Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress
The Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Play is an annual award presented by The Society of London Theatre in recognition of achievements in commercial British theatre. The awards were established as the Society of West End Theatre Awards in 1976 and renamed in 1984 in honour of English actor Lord Olivier.
| Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Best Actress in a Play |
| Location |  |
| Presented by | The Society of London Theatre |
| Currently held by | Patsy Ferran for Summer and Smoke (2019) |
| Website | Olivier Awards.com |
The award has been known by its current name of Best Actress since 1993, previously it was known as Actress of the Year. From 1976-1984 and again in 1988, there were two Actress of the Year awards. One for Actress of the Year in a New Play and the other for Actress of the Year in a Revival.
Winners and nominees
1980s
| Year | Actor | Play | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | |||
| Yvonne Bryceland | The Road to Mecca | Miss Helen | |
| Wendy Morgan | Martine | Martine | |
| Harriet Walter | The Castle | Skinner | |
| Joanne Whalley | Saved | Pam | |
| 1986 | |||
| Lindsay Duncan | Les Liaisons Dangereuses | Marquise de Merteuil | |
| Julia McKenzie | Woman in Mind | Susan | |
| Juliet Stevenson | As You Like It, Les Liaisons Dangereuses and Troilus and Cressida | Rosalind / Madame de Tourvel / Cressida | |
| Irene Worth | The Bay at Nice | Valentina Nrovka | |
| 1987 | |||
| Judi Dench | Antony and Cleopatra | Cleopatra | |
| Miranda Richardson | A Lie of the Mind | Beth | |
| Maggie Smith | Lettice and Lovage and Coming in to Land | Lettice Douffet / Halina | |
| Juliet Stevenson | Yerma | Yerma | |
| 1989/90 | |||
| Fiona Shaw | Electra, As You Like It and The Good Person of Szechwan | Electra / Celia / Shen Te | |
| Sheila Hancock | Prin | Prin | |
| Jane Lapotaire | Shadowlands | Joy | |
| Prunella Scales | Single Spies | Elizabeth II |
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
| Year | Actor | Play | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Hayley Atwell | Rosmersholm | Rebecca West |
| Sharon D. Clarke | Death of a Salesman | Linda Loman | |
| Juliet Stevenson | The Doctor | The Doctor | |
| Phoebe Waller-Bridge | Fleabag | Fleabag | |
Multiple awards and nominations for Best Actress
Note: The below awards and nominations include individuals awarded and nominated under the now-defunct categories Actress of the Year in a New Play and Actress of the Year in a Revival as well as the current combined Best Actress category.
Awards
- Four awards
- Three awards
- Two awards
Nominations
- Nine nominations
- Six nominations
- Five nominations
- Four nominations
- Sinéad Cusack
- Lindsay Duncan
- Clare Higgins
- Janet McTeer
- Helen Mirren
- Diana Rigg
- Fiona Shaw
- Harriet Walter
- Three nominations
- Two nominations
- Hayley Atwell
- Eve Best
- Yvonne Bryceland
- Pauline Collins
- Susan Fleetwood
- Tamsin Greig
- Victoria Hamilton
- Rosemary Harris
- Kathryn Hunter
- Nicole Kidman
- Jane Lapotaire
- Rosemary Leach
- Geraldine McEwan
- Billie Piper
- Kelly Reilly
- Alison Steadman
- Janet Suzman
- Dorothy Tutin
- Margaret Tyzack
- Julie Walters
- Lia Williams
- Ruth Wilson
References
- London Theatre Guide (2008). "The Laurence Olivier Awards: Full List of Winners, 1976-2008" (.PDF). 1976-2008. The Society of London Theatre: 20. Retrieved 2008-08-30. Cite journal requires
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