Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical
| Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical | |
|---|---|
 2020 Recipient: Aaron Tveit for Moulin Rouge! | |
| Awarded for | Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical |
| Location | New York City |
| Presented by | American Theatre Wing The Broadway League |
| Currently held by | Aaron Tveit for Moulin Rouge! (2020) |
| Website | TonyAwards.com |
The Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical is awarded to the actor who was voted as the best actor in a musical play, whether a new production or a revival. The award has been given since 1948, but the nominees who did not win have only been publicly announced since 1956.
Winners and nominees[]
indicates the winner
1940s[]
| Year | Actor | Musical | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 1st Tony Awards | |||
| N/A | |||
| 1948 2nd Tony Awards | |||
| Paul Hartman | Angel in the Wings | Various Characters | |
| 1949 3rd Tony Awards | |||
| Ray Bolger | Where's Charley? | Charley Wykeham | |
1950s[]
| Year | Actor | Musical | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 4th Tony Awards | |||
| Ezio Pinza | South Pacific | Emile De Beque | |
| 1951 5th Tony Awards | |||
| Robert Alda | Guys and Dolls | Sky Masterson | |
| 1952 6th Tony Awards | |||
| Phil Silvers | Top Banana | Jerry Biffle | |
| 1953 7th Tony Awards | |||
| Thomas Mitchell | Hazel Flagg | Dr. Downer | |
| 1954 8th Tony Awards | |||
| Alfred Drake | Kismet | Hajj | |
| 1955 9th Tony Awards | |||
| Walter Slezak | Fanny | Panisse | |
| 1956 10th Tony Awards | |||
| Ray Walston | Damn Yankees | Mr. Applegate | |
| Stephen Douglass | Damn Yankees | Joe Hardy | |
| Bill Johnson | Pipe Dream | Doc | |
| 1957 11th Tony Awards | |||
| Rex Harrison | My Fair Lady | Henry Higgins | |
| Fernando Lamas | Happy Hunting | Duke of Granada | |
| Robert Weede | The Most Happy Fella | Tony | |
| 1958 12th Tony Awards | |||
| Robert Preston | The Music Man | Harold Hill | |
| Ricardo Montalbán | Jamaica | Koli | |
| Eddie Foy Jr. | Rumple | Rumple | |
| Tony Randall | Oh, Captain! | Captain Henry St. James | |
| 1959 13th Tony Awards | |||
| Richard Kiley | Redhead | Tom Baxter | |
| Larry Blyden | Flower Drum Song | Sammy Fong |
1960s[]
| Year | Actor | Musical | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 14th Tony Awards | |||
| Jackie Gleason | Take Me Along | Sid Davis | |
| Robert Morse | Take Me Along | Richard Miller | |
| Walter Pidgeon | Nat Miller | ||
| Andy Griffith | Destry Rides Again | Destry | |
| Anthony Perkins | Greenwillow | Gideon Briggs | |
| 1961 15th Tony Awards | |||
| Richard Burton | Camelot | Arthur | |
| Phil Silvers | Do Re Mi | Hubert Cram | |
| Maurice Evans | Tenderloin | Reverend Brock | |
| 1962 16th Tony Awards | |||
| Robert Morse | How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying | J. Pierrepont Finch | |
| Ray Bolger | All-American | Professor Fodorski | |
| Alfred Drake | Kean | Edmund Kean | |
| Richard Kiley | No Strings | David Jordan | |
| 1963 17th Tony Awards | |||
| Zero Mostel | A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum | Pseudolus | |
| Sid Caesar | Little Me | Various Characters | |
| Anthony Newley | Stop the World – I Want to Get Off | Littlechap | |
