Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress
| Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Best Actress in a Play |
| Location |
 United Kingdom |
| Presented by | The Society of London Theatre |
| Currently held by | Denise Gough for People, Places and Things (2016) |
| Official website | Olivier Awards.com |
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.
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
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
- Judi Dench
- Three awards
- Clare Higgins
- Two awards
- Eileen Atkins
- Lindsay Duncan
- Fiona Shaw
- Frances de la Tour
- Dorothy Tutin
- Margaret Tyzack
- Zoë Wanamaker
Nominations
- Nine nominations
- Judi Dench
- Six nominations
- Penelope Wilton
- Five nominations
- Eileen Atkins
- Kristin Scott Thomas
- Juliet Stevenson
- Zoë Wanamaker
- Four nominations
- Sinéad Cusack
- Lindsay Duncan
- Clare Higgins
- Glenda Jackson
- Janet McTeer
- Helen Mirren
- Diana Rigg
- Fiona Shaw
- Maggie Smith
- Harriet Walter
- Three nominations
- Joan Plowright
- Vanessa Redgrave
- Imelda Staunton
- Frances de la Tour
- Two nominations
- Gillian Anderson
- Eve Best
- Yvonne Bryceland
- Pauline Collins
- Susan Fleetwood
- Tamsin Greig
- Victoria Hamilton
- Rosemary Harris
- Kathryn Hunter
- Nicole Kidman
- Jane Lapotaire
- Rosemary Leach
- Lesley Manville
- Geraldine McEwan
- Kelly Reilly
- Alison Steadman
- Janet Suzman
- Dorothy Tutin
- Margaret Tyzack
- Julie Walters
- Lia Williams
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.