The St. Clair Bayfield Award was established in 1973 by the Actors' Equity Association in honor of St. Clair Bayfield to recognize Shakespearean actors and actresses of the New York metropolitan area.[1]
| Year | Recipient | Role | Play | Production |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Barnard Hughes | Dogberry | Much Ado About Nothing | New York Shakespeare Festival |
| 1974 | Randy Kim | Trinculo | The Tempest | New York Shakespeare Festival |
| 1975 | John Glover | Clown | The Winter's Tale | New York Shakespeare Festival |
| 1976 | Carolyne McWilliams | Mariana | Measure for Measure | New York Shakespeare Festival |
| 1977 | No Award | – | – | – |
| 1978 | Carmen DeLavalape | Emelia | Othello | New York Shakespeare Festival |
| 1979 | Robert Christian | Aufidius | Coriolanus | New York Shakespeare Festival |
| 1980 | No award | – | – | – |
| 1981 | Ralph Drischell | Earl of Worcester | Henry IV | New York Shakespeare Festival |
| 1982 | Tom Spackman | Edmund | King Lear | New York Shakespeare Festival |
| 1983 | Concetta Tomei | Queen Elizabeth | Richard III | New York Shakespeare Festival |
| 1984 | Anthony Heald | Fluellen | Henry V | New York Shakespeare Festival |
| 1985 | No award | – | – | – |
| 1986 | Nathan Lane | Pompey | Measure for Measure | New York Shakespeare Festival |
| 1987 | No Award | – | – | – |
| 1988 | Bradley Whitford | Paris | Romeo and Juliet | New York Shakespeare Festival |
| 1989 | Keith David | Aufidius | Coriolanus | New York Shakespeare Festival |
| 1990 | Dana Ivey | Gertrude | Hamlet | New York Shakespeare Festival |
| 1991 | Byron Jennings | Pericles | Pericles, Prince of Tyre | New York Shakespeare Festival |
| 1992 | Elizabeth McGovern | Rosalind | As You Like It | New York Shakespeare Festival |
| 1993 | Michael Cumpsty | Alcibiades | Timon of Athens | National Theatre |
| 1994 | Malcolm Gets | Proteus | The Two Gentlemen of Verona | New York Shakespeare Festival |
| 1995 | Stephen Spinella | Pandarus | Troilus and Cressida | New York Shakespeare Festival |
| 1996 | Nicholas Kepros | Escalus | Measure for Measure | Theatre for a New Audience |
| 1997 | Jayne Atkinson | Katherine | Henry VIII | New York Shakespeare Festival |
| 1998 | Brian Murray | Toby Belch | Twelfth Night | Lincoln Center |
| 1999 | Max Wright | Christopher Sly | The Taming of the Shrew | New York Shakespeare Festival |
| 2000 | Rachel Botchan | Lady Ann | Richard III | Pearl Theatre Company |
| 2001 | Andrew Weems | Thersites | Troilus and Cressida | Theatre for a New Audience |
| 2002 | Ray Virta | Benedick | Much Ado About Nothing | Pearl Theatre |
| 2003 | Dakin Matthews | Glendower / Warwick | Henry IV, Parts 1, 2 | Vivian Beaumont Theater |
| 2004 | Carman Lacivita | multiple characters | Rose Rage: Henry VI, 1, 2, 3 | Chicago Shakespeare Theater |
| 2005 | Colm Feore | Cassius | Julius Caesar | Belasco Theatre |
| 2006 | George Morfogen | Duke of York | Richard II | Classic Stage Company |
| 2007 | Jay O. Sanders | Bottom | A Midsummer Night's Dream | The Public Theater |
| 2008 | Stark Sands | Ferdinand | The Tempest | Classic Stage Company |
| 2009 | David Pittu | Feste | Twelfth Night | The Public Theater |
| 2010 | Charles Kimbrough | Prince of Arragon | The Merchant of Venice | The Public Theater |
| 2011 | Nick Westrate | Berowne | Love's Labour's Lost | The Public Theater |
| 2012 | David Furr | Orlando | As You Like It | The Public Theater |
| 2013 | Tina Benko | Titania | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Theatre for a New Audience |
| 2014 | Amanda Quaid | Dionyza/Bawd | Pericles, Prince of Tyre | The Public Theater |
| 2015 | Andy Grotelueschen | Launce/Duke | The Two Gentlemen of Verona | Fiasco Theater[2] |
| 2016 | Louis Cancelmi | Achilles | Troilus and Cressida | Shakespeare in the Park[3] |
| 2017 | Peter Friedman | Polonius | Hamlet | The Public Theater[4] |
| 2018 | Mia Katigbak | Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester | Henry VI | National Asian American Theater Company[5] |
| 2019 | Jonathan Hadary | Sicinius Velutus | Coriolanus | The Public Theater[6] |
| 2020 |