| Clive Revill | Oliver! | Fagin | |
| 1964 18th Tony Awards | |||
| Bert Lahr | Foxy | Foxy | |
| Sydney Chaplin | Funny Girl | Nick Arnstein | |
| Bob Fosse | Pal Joey | Joey Evans | |
| Steve Lawrence | What Makes Sammy Run? | Sammy Glick | |
| 1965 19th Tony Awards | |||
| Zero Mostel | Fiddler on the Roof | Tevye | |
| Sammy Davis Jr. | Golden Boy | Joe Wellington | |
| Cyril Ritchard | The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd | Sir | |
| Tommy Steele | Half a Sixpence | Arthur Kipps | |
| 1966 20th Tony Awards | |||
| Richard Kiley | Man of La Mancha | Don Quixote / Cervantes | |
| Jack Cassidy | It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman | Max Mencken | |
| John Cullum | On a Clear Day You Can See Forever | Dr. Mark Bruckner | |
| Harry Secombe | Pickwick | Pickwick | |
| 1967 21st Tony Awards | |||
| Robert Preston | I Do! I Do! | Michael | |
| Alan Alda | The Apple Tree | Various Characters | |
| Jack Gilford | Cabaret | Herr Schultz | |
| Norman Wisdom | Walking Happy | Will Mossop | |
| 1968 22nd Tony Awards | |||
| Robert Goulet | The Happy Time | Jacques Bonnard | |
| Robert Hooks | Hallelujah, Baby! | Clem | |
| Tony Roberts | How Now, Dow Jones | Charley | |
| David Wayne | The Happy Time | Grandpere Bonnard | |
| 1969 23rd Tony Awards | |||
| Jerry Orbach | Promises, Promises | Chuck Baxter | |
| Herschel Bernardi | Zorba | Zorba | |
| Jack Cassidy | Maggie Flynn | The Clown | |
| Joel Grey | George M! | George M. Cohan |
1970s[]
| Year | Actor | Musical | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 24th Tony Awards | |||
| Cleavon Little | Purlie | Purlie | |
| Len Cariou | Applause | Bill Sampson | |
| Robert Weede | Cry for Us All | Edward Quinn | |
| 1971 25th Tony Awards | |||
| Hal Linden | The Rothschilds | Mayer Rothschild | |
| David Burns | Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen | Col. Wainwright Purdy III | |
| Larry Kert | Company | Bobby | |
| Bobby Van | No, No, Nanette | Billy Early | |
| 1972 26th Tony Awards | |||
| Phil Silvers | A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum | Pseudolus | |
| Clifton Davis | Two Gentlemen of Verona | Valentine | |
| Raul Julia | Proteus | ||
| Barry Bostwick | Grease | Danny Zuko | |
| 1973 27th Tony Awards | |||
| Ben Vereen | Pippin | The Leading Player | |
| Len Cariou | A Little Night Music | Frederick Egerman | |
| Robert Morse | Sugar | Jerry | |
| Brock Peters | Lost in the Stars | Stephen Kumalo | |
| 1974 28th Tony Awards | |||
| Christopher Plummer | Cyrano | Cyrano de Bergerac | |
| Alfred Drake | Gigi | Honore Lachailles | |
| Joe Morton | Raisin | Walter Lee Younger | |
| Lewis J. Stadlen | Candide | Various Characters | |
| 1975 29th Tony Awards | |||
| John Cullum | Shenandoah | Charlie Anderson | |
| Joel Grey | Goodtime Charley | Charley | |
| Raul Julia | Where's Charley? | Charley Wykeham | |
| Eddie Mekka | The Lieutenant | Lieutenant | |
| Robert Preston | Mack & Mabel | Mack Sennett | |
| 1976 30th Tony Awards | |||
| George Rose | My Fair Lady | Alfred P. Doolittle | |
| Mako | Pacific Overtures | Various Characters | |
| Jerry Orbach | Chicago | Billy Flynn | |
| Ian Richardson | My Fair Lady | Henry Higgins | |
| 1977 31st Tony Awards | |||
| Barry Bostwick | The Robber Bridegroom | Jamie Lockhart | |
