The Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical is an honor presented at the Tony Awards, a ceremony established in 1947 as the Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, to actors for quality leading roles in a musical play, whether a new production or a revival. The awards are named after Antoinette Perry, an American actress who died in 1946.
| Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical | |
|---|---|
2025 Recipient: Darren Criss | |
| 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 | Darren Criss for Maybe Happy Ending (2025) |
| Website | TonyAwards.com |
Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the Tony Award Productions, a joint venture of The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, to "honor the best performances and stage productions of the previous year."
The award was originally called the Tony Award for Actors—Musical. It was first presented to Paul Hartman at the 2nd Tony Awards for his portrayal of various characters in Angel in the Wings. Before 1956, nominees' names were not made public; the change was made by the awards committee to "have a greater impact on theatregoers".
Nine actors hold the record for having the most wins in this category, with a total of two. John Cullum, Brian d'Arcy James and Raul Julia are tied with the most nominations, with a total of four. Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is the character to take the award the most times, winning three times. Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof is the most nominated character in this category, with five nominations.
Winners and nominees
indicates the winner
1940s
| Year | Actor | Project | Role(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 (1st) | Not awarded | |||
| 1948 (2nd) | ||||
| Paul Hartman | Angel in the Wings | Various Characters | ||
| 1949 (3rd) | ||||
| Ray Bolger | Where's Charley? | Charley Wykeham | ||
1950s
| Year | Actor | Project | Role(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 (4th) | ||||
| Ezio Pinza | South Pacific | Emile De Beque | ||
| 1951 (5th) | ||||
| Robert Alda | Guys and Dolls | Sky Masterson | ||
| 1952 (6th) | ||||
| Phil Silvers | Top Banana | Jerry Biffle | ||
| 1953 (7th) | ||||
| Thomas Mitchell | Hazel Flagg | Dr. Downer | ||
| 1954 (8th) | ||||
| Alfred Drake | Kismet | Hajj | ||
| 1955 (9th) | ||||
| Walter Slezak | Fanny | Panisse | ||
| 1956 (10th) | ||||
| Ray Walston | Damn Yankees | Mr. Applegate | ||
| Stephen Douglass | Damn Yankees | Joe Hardy | ||
| William Johnson | Pipe Dream | Doc | ||
| 1957 (11th) | ||||
| Rex Harrison | My Fair Lady | Henry Higgins | ||
| Fernando Lamas | Happy Hunting | Duke of Granada | ||
| Robert Weede | The Most Happy Fella | Tony | ||
| 1958 (12th) | ||||
| Robert Preston | The Music Man | Harold Hill | ||
| Eddie Foy Jr. | Rumple | Rumple | ||
| Ricardo Montalbán | Jamaica | Koli | ||
| Tony Randall | Oh, Captain! | Captain Henry St. James | ||
| 1959 (13th) | ||||
| Richard Kiley | Redhead | Tom Baxter | ||
| Larry Blyden | Flower Drum Song | Sammy Fong |
1960s
| Year | Actor | Project | Role(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 (14th) | ||||
| Jackie Gleason | Take Me Along | Sid Davis | ||
| Andy Griffith | Destry Rides Again | Destry | ||
| Robert Morse | Take Me Along | Richard Miller | ||
| Anthony Perkins | Greenwillow | Gideon Briggs | ||
| Walter Pidgeon | Take Me Along | Nat Miller | ||
| 1961 (15th) | ||||
| Richard Burton | Camelot | Arthur | ||
| Maurice Evans | Tenderloin | Reverend Brock | ||
| Phil Silvers | Do Re Mi | Hubert Cram | ||
| 1962 (16th) | ||||
| 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) | ||||
| 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) | ||||
| 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) | ||||
| 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) | ||||
| 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) | ||||
| 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) | ||||
| 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) | ||||
| 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 | Project | Role(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 (24th) | ||||
