Who Won Lead Actor In A Play Tony Awards?

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Tony Award for Lead Actor in a Play

From Jose Ferrer ("Cyrano de Bergerac") in 1947 to Sean Hayes ("Good Night, Oscar") in 2023, the Tony Awards have awarded excellence in Broadway theater throughout the years. Multiple winners of the Leading Actor in a Play Tony have included Brian Dennehy, Judd Hirsch, and James Earl Jones.

2023 (76th)
Sean HayesGood Night, Oscar
Good Night, Oscar
Other Nominees: Other Nominees: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Topdog/Underdog); Corey Hawkins (Topdog/Underdog); Stephen McKinley Henderson (Between Riverside and Crazy); Wendell Pierce (Death Of A Salesman)
2022 (75th)
Simon Russell BealeThe Lehman Trilogy
The Lehman Trilogy
Other Nominees: Adam Godley (The Lehman Trilogy); Adrian Lester (The Lehman Trilogy); David Morse (How I Learned to Drive); Sam Rockwell (American Buffalo); Ruben Santiago-Hudson (Lackawanna Blues); David Threlfall (Hangmen)
2021 (74th)
Andrew BurnapThe Inheritance
The Inheritance
Other Nominees: Ian Barford (Linda Vista); Jake Gyllenhaal (Sea Wall/A Life); Tom Hiddleston (Betrayal); Tom Sturridge (Sea Wall/A Life); Blair Underwood (A Soldier's Play)
2019 (73rd)
Bryan CranstonNetwork
Network
Other Nominees: Paddy Considine (The Ferryman); Jeff Daniels (To Kill a Mockingbird); Adam Driver (Burn This); Jeremy Pope (Choir Boy)
Year      
2018 Andrew Garfield (Angels In America) Angels In America
2017 Kevin Kline (Present Laughter) Present Laughter
2016 Frank Langella (The Father) The Father
2015 Alex Sharp (The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time) The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time
2014 Bryan Cranston (All The Way) All The Way
2013 Tracy Letts (Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?) Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?
2012 James Corden (One Man, Two Guvnors) One Man, Two Guvnors
2011 Mark Rylance (Jerusalem) Jerusalem
2010 Denzel Washington (Fences) Fences
2009 Geoffrey Rush (Exit The King) Exit The King
2008 Mark Rylance (Boeing-Boeing) Boeing-Boeing
2007 Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon) Frost/Nixon
2006 Richard Griffiths (The History Boys) The History Boys
2005 Bill Irwin (Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?) Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?
2004 Jefferson Mays (I Am My Own Wife) I Am My Own Wife
2003 Brian Dennehy (Long Day's Journey Into Night) Long Day's Journey Into Night
2002 Alan Bates (Fortune's Fool) Fortune's Fool
2001 Richard Easton (The Invention Of Love) The Invention Of Love
2000 Stephen Dillane (The Real Thing) The Real Thing
1999 Brian Dennehy (Death Of A Salesman) Death Of A Salesman
1998 Anthony LaPaglia (A View From The Bridge) A View From The Bridge
1997 Christopher Plummer (Barrymore) Barrymore
1996 George Grizzard (A Delicate Balance) A Delicate Balance
1995 Ralph Fiennes (Hamlet) Hamlet
1994 Stephen Spinella (Angels In America: Perestroika) Angels In America: Perestroika
1993 Ron Leibman (Angels In America: Millennium Approaches) Angels In America: Millennium Approaches
1992 Judd Hirsch (Conversations With My Father) Conversations With My Father
1991 Nigel Hawthorne (Shadowlands) Shadowlands
1990 Robert Morse (Tru) Tru
1989 Philip Bosco (Lend Me A Tenor) Lend Me A Tenor
1988 Ron Silver (Speed-The-Plow) Speed-The-Plow
1987 James Earl Jones (Fences) Fences
1986 Judd Hirsch (I'm Not Rappaport) I'm Not Rappaport
1985 Derek Jacobi (Much Ado About Nothing) Much Ado About Nothing
1984 Jeremy Irons (The Real Thing) The Real Thing
1983 Harvey Fierstein (Torch Song Trilogy) Torch Song Trilogy
1982 Roger Rees (The Life And Adventures Of Nicholas Nickleby) The Life And Adventures Of Nicholas Nickleby
1981 Ian McKellen (Amadeus) Amadeus
1980 John Rubinstein (Children Of A Lesser God) Children Of A Lesser God
1979 Tom Conti (Whose Life Is It Anyway?) Whose Life Is It Anyway?
1978 Barnard Hughes (Da) Da
1977 Al Pacino (The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel) The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel
1976 John Wood (Travesties) Travesties
1975 John Kani & Winston Ntshona (Sizwe Banzi Is Dead / The Island)  
1974 Michael Moriarty (Find Your Way Home) Find Your Way Home
1973 Alan Bates (Butley) Butley
1972 Cliff Gorman (Lenny) Lenny
1971 Brian Bedford (The School For Wives) The School For Wives
1970 Fritz Weaver (Child's Play) Child's Play
1969 James Earl Jones (The Great White Hope) The Great White Hope
1968 Martin Balsam (You Know I Can't Hear You When the Water's Running) You Know I Can't Hear You When the Water's Running
1967 Paul Rogers (The Homecoming) The Homecoming
1966 Hal Holbrook (Mark Twain Tonight) Mark Twain Tonight
1965 Walter Matthau (The Odd Couple) The Odd Couple
1964 Alec Guinness (Dylan) Dylan
1963 Arthur Hill (Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?) Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?
1962 Paul Scofield (A Man For All Seasons) A Man For All Seasons
1961 Zero Mostel (Rhinoceros) Rhinoceros
1960 Melvyn Douglas (The Best Man) The Best Man
1959 Jason Robards (The Disenchanted) The Disenchanted
1958 Ralph Bellamy (Sunrise At Campobello) Sunrise At Campobello
1957 Fredric March (Long Day's Journey Into Night) Long Day's Journey Into Night
1956 Paul Muni (Inherit The Wind) Inherit The Wind
1955 Alfred Lunt (Quadrille) Quadrille
1954 David Wayne (The Teahouse Of The August Moon) The Teahouse Of The August Moon
1953 Tom Ewell (The Seven Year Itch) The Seven Year Itch
1952 Jose Ferrer (The Shrike) The Shrike
1951 Claude Rains (Darkness At Noon) Darkness At Noon
1950 Sidney Blackmer (Come Back, Little Sheba) Come Back, Little Sheba
1949 Rex Harrison (Anne Of The Thousand Days) Anne Of The Thousand Days
1948 Henry Fonda, Paul Kelly, Basil Rathbone (Mister Roberts, Command Decision, The Heiress)  
1947 Jose Ferrer & Fredric March (Cyrano de Bergerac & Years Ago)