| Robert Guillaume | Guys and Dolls | Nathan Detroit | |
| Raul Julia | The Threepenny Opera | Macheath | |
| Reid Shelton | Annie | Oliver Warbucks | |
| 1978 32nd Tony Awards | |||
| John Cullum | On the Twentieth Century | Oscar Jaffee | |
| Eddie Bracken | Hello, Dolly! | Horace Vandergelder | |
| Barry Nelson | The Act | Dan Conners | |
| Gilbert Price | Timbuktu! | The Mansa of Mali | |
| 1979 33rd Tony Awards | |||
| Len Cariou | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street | Sweeney Todd | |
| Vincent Gardenia | Ballroom | Alfred Rossi | |
| Joel Grey | The Grand Tour | S. L. Jacobowsky | |
| Robert Klein | They're Playing Our Song | Vernon Gersch |
1980s[]
| Year | Actor | Musical | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 34th Tony Awards | |||
| Jim Dale | Barnum | P. T. Barnum | |
| Gregory Hines | Comin' Uptown | Scrooge | |
| Mickey Rooney | Sugar Babies | Mickey | |
| Giorgio Tozzi | The Most Happy Fella | Tony | |
| 1981 35th Tony Awards | |||
| Kevin Kline | The Pirates of Penzance | The Pirate King | |
| Gregory Hines | Sophisticated Ladies | Performer | |
| George Rose | The Pirates of Penzance | Major-General | |
| Martin Vidnovic | Brigadoon | Tommy Albright | |
| 1982 36th Tony Awards | |||
| Ben Harney | Dreamgirls | Curtis Taylor Jr. | |
| Herschel Bernardi | Fiddler on the Roof | Tevye | |
| Victor Garber | Little Me | Various Characters | |
| Raul Julia | Nine | Guido Contini | |
| 1983 37th Tony Awards | |||
| Tommy Tune | My One and Only | Captain Billy Buck Chandler | |
| Al Green | Your Arms Too Short to Box with God | Performer | |
| George Hearn | A Doll's Life | Various Characters | |
| Michael V. Smartt | Porgy and Bess | Porgy | |
| 1984 38th Tony Awards | |||
| George Hearn | La Cage aux Folles | Albin | |
| Gene Barry | La Cage aux Folles | Georges | |
| Ron Moody | Oliver! | Fagin | |
| Mandy Patinkin | Sunday in the Park with George | Georges Seurat / George | |
| 1985 39th Tony Awards |
N/A[1] | ||
| 1986 40th Tony Awards | |||
| George Rose | The Mystery of Edwin Drood | Mayor Thomas Sapsea / William Cartwright | |
| Don Correia | Singin' in the Rain | Don Lockwood | |
| Cleavant Derricks | Big Deal | Charley | |
| Maurice Hines | Uptown... It's Hot! | Performer | |
| 1987 41st Tony Awards | |||
| Robert Lindsay | Me and My Girl | Bill Snibson | |
| Roderick Cook | Oh, Coward! | Performer | |
| Terrence Mann | Les Misérables | Javert | |
| Colm Wilkinson | Jean Valjean | ||
| 1988 42nd Tony Awards | |||
| Michael Crawford | The Phantom of the Opera | The Phantom of the Opera | |
| Scott Bakula | Romance/Romance | Alfred Von Wilmers / Sam | |
| David Carroll | Chess | Anatoly Sergievsky | |
| Howard McGillin | Anything Goes | Billy Crocker | |
| 1989 43rd Tony Awards | |||
| Jason Alexander | Jerome Robbins' Broadway | Various Characters | |
| Gabriel Barre | Starmites | Trinkulus | |
| Brian Lane Green | Spacepunk | ||
| Robert La Fosse | Jerome Robbins' Broadway | Various Characters | |
1990s[]
| Year | Actor | Musical | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 44th Tony Awards | |||
| James Naughton | City of Angels | Stone | |
| David Carroll | Grand Hotel | Felix Von Gaigern | |
| Gregg Edelman | City of Angels | Stine | |