| Cleavon Little | Purlie | Purlie | ||
| Len Cariou | Applause | Bill Sampson | ||
| Robert Weede | Cry for Us All | Edward Quinn | ||
| 1971 (25th) | ||||
| 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) | ||||
| Phil Silvers | A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum | Pseudolus | ||
| Barry Bostwick | Grease | Danny Zuko | ||
| Clifton Davis | Two Gentlemen of Verona | Valentine | ||
| Raul Julia | Proteus | |||
| 1973 (27th) | ||||
| 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) | ||||
| 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) | ||||
| 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) | ||||
| 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) | ||||
| 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) | ||||
| 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) | ||||
| 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 | Project | Role(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 (34th) | ||||
| 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) | ||||
| 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) | ||||
| 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) | ||||
| 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) | ||||
| 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) | Not awarded | |||
| 1986 (40th) | ||||
| 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) | ||||
| Robert Lindsay | Me and My Girl | Bill Snibson | ||
| Roderick Cook | Oh, Coward! | Performer | ||
| Terrence Mann | Les Misérables | Javert | ||
| Colm Wilkinson | Jean Valjean | |||
| 1988 (42nd) | ||||
| 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) | ||||
| Jason Alexander | Jerome Robbins' Broadway | Various Characters | ||
| Gabriel Barre | Starmites | Trinkulus | ||
| Robert La Fosse | Jerome Robbins' Broadway | Various Characters | ||
| Brian Lane Green | Starmites | Spacepunk | ||
1990s
| Year | Actor | Project | Role(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 (44th) | ||||
| 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) | ||||
| 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) | ||||
| 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) | ||||
| 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) | ||||
| 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) | ||||
| 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) | ||||
| 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) | ||||
| 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) | ||||
| Alan Cumming | Cabaret | The Master of Ceremonies | ||
| Peter Friedman | Ragtime | Tateh | ||
| Douglas Sills | The Scarlet Pimpernel | Percy Blakeney | ||
| Brian Stokes Mitchell | Ragtime | Coalhouse Walker Jr. | ||
| 1999 (53rd) | ||||
| 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 | Project | Role(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 (54th) | ||||
| 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) | ||||
| 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) | ||||
| John Lithgow | Sweet Smell of Success | J.J. Hunsecker | ||
| Gavin Creel | Thoroughly Modern Millie | Jimmy Smith | ||
| John Cullum | Urinetown | Caldwell B. Cladwell | ||
| John McMartin | Into the Woods | Narrator / Mysterious Man | ||
| Patrick Wilson | Oklahoma! | Curly McLain | ||
| 2003 (57th) | ||||
| Harvey Fierstein | Hairspray | Edna Turnblad | ||
| Antonio Banderas | Nine | Guido Contini | ||
| Malcolm Gets | Amour | Dusoleil | ||
| John Selya | Movin' Out | Eddie | ||
| Brian Stokes Mitchell | Man of La Mancha | Don Quixote / Cervantes | ||
| 2004 (58th) | ||||
| 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) | ||||
| 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) | ||||
| 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) | ||||
| 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) | ||||
| Paulo Szot | Rodgers & Hammerstein's 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) | ||||
| David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik and 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 | Project(s) | Role(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 (64th) | ||||
| 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) | ||||
