| Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical | |
|---|---|
2022 recipient: Jessie Buckley | |
| Awarded for | Best Actress in a Musical |
| Location | England |
| Presented by | Society of London Theatre |
| First awarded | 1979 |
| Currently held by | Jessie Buckley for Cabaret (2022) |
| Website | officiallondontheatre |
The Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical is an annual award presented by the Society of London Theatre in recognition of achievements in commercial London theatre. The awards were established as the Society of West End Theatre Awards in 1976, and renamed in 1984 in honour of English actor and director Laurence Olivier.
This award was introduced in 1979, along with the award for Best Actor in a Musical. In 1977 and 1978, there had been a commingled actor/actress award for Best Performance in a Musical, won both times by an actress.
| Year | Actress | Musical | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | |||
| Virginia McKenna | The King and I | Anna Leonowens | |
| Carol Channing | Hello, Dolly! | Dolly Gallagher Levi | |
| Antonia Ellis | Chicago | Velma Kelly | |
| Liz Robertson | My Fair Lady | Eliza Doolittle |
| Year | Actress | Musical | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Miriam-Teak Lee | & Juliet | Juliet Capulet |
| Audrey Brisson | Amélie | Amélie Poulain | |
| Judy Kuhn | Fiddler on the Roof | Golde | |
| Zizi Strallen | Mary Poppins | Mary Poppins | |
| 2021 | Not presented due to extended closing of theatre productions during COVID-19 pandemic[A] | ||
| 2022[A] | Jessie Buckley | Cabaret | Sally Bowles |
| Sutton Foster | Anything Goes | Reno Sweeney | |
| Beverley Knight | The Drifters Girl | Faye Treadwell | |
| Stephanie McKeon | Frozen | Anna | |