| Bob Gunton | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street | Sweeney Todd | |
| 1991 45th Tony Awards | |||
| Jonathan Pryce | Miss Saigon | The Engineer | |
| Keith Carradine | The Will Rogers Follies | Will Rogers | |
| Paul Hipp | Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story | Buddy Holly | |
| Topol | Fiddler on the Roof | Tevye | |
| 1992 46th Tony Awards | |||
| Gregory Hines | Jelly's Last Jam | Jelly Roll Morton | |
| Harry Groener | Crazy for You | Bobby Child | |
| Nathan Lane | Guys and Dolls | Nathan Detroit | |
| Michael Rupert | Falsettos | Marvin | |
| 1993 47th Tony Awards | |||
| Brent Carver | Kiss of the Spider Woman | Luis Molina | |
| Tim Curry | My Favorite Year | Alan Swann | |
| Con O'Neill | Blood Brothers | Mickey | |
| Martin Short | The Goodbye Girl | Elliot Garfield | |
| 1994 48th Tony Awards | |||
| Boyd Gaines | She Loves Me | Georg Nowack | |
| Victor Garber | Damn Yankees | Mr. Applegate | |
| Terrence Mann | Beauty and the Beast | The Beast | |
| Jere Shea | Passion | Giorgio | |
| 1995 49th Tony Awards | |||
| Matthew Broderick | How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying | J. Pierrepont Finch | |
| Alan Campbell | Sunset Boulevard | Joe Gillis | |
| Mark Jacoby | Show Boat | Gaylord Ravenal | |
| John McMartin | Cap'n Andy | ||
| 1996 50th Tony Awards | |||
| Nathan Lane | A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum | Pseudolus | |
| Savion Glover | Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk | 'da Beat / Lil' Dahlin' | |
| Adam Pascal | Rent | Roger Davis | |
| Lou Diamond Phillips | The King and I | The King of Siam | |
| 1997 51st Tony Awards | |||
| James Naughton | Chicago | Billy Flynn | |
| Robert Cuccioli | Jekyll & Hyde | Dr. Henry Jekyll / Edward Hyde | |
| Jim Dale | Candide | Dr. Pangloss | |
| Daniel McDonald | Steel Pier | Bill Kelly | |
| 1998 52nd Tony Awards | |||
| Alan Cumming | Cabaret | The Master of Ceremonies | |
| Peter Friedman | Ragtime | Tateh | |
| Brian Stokes Mitchell | Coalhouse Walker Jr. | ||
| Douglas Sills | The Scarlet Pimpernel | Percy Blakeney | |
| 1999 53rd Tony Awards | |||
| Martin Short | Little Me | Various Characters | |
| Brent Carver | Parade | Leo Frank | |
| Adam Cooper | Swan Lake | The Swan | |
| Tom Wopat | Annie Get Your Gun | Frank Butler |
2000s[]
| Year | Actor | Musical | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 54th Tony Awards | |||
| Brian Stokes Mitchell | Kiss Me, Kate | Fred Graham / Petruchio | |
| Craig Bierko | The Music Man | Harold Hill | |
| George Hearn | Putting It Together | The Husband | |
| Mandy Patinkin | The Wild Party | Burrs | |
| Christopher Walken | The Dead | Gabriel Conroy | |
| 2001 55th Tony Awards | |||
| Nathan Lane | The Producers | Max Bialystock | |
| Matthew Broderick | The Producers | Leo Bloom | |
| Kevin Chamberlin | Seussical | Horton the Elephant | |
| Tom Hewitt | The Rocky Horror Show | Dr. Frank N. Furter | |
| Patrick Wilson | The Full Monty | Jerry Lukowski | |
| 2002 56th Tony Awards | |||
| John Lithgow | Sweet Smell of Success | J.J. Hunsecker | |
| Gavin Creel | Thoroughly Modern Millie | Jimmy Smith | |
| John McMartin | Into the Woods | Narrator / Mysterious Man | |
| Patrick Wilson | Oklahoma! | Curly McLain | |
| John Cullum | Urinetown | Caldwell B. Cladwell | |
