Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor
| Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Best Actor in a Play |
| Location |
 United Kingdom |
| Presented by | The Society of London Theatre |
| Currently held by | Kenneth Cranham for The Father (2016) |
| Official website | Olivier Awards.com |
The Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor 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.
The award has been known by its current name of Best Actor since 1993, previously it was known as Actor of the Year. From 1976-1984 and again in 1988, there were two Actor of the Year awards, one for Actor of the Year in a New Play and the other for Actor of the Year in a Revival.
Winners and nominees
1980s
| Year | Actor | Play | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | |||
| Antony Sher | Richard III and Torch Song Trilogy | Richard III of England / Arnold Beckoff | |
| Alun Armstrong | The Crucible and The Winter's Tale | John Proctor / Leontes | |
| Kenneth Branagh | Henry V | Henry V of England | |
| Anthony Hopkins | Pravda | Lambert Le Roux | |
| 1986 | |||
| Albert Finney | Orphans | Harold | |
| Derek Jacobi | Breaking the Code | Alan Turing | |
| Ian McKellen | The Cherry Orchard | Lopakhin | |
| Martin Sheen | The Normal Heart | Ned Weeks | |
| 1987 | |||
| Michael Gambon | A View from the Bridge | Eddie Carbone | |
| Tokusaburo Arashi | Medea | Medea | |
| Hugh Quarshie | The Two Noble Kinsmen, The Great White Hope and The Rover | Arcite / Jack Jefferson / Belville | |
| Nicholas Woodeson | Sarcophagus and Flight | Bessmertny / Mike Levine | |
| 1989/90 | |||
| Oliver Ford Davies | Racing Demon | The Rev. Lionel Espy | |
| Nigel Hawthorne | Shadowlands | Lewis | |
| Ian McKellen | Othello and Bent | Iago / Max | |
| Michael Pennington | The Wars of the Roses | Various Characters |
1990s
2000s
2010s
Multiple awards and nominations for Best Actor
Note: The below awards and nominations include individuals awarded and nominated under the now-defunct categories Actor of the Year in a New Play and Actor of the Year in a Revival as well as the current combined Best Actor category.
Awards
- Four awards
- Ian McKellen
- Two awards
- Roger Allam
- Brian Cox
- Alan Howard
- Derek Jacobi
- Mark Rylance
- Antony Sher
Nominations
- Eleven nominations
- Michael Gambon
- Eight nominations
- Ian McKellen
- Seven nominations
- Derek Jacobi
- Mark Rylance
- Six nominations
- David Suchet
- Four nominations
- Roger Allam
- Simon Russell Beale
- Antony Sher
- Three nominations
- Kenneth Branagh
- Brian Cox
- Henry Goodman
- David Haig
- Alan Howard
- Jude Law
- James McAvoy
- Alec McCowen
- Warren Mitchell
- Bob Peck
- Jonathan Pryce
- Paul Scofield
- Michael Sheen
- Patrick Stewart
- Two nominations
- Alun Armstrong
- Michael Bryant
- Tom Conti
- Kenneth Cranham
- Benedict Cumberbatch
- Rupert Everett
- Albert Finney
- Iain Glen
- Richard Griffiths
- Alec Guinness
- Nigel Hawthorne
- Emrys James
- Rory Kinnear
- Adrian Lester
- Daniel Massey
- Peter McEnery
- Michael Pennington
- Donald Sinden
- Ken Stott
- John Wood
Multiple awards and nominations for a character
Awards
- Two awards
- Falstaff from Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2
- Richard III of England from Richard III
- Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman
Nominations
- Five nominations
- King Lear from King Lear
- Prince Hamlet from Hamlet
- Three nominations
- Coriolanus from Coriolanus
- Eddie Carbone from A View from the Bridge
- Falstaff from Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2
- Henry V of England from Henry V
- Iago from Othello
- Leontes from The Winter's Tale
- Shylock from The Merchant of Venice
- Uncle Vanya from Uncle Vanya
- Two nominations
- Captain Shotover in Heartbreak House
- Davies in The Caretaker
- George III from The Madness of George III
- John Proctor from The Crucible
- Macbeth from Macbeth
- Max from The Homecoming
- Olivia from Twelfth Night
- Richard III of England from Richard III
- Spooner from No Man's Land
- Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman
See also
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.