Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical
Template:Short description Template:Infobox award The Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical is an honor presented at the Tony Awards, a ceremony established in 1947 as the Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, to actresses for quality leading roles in a musical play, whether a new production or a revival. 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."<ref name="Intro">Template:Cite news Template:Subscription required</ref>
The award was originally called the Tony Award for Actresses—Musical. It was first presented to Grace Hartman at the 2nd Tony Awards for her portrayal of various characters in Angel in the Wings. Before 1956, nominees' names were not made public;<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> the change was made by the awards committee to "have a greater impact on theatregoers".<ref>Template:Cite news Template:Subscription required</ref>
In 1965, Liza Minnelli, age 19, became the youngest actress to win the award. She is followed by Lea Salonga, age 20, in 1991. In 2017, Bette Midler, age 71, became the oldest actress to win the award. She is followed by Victoria Clark, age 63, in 2023.
Angela Lansbury holds the record as the performer with the most wins in this category, with a total of four. Chita Rivera has the most nominations, with eight. The characters of Rose in Gypsy and Anna Leonowens in The King and I currently hold the record for most wins, each winning three times. Rose also holds the record for most nominations, with six.
Winners and nominees
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1940s
| Year | Actress | Musical | Role(s) | Template:Abbr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 Template:Small |
Not awarded | |||
| 1948 Template:Small | ||||
| Grace Hartman | Angel in the Wings | Nettie / Mrs. Blodgett / Ruth / Mrs. Hutchinson | ||
| 1949 Template:Small | ||||
| Nanette Fabray | Love Life | Susan Cooper | ||
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
Notes
Statistics
Most wins
Most nominations
Character win total
- 3 wins
- Anna Leonowens from The King and I
- Rose from Gypsy
- 2 wins
- Desiree Armfeldt from A Little Night Music
- Norma Desmond from Sunset Boulevard
- Celie Harris Johnson from The Color Purple
- Dolly Gallagher Levi from Hello, Dolly!
Character nomination total
Characters nominated for both the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play and the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical
Productions with multiple nominations
boldface=winner
- New Girl in Town – Thelma Ritter and Gwen Verdon Template:Small
- Company – Susan Browning and Elaine Stritch
- Follies – Dorothy Collins and Alexis Smith
- Chicago – Chita Rivera and Gwen Verdon
- Annie – Dorothy Loudon and Andrea McArdle
- Dreamgirls – Jennifer Holliday and Sheryl Lee Ralph
- The Rink – Liza Minnelli and Chita Rivera
- Black and Blue – Ruth Brown and Linda Hopkins
- Guys and Dolls – Josie de Guzman and Faith Prince
- Urinetown – Nancy Opel and Jennifer Laura Thompson
- Wicked – Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel
- War Paint – Christine Ebersole and Patti LuPone
- The Prom – Caitlin Kinnunen and Beth Leavel
- Death Becomes Her – Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard
Multiple awards and nominations
- Actresses who have been nominated multiple times in any acting categories
See also
- Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play
- Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play
- Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical
- Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical
- List of Tony Award-nominated productions
References
External links
Template:TonyAward MusicalLeadActress Template:TonyAwardsbyYear