| 2003 57th Tony Awards | |||
| Harvey Fierstein | Hairspray | Edna Turnblad | |
| Antonio Banderas | Nine | Guido Contini | |
| Malcolm Gets | Amour | Dusoleil | |
| Brian Stokes Mitchell | Man of La Mancha | Don Quixote / Cervantes | |
| John Selya | Movin' Out | Eddie | |
| 2004 58th Tony Awards | |||
| Hugh Jackman | The Boy from Oz | Peter Allen | |
| Hunter Foster | Little Shop of Horrors | Seymour | |
| Alfred Molina | Fiddler on the Roof | Tevye | |
| Euan Morton | Taboo | George | |
| John Tartaglia | Avenue Q | Princeton / Rod | |
| 2005 59th Tony Awards | |||
| Norbert Leo Butz | Dirty Rotten Scoundrels | Freddy Benson | |
| Hank Azaria | Spamalot | Various Characters | |
| Gary Beach | La Cage aux Folles | Albin | |
| Tim Curry | Spamalot | King Arthur | |
| John Lithgow | Dirty Rotten Scoundrels | Lawrence Jameson | |
| 2006 60th Tony Awards | |||
| John Lloyd Young | Jersey Boys | Frankie Valli | |
| Michael Cerveris | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street | Sweeney Todd | |
| Harry Connick Jr. | The Pajama Game | Sid Sorokin | |
| Stephen Lynch | The Wedding Singer | Robbie Hart | |
| Bob Martin | The Drowsy Chaperone | Man in Chair | |
| 2007 61st Tony Awards | |||
| David Hyde Pierce | Curtains | Lieutenant Frank Cioffi | |
| Michael Cerveris | LoveMusik | Kurt Weill | |
| Raúl Esparza | Company | Robert | |
| Jonathan Groff | Spring Awakening | Melchior Gabor | |
| Gavin Lee | Mary Poppins | Bert | |
| 2008 62nd Tony Awards | |||
| Paulo Szot | South Pacific | Emile de Becque | |
| Daniel Evans | Sunday in the Park with George | Georges Seurat / George | |
| Lin-Manuel Miranda | In the Heights | Usnavi | |
| Stew | Passing Strange | Narrator | |
| Tom Wopat | A Catered Affair | Tom Hurley | |
| 2009 63rd Tony Awards | |||
| David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik & Kiril Kulish | Billy Elliot the Musical | Billy Elliot | |
| Gavin Creel | Hair | Claude | |
| Brian d'Arcy James | Shrek the Musical | Shrek | |
| Constantine Maroulis | Rock of Ages | Drew | |
| J. Robert Spencer | Next to Normal | Dan Goodman |
2010s[]
| Year | Actor | Musical | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 64th Tony Awards | |||
| Douglas Hodge | La Cage aux Folles | Albin | |
| Kelsey Grammer | La Cage aux Folles | Georges | |
| Sean Hayes | Promises, Promises | Chuck Baxter | |
| Chad Kimball | Memphis | Huey Calhoun | |
| Sahr Ngaujah | Fela! | Fela Kuti | |
| 2011 65th Tony Awards | |||
| Norbert Leo Butz | Catch Me If You Can | Carl Hanratty | |
| Josh Gad | The Book of Mormon | Elder Cunningham | |
| Joshua Henry | The Scottsboro Boys | Haywood Patterson | |
| Andrew Rannells | The Book of Mormon | Elder Price | |
| Tony Sheldon | Priscilla, Queen of the Desert | Bernadette Bassenger | |
| 2012 66th Tony Awards | |||
| Steve Kazee | Once | Guy | |
| Danny Burstein | Follies | Buddy Plummer | |
| Jeremy Jordan | Newsies | Jack Kelly | |
| Norm Lewis | Porgy and Bess | Porgy | |
| Ron Raines | Follies | Ben Stone | |
| 2013 67th Tony Awards | |||
| Billy Porter | Kinky Boots | Lola / Simon | |
| Bertie Carvel | Matilda the Musical | Miss Trunchbull | |
| Santino Fontana | Cinderella | Prince Topher | |
| Rob McClure | Chaplin | Charlie Chaplin | |