| 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) | ||||
| 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) | ||||
| Billy Porter | Kinky Boots | Lola / Simon | ||
| Bertie Carvel | Matilda the Musical | Miss Trunchbull | ||
| Santino Fontana | Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella | Prince Topher | ||
| Rob McClure | Chaplin | Charlie Chaplin | ||
| Stark Sands | Kinky Boots | Charlie Price | ||
| 2014 (68th) | ||||
| 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) | ||||
| 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) | ||||
| 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) | ||||
| 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 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) | ||||
| 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 | Project | Role(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 (74th) | ||||
| Aaron Tveit | Moulin Rouge! The Musical | Christian | ||
| 2021 | No ceremony | |||
| 2022 (75th) | ||||
| Myles Frost | MJ | MJ | ||
| Billy Crystal | Mr. Saturday Night | Buddy Young, Jr. | ||
| Hugh Jackman | The Music Man | Harold Hill | ||
| Rob McClure | Mrs. Doubtfire | Daniel Hillard | ||
| Jaquel Spivey | A Strange Loop | Usher | ||
| 2023 (76th) | ||||
| J. Harrison Ghee | Some Like It Hot | Jerry/Daphne | ||
| Christian Borle | Some Like It Hot | Joe/Josephine | ||
| Josh Groban | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street | Sweeney Todd | ||
| Brian d'Arcy James | Into the Woods | The Baker | ||
| Ben Platt | Parade | Leo Frank | ||
| Colton Ryan | New York, New York | Jimmy Doyle | ||
| 2024 (77th) | ||||
| Jonathan Groff | Merrily We Roll Along | Franklin Shepard | ||
| Brody Grant | The Outsiders | Ponyboy Curtis | ||
| Dorian Harewood | The Notebook | Older Noah Calhoun | ||
| Brian d'Arcy James | Days of Wine and Roses | Joe Clay | ||
| Eddie Redmayne | Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club | Emcee | ||
| 2025 (78th) | ||||
| Darren Criss | Maybe Happy Ending | Oliver | ||
| Andrew Durand | Dead Outlaw | Elmer McCurdy | ||
| Tom Francis | Sunset Blvd. | Joe Gillis | ||
| Jonathan Groff | Just in Time | Bobby Darin | ||
| James Monroe Iglehart | A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical | Louis Armstrong | ||
| Jeremy Jordan | Floyd Collins | Floyd Collins | ||
Statistics
Most wins
- 2 wins
- Norbert Leo Butz
- John Cullum
- Richard Kiley
- Nathan Lane
- Zero Mostel
- James Naughton
- Robert Preston
- George Rose
- Phil Silvers
Most nominations
- 4 nominations
- John Cullum
- Brian d'Arcy James
- Raul Julia
- 3 nominations
- Len Cariou
- Michael Cerveris
- Alfred Drake
- Joel Grey
- Jonathan Groff
- George Hearn
- Gregory Hines
- Richard Kiley
- Nathan Lane
- Brian Stokes Mitchell
- Robert Morse
- Robert Preston
- George Rose
- Phil Silvers
- 2 nominations
- Herschel Bernardi
- Ray Bolger
- Christian Borle
- Barry Bostwick
- Alex Brightman
- Matthew Broderick
- Danny Burstein
- Norbert Leo Butz
- David Carroll
- Brent Carver
- Jack Cassidy
- Kevin Chamberlin
- Gavin Creel
- Tim Curry
- Jim Dale
- Santino Fontana
- Victor Garber
- Josh Groban
- Joshua Henry
- Hugh Jackman
- Jeremy Jordan
- Andy Karl
- John Lithgow
- Terrence Mann
- Rob McClure
- John McMartin
- Lin-Manuel Miranda
- Zero Mostel
- James Naughton
- Jerry Orbach
- Mandy Patinkin
- David Hyde Pierce
- Ben Platt
- Martin Short
- Robert Weede
- Patrick Wilson
- Tom Wopat
Character win total
- 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
Character nomination total
- 5 nominations
- Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof
- 4 nominations
- Sweeney Todd from Sweeney Todd
- 3 nominations
- Albin from La Cage aux Folles
- Noble Eggleston / Val du Val / Fred Poitrine from Little Me †
- Harold Hill from The Music Man
- Henry Higgins from My Fair Lady
- Pseudolus from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
- 2 nominations
- Billy Flynn from Chicago
- Bobby from Company
- Charley Wykeham from Where's Charley?
- Chuck Baxter from Promises, Promises
- Curly McLain from Oklahoma!
- Don Quixote / Cervantes from Man of La Mancha
- Dr. Pangloss from Candide
- Emile de Becque from South Pacific
- Fagin from Oliver!
