey DeMunn	K2
Edward Herrmann	Plenty
Tony Lo Bianco	A View from the Bridge

Roger Rees

Honored for : The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby

Nominations 1982 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Roger Rees	The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby
Tom Courtenay	The Dresser
Milo O'Shea	Mass Appeal
Christopher Plummer	Othello

Ian McKellen

Honored for : Amadeus

Nominations 1981 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Ian McKellen	Amadeus
Tim Curry	Amadeus
Roy Dotrice	A Life
Jack Weston	The Floating Light Bulb

John Rubinstein

Honored for : Children of a Lesser God

Nominations 1980 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
John Rubinstein	Children of a Lesser God
Charles Brown	Home
Gerald Hiken	Strider
Judd Hirsch	Talley's Folly

Tom Conti

Honored for : Whose Life is it Anyway?

Nominations 1979 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Tom Conti	Whose Life is it Anyway?
Philip Anglim	The Elephant Man
Jack Lemmon	Tribute
Alec McCowen	St. Mark's Gospel

Barnard Hughes

Honored for : Da

Nominations 1978 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Barnard Hughes	Da
Hume Cronyn	The Gin Game
Frank Langella	Dracula
Jason Robards Jr.	A Touch of the Poet

Al Pacino

Honored for : The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel

Nominations 1977 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Al Pacino	The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel
Tom Courtenay	Otherwise Engaged
Ben Gazzara	Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Ralph Richardson	No Man's Land

John Wood

Honored for : Travesties

Nominations 1976 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
John Wood	Travesties
Moses Gunn	The Poison Tree
George C. Scott	Death of a Salesman
Donald Sinden	Habeas Corpus

Winston Ntshona, John Kani

Honored for : Sizwe Banzi is Dead, The Island

Nominations 1975 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Winston Ntshona	The Island","Sizwe Banzi is Dead
John Kani	The Island","Sizwe Banzi is Dead
Jim Dale	Scapino!
Peter Firth	Equus
Henry Fonda	Clarence Darrow
Ben Gazzara	Duet","Hughie
John Wood	Sherlock Holmes

Michael Moriarty

Honored for : Find Your Way Home

Nominations 1974 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Michael Moriarty	Find Your Way Home
Zero Mostel	Ulysses in Nighttown
Jason Robards Jr.	A Moon for the Misbegotten
Nicol Williamson	Uncle Vanya
George C. Scott	Uncle Vanya

Alan Bates

Honored for : Butley

Nominations 1973 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Alan Bates	Butley
Jack Albertson	The Sunshine Boys
Wilfrid Hyde-White	The Jockey Club Stakes
Paul Sorvino	That Championship Season

Cliff Gorman

Honored for : Lenny

Nominations 1972 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Cliff Gorman	Lenny
Tom Aldredge	Sticks and Bones
Donald Pleasence	Wise Child
Jason Robards Jr.	The Country Girl

Brian Bedford

Honored for : The School for Wives

Nominations 1971 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
John Gielgud	Home
Brian Bedford	The School for Wives
Alec McCowen	The Philanthropist
Ralph Richardson	Home

Fritz Weaver

Honored for : Child's Play

Nominations 1970 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Fritz Weaver	Child's Play
James Coco	Last of the Red Hot Lovers
Frank Grimes	Borstal Boy
Stacy Keach	Indians

James Earl Jones

Honored for : The Great White Hope

Nominations 1969 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
James Earl Jones	The Great White Hope
Art Carney	Lovers
Alec McCowen	Hadrian VII
Donald Pleasence	The Man in the Glass Booth

Martin Balsam

Honored for : You Know I Can't Hear You When The Water's Running

Nominations 1968 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Martin Balsam	You Know I Can't Hear You When The Water's Running
Albert Finney	Joe Egg
Milo O'Shea	Staircase
Alan Webb	I Never Sang for My Father

Paul Rogers

Honored for : The Homecoming

Nominations 1967 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Paul Rogers	The Homecoming
Hume Cronyn	A Delicate Balance
Donald Madden	Black Comedy/White Lies
Donald Moffat	Right You Are If You Think You Are
Donald Moffat	The Wild Duck

Hal Holbrook

Honored for : Mark Twain Tonight!

Nominations 1966 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Hal Holbrook	Mark Twain Tonight!
Roland Culver	Ivanov
Donal Donnelly	Philadelphia, Here I Come!
Patrick Bedford	Philadelphia, Here I Come!
Nicol Williamson	Inadmissible Evidence

Walter Matthau

Honored for : The Odd Couple

Nominations 1965 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Walter Matthau	The Odd Couple
John Gielgud	Tiny Alice
Donald Pleasence	Poor Bitos
Jason Robards Jr.	Hughie

Alec Guinness

Honored for : Dylan

Nominations 1964 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Alec Guinness	Dylan
Richard Burton	Richard Burton's Hamlet
Albert Finney	Luther
Jason Robards Jr.	After the Fall

Arthur Hill

Honored for : Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Nominations 1963 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Arthur Hill	Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Charles Boyer	Lord Pengo
Paul Ford	Never Too Late
Bert Lahr	The Beauty Part

Paul Scofield

Honored for : A Man for All Seasons

Nominations 1962 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Paul Scofield	A Man for All Seasons
Fredric March	Gideon
John Mills	Ross
Donald Pleasence	The Caretaker

Zero Mostel

Honored for : Rhinoceros

Nominations 1961 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Zero Mostel	Rhinoceros
Hume Cronyn	Big Fish, Little Fish
Sam Levene	The Devil's Advocate
Anthony Quinn	Becket

Melvyn Douglas

Honored for : The Best Man

Nominations 1960 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Melvyn Douglas	The Best Man
Lee Tracy	The Best Man
Jason Robards Jr.	Toys in the Attic
Sidney Poitier	A Raisin in the Sun
George C. Scott	The Andersonville Trial

Jason Robards Jr.

Honored for : The Disenchanted

Nominations 1959 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Cyril Ritchard	The Pleasure of His Company
Robert Stephens	Epitaph for George Dillon
Christopher Plummer	J. B.
Cedric Hardwicke	A Majority of One
Jason Robards Jr.	The Disenchanted
Alfred Lunt	The Visit

Ralph Bellamy

Honored for : Sunrise At Campobello

Nominations 1958 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Ralph Bellamy	Sunrise At Campobello
Peter Ustinov	Romanoff and Juliet
Richard Burton	Time Remembered
Emlyn Williams	A Boy Growing Up
Anthony Perkins	Look Homeward, Angel
Laurence Olivier	The Entertainer
Hugh Griffith	Look Homeward, Angel

Fredric March

Honored for : Long Day's Journey Into Night

Nominations 1957 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Maurice Evans	The Apple Cart
Fredric March	Long Day's Journey Into Night
Eric Portman	Separate Tables
Wilfrid Hyde-White	The Reluctant Debutante
Cyril Ritchard	A Visit To A Small Planet
Ralph Richardson	The Waltz Of The Toreadors

Paul Muni

Honored for : Inherit the Wind

Nominations 1956 »

Nominee	Nominated Work
Paul Muni	Inherit the Wind
Ben Gazzara	A Hatful of Rain
Boris Karloff	The Lark
Michael Redgrave	Tiger at the Gates
Edward G. Robinson	Middle of the Night