| Stark Sands | Kinky Boots | Charlie Price | |
| 2014 68th Tony Awards | |||
| Neil Patrick Harris | Hedwig and the Angry Inch | Hedwig Schmidt | |
| Ramin Karimloo | Les Misérables | Jean Valjean | |
| Andy Karl | Rocky the Musical | Rocky Balboa | |
| Jefferson Mays | A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder | The D'Ysquith Family | |
| Bryce Pinkham | Monty Navarro | ||
| 2015 69th Tony Awards | |||
| Michael Cerveris | Fun Home | Bruce Bechdel | |
| Brian d'Arcy James | Something Rotten! | Nick Bottom | |
| Robert Fairchild | An American in Paris | Jerry Mulligan | |
| Ken Watanabe | The King and I | The King of Siam | |
| Tony Yazbeck | On the Town | Gabey | |
| 2016 70th Tony Awards | |||
| Leslie Odom Jr. | Hamilton | Aaron Burr | |
| Alex Brightman | School of Rock | Dewey Finn | |
| Danny Burstein | Fiddler on the Roof | Tevye | |
| Zachary Levi | She Loves Me | Georg Nowack | |
| Lin-Manuel Miranda | Hamilton | Alexander Hamilton | |
| 2017 71st Tony Awards | |||
| Ben Platt | Dear Evan Hansen | Evan Hansen | |
| Christian Borle | Falsettos | Marvin | |
| Josh Groban | Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 | Pierre Bezukhov | |
| Andy Karl | Groundhog Day | Phil Connors | |
| David Hyde Pierce | Hello, Dolly! | Horace Vandergelder | |
| 2018 72nd Tony Awards | |||
| Tony Shalhoub | The Band's Visit | Tewfiq Zakaria | |
| Harry Hadden-Paton | My Fair Lady | Henry Higgins | |
| Joshua Henry | Carousel | Billy Bigelow | |
| Ethan Slater | SpongeBob SquarePants | SpongeBob SquarePants | |
| 2019 73rd Tony Awards | |||
| Santino Fontana | Tootsie | Michael Dorsey / Dorothy Michaels | |
| Brooks Ashmanskas | The Prom | Barry Glickman | |
| Derrick Baskin | Ain’t Too Proud | Otis Williams | |
| Alex Brightman | Beetlejuice | Beetlejuice | |
| Damon Daunno | Oklahoma! | Curly McLain |
2020s[]
| Year | Actor | Musical | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 74th Tony Awards | |||
| Aaron Tveit | Moulin Rouge! | Christian |
Award records[]
Multiple wins[]
- 2 Wins
- Norbert Leo Butz
- John Cullum
- Richard Kiley
- Nathan Lane
- Zero Mostel
- James Naughton
- Robert Preston
- George Rose
- Phil Silvers
Multiple nominations[]
|
|
Multiple character wins[]
- 3 Wins
- Pseudolus from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
- 2 Wins
- Albin from La Cage aux Folles
- Emile de Becque from South Pacific
- J. Pierrepont Finch from How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Multiple character nominations[]
-*Most of the leading male characters in Little Me are played by the same actor, but the actual roles vary. In the original 1962 Broadway production and the 1998 revival, Sid Caesar and Martin Short (respectively) played Noble Eggleston, Amos Pinchley, Val du Val, Fred Poitrine, Otto Schnitzler, and Prince Cherney. Caesar also played Noble Junior. In the 1981 revival, the lead roles were split among James Coco and Victor Garber with Garber playing Noble Eggleston, Val du Val, Fred Poitrine, and Noble Junior. Productions with multiple nominations[]
Multiple awards and nominations[]Actors who have been nominated multiple times in any acting categories[]
References[]
External links[] |
Categories:
- Tony Awards
- Theatre acting awards
- Awards established in 1948
- 1948 establishments in the United States