| Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play | |
|---|---|
2022 Recipient: Deirdre O'Connell | |
| Awarded for | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play |
| Location | New York City |
| Presented by | American Theatre Wing, The Broadway League |
| Currently held by | Deirdre O'Connell for Dana H. (2022) |
| Website | TonyAwards.com |
The Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress 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. The award is given to actresses for quality leading roles in a Broadway play.[1] Despite the award first being presented in 1947, there were no nominees announced until 1956. There have been two ties in this category, and one three-way tie.
| Year | Actress | Play | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 1st Tony Awards | |||
| Ingrid Bergman | Joan of Lorraine | Mary Grey / Joan of Arc | |
| Helen Hayes | Happy Birthday | Addie Bemis | |
| 1948 2nd Tony Awards | |||
| Judith Anderson | Medea | Medea | |
| Katharine Cornell | Antony and Cleopatra | Cleopatra | |
| Jessica Tandy | A Streetcar Named Desire | Blanche DuBois | |
| 1949 3rd Tony Awards | |||
| Martita Hunt | The Madwoman of Chaillot | Countess Aurelia |
| Year | Actor | Play | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 74th Tony Awards | |||
| Mary-Louise Parker | The Sound Inside | Bella Baird | |
| Joaquina Kalukango | Slave Play | Kaneisha | |
| Laura Linney | My Name Is Lucy Barton | Lucy Barton | |
| Audra McDonald | Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune | Frankie | |
| 2021 Ceremony not held |
— | ||
| 2022 75th Tony Awards | |||
| Deirdre O'Connell | Dana H. | Dana H. | |
| Gabby Beans | The Skin of Our Teeth | Sabina | |
| LaChanze | Trouble in Mind | Wiletta Mayer | |
| Ruth Negga | Macbeth | Lady Macbeth | |
| Mary-Louise Parker | How I Learned to Drive | Li'l Bit | |
|
|
|
|
Actress who have been nominated multiple times in any acting categories
