Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical
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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
| Year | Actress | Musical | Role(s) | Template:Abbr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 Template:Small | ||||
| Mary Martin | The Sound of Music | Maria von Trapp | <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| Carol Burnett | Once Upon a Mattress | Princess Winnifred | ||
| Dolores Gray | Destry Rides Again | Frenchy | ||
| Eileen Herlie | Take Me Along | Lily Miller | ||
| Ethel Merman | Gypsy | Rose | ||
| 1961 Template:Small | ||||
| Elizabeth Seal | Irma La Douce | Irma La Douce | <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| Julie Andrews | Camelot | Guenevere | ||
| Carol Channing | Show Girl | Various Characters | ||
| Nancy Walker | Do Re Mi | Kay Cram | ||
| 1962 Template:Small | ||||
| Anna Maria Alberghetti | Carnival! | Lili Daurier | <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| Diahann Carroll | No Strings | Barbara Woodruff | ||
| Molly Picon | Milk and Honey | Clara Weiss | ||
| Elaine Stritch | Sail Away | Mimi Paragon | ||
| 1963 Template:Small | ||||
| Vivien Leigh | Tovarich | Tatiana Petrovna | <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| Georgia Brown | Oliver! | Nancy | ||
| Nanette Fabray | Mr. President | Nell Henderson | ||
| Sally Ann Howes | Brigadoon | Fiona MacLaren | ||
| 1964 Template:Small | ||||
| Carol Channing | Hello, Dolly! | Dolly Gallagher Levi | <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| Beatrice Lillie | High Spirits | Madame Arcati | ||
| Barbra Streisand | Funny Girl | Fanny Brice | ||
| Inga Swenson | 110 in the Shade | Lizzie Curry | ||
| 1965 Template:Small | ||||
| Liza Minnelli | Flora the Red Menace | Flora Mezaros | <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| Elizabeth Allen | Do I Hear a Waltz? | Leona Samish | ||
| Nancy Dussault | Bajour | Emily Kirsten | ||
| Inga Swenson | Baker Street | Irene Adler | ||
| 1966 Template:Small | ||||
| Angela Lansbury | Mame | Mame Dennis | <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| Barbara Harris | On a Clear Day You Can See Forever | Daisy Gamble / Melinda Wells | ||
| Julie Harris | Skyscraper | Georgina Allerton | ||
| Gwen Verdon | Sweet Charity | Charity Hope Valentine | ||
| 1967 Template:Small | ||||
| Barbara Harris | The Apple Tree | Eve / Princess Barbara / Ella and Passionella | <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| Lotte Lenya | Cabaret | Fraulein Schneider | ||
| Mary Martin | I Do! I Do! | She (Agnes) | ||
| Louise Troy | Walking Happy | Maggie Hobson | ||
| 1968 Template:Small | ||||
| Patricia Routledge | Darling of the Day | Alice Challice | <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| Leslie Uggams | Hallelujah, Baby! | Georgina | ||
| Melina Mercouri | Illya Darling | Illya | ||
| Brenda Vaccaro | How Now, Dow Jones | Cynthia Pike | ||
| 1969 Template:Small | ||||
| Angela Lansbury | Dear World | Countess Aurelia | <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| Maria Karnilova | Zorba | Madame Hortense | ||
| Dorothy Loudon | The Fig Leaves Are Falling | Lillian Stone | ||
| Jill O'Hara | Promises, Promises | Fran Kubelik |
1970s
| Year | Actress | Musical | Role (s) | Template:Abbr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 Template:Small | ||||
| Lauren Bacall | Applause | Margo Channing | <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| Katharine Hepburn | Coco | Coco Chanel | ||
| Dilys Watling | Georgy | Georgina "Georgy" Parkin | ||
| 1971 Template:Small | ||||
| Helen Gallagher | No, No, Nanette | Lucille Early | <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| Susan Browning | Company | April | ||
| Sandy Duncan | The Boy Friend | Maisie | ||
| Elaine Stritch | Company | Joanne | ||
| 1972 Template:Small | ||||
| Alexis Smith | Follies | Phyllis Rogers Stone | <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| Jonelle Allen | Two Gentlemen of Verona | Silvia | ||
| Dorothy Collins | Follies | Sally Durant Plummer | ||
| Mildred Natwick | 70, Girls, 70 | Ida Dodd | ||
| 1973 Template:Small | ||||
| Glynis Johns | A Little Night Music | Desiree Armfeldt | <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| Leland Palmer | Pippin | Fastrada | ||
| Debbie Reynolds | Irene | Irene O'Dare | ||
| Marcia Rodd | Shelter | Maud | ||
| 1974 Template:Small | ||||
