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 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.
| Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress | |
|---|---|
 2024 Recipient: Sarah Snook | |
| Awarded for | Best Actress in a Play |
| Location |  England |
| Presented by | Society of London Theatre |
| First awarded | 1985 |
| Currently held by | Sarah Snook for The Picture of Dorian Gray (2024) |
| Website | officiallondontheatre |
This award was introduced in 1985, as Actress of the Year, then retitled to its current name for the 1993 ceremony. Prior to this award, from 1976 to 1984 (and again in 1988), there was a pair of awards given each year for this general category, one for Actress of the Year in a New Play and the other for Actress of the Year in a Revival.
Winners and nominees
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1980s
edit| 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
edit2000s
edit2010s
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2020s
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| Year | Actor | Play | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | |||
| Sharon D. Clarke | Death of a Salesman | Linda Loman | |
| Hayley Atwell | Rosmersholm | Rebecca West | |
| Juliet Stevenson | The Doctor | The Doctor | |
| Phoebe Waller-Bridge | Fleabag | Fleabag | |
| 2021 | Not presented due to extended closing of theatre productions during COVID-19 pandemic[A] | ||
| 2022[A] | |||
| Sheila Atim | Constellations | Marianne | |
| Lily Allen | 2:22 A Ghost Story | Jenny | |
| Emma Corrin | Anna X | Anna | |
| Cush Jumbo | Hamlet | Hamlet | |
| 2023 | |||
| Jodie Comer | Prima Facie | Tessa | |
| Patsy Ferran | A Streetcar Named Desire | Blanche DuBois | |
| Mei Mac | My Neighbour Totoro | Mei | |
| Janet McTeer | Phaedra (new version by Simon Stone) | Helen | |
| Nicola Walker | The Corn Is Green | Miss Moffat | |
| 2024 | |||
| Sarah Snook | The Picture of Dorian Gray | Performer / Various | |
| Laura Donnelly | The Hills of California | Veronica / Joan | |
| Sophie Okonedo | Medea | Medea | |
| Sarah Jessica Parker | Plaza Suite | Karen Nash / Muriel Tate / Norma Hubley | |
| Sheridan Smith | Shirley Valentine | Shirley Valentine | |
- ^ a b Due to late March 2020[1] to late July 2021[2] closing of London theatre productions during the COVID-19 pandemic in England, the 2022 awards recognise productions that launched anytime from February 2020 to February 2022[3]
Multiple awards and nominations for Best Actress
editNote: 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
edit- Five awards
- Three awards
- Two awards
- Eileen Atkins
- Lindsay Duncan
- Fiona Shaw
- Frances de la Tour
- Dorothy Tutin
- Margaret Tyzack
- Zoë Wanamaker
Nominations
edit- Nine nominations
- Six nominations
- Five nominations
- Sinéad Cusack
- Glenda Jackson
- Janet McTeer
- Kristin Scott Thomas
- Juliet Stevenson
- Maggie Smith
- Zoë Wanamaker
- Four nominations
- Three nominations
- Two nominations
- Hayley Atwell
- Eve Best
- Yvonne Bryceland
- Pauline Collins
- Patsy Ferran
- Susan Fleetwood
- Tamsin Greig
- Victoria Hamilton
- Rosemary Harris
- Kathryn Hunter
- Nicole Kidman
- Jane Lapotaire
- Rosemary Leach
- Geraldine McEwan
- Sophie Okonedo
- Billie Piper
- Kelly Reilly
- Alison Steadman
- Janet Suzman
- Dorothy Tutin
- Margaret Tyzack
- Julie Walters
- Lia Williams
- Ruth Wilson
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Johnson, The Rt Hon Boris, MP (2020-03-23). Prime Minister's statement on coronavirus (COVID-19): 23 March 2020 [transcript] (Speech). Prime Minister's Televised Speech to the United Kingdom. www.gov.uk. London, UK. Archived from the original on 2020-06-09. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
From this evening I must give the British people a very simple instruction — you must stay at home.
{{cite speech}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ McPhee, Ryan (2021-06-14). "U.K. Postpones Reopening Roadmap; West End Theatres Will No Longer Reopen in Full in June". Playbill. Archived from the original on 2021-06-14. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
Step 4 of the roadmap will allow productions to play without capacity restrictions. June 21 was the goal; now, the government is eyeing July 19.
- ^ Thomas, Sophie (2022-03-08). "Everything you need to know about the Olivier Awards". londontheatre.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2022-04-11. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
Any new production that opened between 19 Feb. 2020 to 22 Feb. 2022 are eligible for categories in the 2022 Olivier Awards. With two years worth of shows set for honours in one year's ceremony, the 2022 Olivier Awards will prove tougher competition than before.
- London Theatre Guide (2008). "The Laurence Olivier Awards: Full List of Winners, 1976-2008" (.PDF). 1976-2008. The Society of London Theatre. p. 20. Retrieved 2008-08-30.