The Laurence Olivier Award for Society of London Theatre Special Award is an annual award presented by the Society of London Theatre in recognition of achievements in professional 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, himself a 1979 recipient of this award.
| Laurence Olivier Award for Society of London Theatre Special Award | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Society of London Theatre Special Award |
| Location | United Kingdom |
| Presented by | Society of London Theatre |
| First award | 1976 |
| Currently held by | Rufus Norris (2025) |
| Website | officiallondontheatre |
This award was introduced in 1976. In 2020, the award was expanded with additional Special Recognition Recipients, recognizing a larger number of people each year for their lifetime of contributions to commercial British theatre.
Award winners
1970s
| Year | Recipient |
|---|---|
| 1976 | Save London's Theatres Campaign |
| 1977 | Harry Loman |
| 1978 | Brian Clark |
| 1979 | Laurence Olivier |
1980s
| Year | Recipient |
|---|---|
| 1980 | Ralph Richardson |
| 1981 | |
| 1982 | Charles Wintour |
| 1983 | Joan Littlewood |
| 1984 | Arnold Goodman |
| 1985 | John Gielgud |
| 1986 | |
| 1987 | |
| 1988 | Alec Guinness |
1990s
| Year | Recipient |
|---|---|
| 1991 | Peggy Ashcroft |
| 1992 | Ninette de Valois |
| 1993 | Kenneth MacMillan |
| 1994 | Sam Wanamaker |
| 1995 | |
| 1996 | Harold Pinter |
| 1997 | Margaret Harris |
| 1998 | David Mirvish |
| Ed Mirvish | |
| 1999 | Peter Hall |
2000s
| Year | Recipient |
|---|---|
| 2001 | |
| 2002 | Rupert Rhymes |
| 2003 | Sam Mendes |
| 2004 | Judi Dench |
| 2005 | Alan Bennett |
| 2006 | Ian McKellen |
| 2007 | John Tomlinson |
| 2008 | Andrew Lloyd Webber |
| 2009 | Alan Ayckbourn |
2010s
| Year | Recipient |
|---|---|
| 2010 | Maggie Smith |
| 2011 | Stephen Sondheim |
| 2012 | Monica Mason |
| Tim Rice | |
| 2013 | Michael Frayn |
| Gillian Lynne | |
| 2014 | Nicholas Hytner and Nick Starr |
| Michael White | |
| 2015 | Sylvie Guillem |
| Kevin Spacey | |
| 2016 | |
| 2017 | Kenneth Branagh |
| 2018 | David Lan |
| 2019 | Matthew Bourne |
2020s
| Year | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Special Award | Don Black Ian McKellen |
| Special Recognition | Jo Hawes Thelma Holt Stephen Jameson and Sarah Preece Peter Roberts | |
| 2021 | Not presented due to extended closing of theatre productions during COVID-19 pandemic | |
| 2022 | Special Award | none |
| Special Recognition | Lisa Burger Bob King Gloria Louis Susie Sainsbury Sylvia Young | |
| 2023 | Special Award | none |
| Special Recognition | Derek Jacobi Arlene Phillips | |
| 2024 | Special Award | none |
| Special Recognition | Sylvia Addison Vereen Irving Robert Israel Richard Walton Susan Whiddington | |
| 2025 | Special Award | Rufus Norris |
| Special Recognition | Rupert Bielby Bryan Raven Sue Uings | |
- Due to late March 2020 to late July 2021 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
See also
- Special Tony Award
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