| Virginia Capers | Raisin | Lena Younger | <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| Carol Channing | Lorelei | Lorelei Lee | ||
| Michele Lee | Seesaw | Gittel Mosca | ||
| 1975 Template:Small | ||||
| Angela Lansbury | Gypsy | Rose | <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| Lola Falana | Doctor Jazz | Edna Mae Sheridan | ||
| Bernadette Peters | Mack & Mabel | Mabel Normand | ||
| Ann Reinking | Goodtime Charley | Joan of Arc | ||
| 1976 Template:Small | ||||
| Donna McKechnie | A Chorus Line | Cassie Ferguson | <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| Vivian Reed | Bubbling Brown Sugar | Marsha / Young Irene | ||
| Chita Rivera | Chicago | Velma Kelly | ||
| Gwen Verdon | Roxie Hart | |||
| 1977 Template:Small | ||||
| Dorothy Loudon | Annie | Miss Hannigan | <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| Clamma Dale | Porgy and Bess | Bess | ||
| Ernestine Jackson | Guys and Dolls | Sarah Brown | ||
| Andrea McArdle | Annie | Annie | ||
| 1978 Template:Small | ||||
| Liza Minnelli | The Act | Michelle Craig | <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| Madeline Kahn | On the Twentieth Century | Lily Garland / Mildred Plotka | ||
| Eartha Kitt | Timbuktu! | Shaleem La Lume | ||
| Frances Sternhagen | Angel | Eliza Gant | ||
| 1979 Template:Small | ||||
| Angela Lansbury | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street | Mrs. Lovett | <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| Tovah Feldshuh | Saravá | Dona Flor | ||
| Dorothy Loudon | Ballroom | Bea Asher | ||
| Alexis Smith | Platinum | Lila Halliday |
1980s
| Year | Actress | Musical | Role(s) | Template:Abbr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 Template:Small | ||||
| Patti LuPone | Evita | Eva Perón | <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| Christine Andreas | Oklahoma! | Laurey Williams | ||
| Sandy Duncan | Peter Pan | Peter Pan | ||
| Ann Miller | Sugar Babies | Ann | ||
| 1981 Template:Small | ||||
| Lauren Bacall | Woman of the Year | Tess Harding | <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| Meg Bussert | Brigadoon | Fiona MacLaren | ||
| Chita Rivera | Bring Back Birdie | Rosie Alvarez | ||
| Linda Ronstadt | The Pirates of Penzance | Mabel | ||
| 1982 Template:Small | ||||
| Jennifer Holliday | Dreamgirls | Effie White | <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| Lisa Mordente | Marlowe | Emelia Bossano | ||
| Mary Gordon Murray | Little Me | Maybelle Schlumpfert / Belle Poitrine | ||
| Sheryl Lee Ralph | Dreamgirls | Deena Jones | ||
| 1983 Template:Small | ||||
| Natalia Makarova | On Your Toes | Vera Barnova | <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| Lonette McKee | Show Boat | Julie La Verne | ||
| Chita Rivera | Merlin | The Queen | ||
| Twiggy | My One and Only | Edith Herbert | ||
| 1984 Template:Small | ||||
| Chita Rivera | The Rink | Anna | <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| Rhetta Hughes | Amen Corner | Sister Margaret Alexander | ||
| Liza Minnelli | The Rink | Angel | ||
| Bernadette Peters | Sunday in the Park with George | Dot / Marie | ||
| 1985 Template:Small |
Not awarded<ref group=note>The category was not given due to an insufficient number of musicals during the season.</ref> | <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | ||
| 1986 Template:Small | ||||
| Bernadette Peters | Song and Dance | Emma | <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| Debbie Allen | Sweet Charity | Charity Hope Valentine | ||
| Cleo Laine | The Mystery of Edwin Drood | Angela Prysock / The Princess Puffer | ||
| Chita Rivera | Jerry's Girls | Various Characters | ||
| 1987 Template:Small | ||||
| Maryann Plunkett | Me and My Girl | Sally Smith | <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| Catherine Cox | Oh, Coward! | Various Characters | ||
| Teresa Stratas | Rags | Rebecca Hershkowitz | ||
| 1988 Template:Small | ||||
| Joanna Gleason | Into the Woods | The Baker's Wife | <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| Alison Fraser | Romance/Romance | Josefine Weninger / Monica | ||
| Judy Kuhn | Chess | Florence Vassy | ||
| Patti LuPone | Anything Goes | Reno Sweeney | ||
| 1989 Template:Small | ||||
| Ruth Brown | Black and Blue | Various Characters | <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| Charlotte d'Amboise | Jerome Robbins' Broadway | Anita / Peter Pan / Company | ||
| Linda Hopkins | Black and Blue | Various Characters | ||
| Sharon McNight | Starmites | Diva / Mother | ||
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