- Georg Nowack from She Loves Me
- George from La Cage aux Folles
- Georges from Sunday in the Park with George
- Guido Contini from Nine
- Horace Vandergelder from Hello, Dolly!
- J. Pierrepont Finch from How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
- Jean Valjean from Les Misérables
- Jerry/Daphne from Sugar and Some Like It Hot
- Joe Gillis from Sunset Boulevard
- Leo Frank from Parade
- Master of Ceremonies from Cabaret
- The King of Siam from The King and I
- Marvin from Falsettos
- Mr. Applegate from Damn Yankees
- Nathan Detroit from Guys and Dolls
- Amos Pinchley / Otto Schnitzler / Prince Cherney / Noble Junior from Little Me †
- Porgy from Porgy and Bess
- Tony from The Most Happy Fella
† – 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
boldface=winner
- Damn Yankees – Ray Walston and Stephen Douglass
- Take Me Along – Jackie Gleason, Robert Morse and Walter Pidgeon
- Two Gentlemen of Verona – Clifton Davis and Raul Julia
- My Fair Lady – George Rose and Ian Richardson
- The Pirates of Penzance – Kevin Kline and George Rose
- La Cage aux Folles – George Hearn and Gene Barry
- Les Misérables – Terrence Mann and Colm Wilkinson
- Jerome Robbins' Broadway – Jason Alexander and Robert La Fosse
- Starmites – Gabriel Barre and Brian Lane Green (Jerome Robbins' Broadway and Starmites were competing in the same year)
- City of Angels – James Naughton and Gregg Edelman
- Show Boat – Mark Jacoby and John McMartin
- Ragtime – Peter Friedman and Brian Stokes Mitchell
- The Producers – Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick
- Dirty Rotten Scoundrels – Norbert Leo Butz and John Lithgow
- Monty Python's Spamalot – Hank Azaria and Tim Curry (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Monty Python's Spamalot were competing in the same year)
- Billy Elliot the Musical – David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik and Kiril Kulish (joint winners)
- La Cage aux Folles – Douglas Hodge and Kelsey Grammer (the second time this show received two nominations)
- The Book of Mormon – Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells
- Follies – Danny Burstein and Ron Raines
- Kinky Boots – Billy Porter and Stark Sands
- A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder – Jefferson Mays and Bryce Pinkham
- Hamilton – Lin-Manuel Miranda and Leslie Odom Jr.
- Some Like It Hot – Christian Borle and J. Harrison Ghee
Multiple awards and nominations
- Actors who have been nominated multiple times in any acting categories
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Facts
- The lead role of Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum has earned the Tony Award for the three different actors who have performed the character:
- 1963 – Zero Mostel
- 1972 – Phil Silvers
- 1996 – Nathan Lane
- In 1989, Jason Alexander won the award for portraying several characters in Jerome Robbins' Broadway, amongst them, the role of Pseudolus.
- Three other male roles have produced multiple Tony Award winners: J. Pierrepont Finch in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying:
- 1962 – Robert Morse
- 1995 – Matthew Broderick
- Emile de Beque in South Pacific:
- 1950 – Ezio Pinza
- 2008 – Paulo Szot
- and Albin in La Cage Aux Folles:
- 1984 – George Hearn
- 2010 – Douglas Hodge
- Gary Beach, who played Albin in the 2005 revival, was nominated but lost the award to Norbert Leo Butz in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
- Two actors have won for their performances in My Fair Lady, each for a different character:
- 1957 – Rex Harrison, playing Henry Higgins
- 1976 – George Rose, playing Alfred P. Doolitle
- Ian Richardson and Harry Hadden-Paton, who played Henry Higgins in 1976 and 2018, respectively, were also nominated.
- The lead role with most nominations is Tevye, in Fiddler on the Roof. Five actors have been nominated for their portrayals, with one win:
- 1965 – Zero Mostel (winner)
- 1982 – Herschel Bernardi
- 1991 – Chaim Topol
- 2004 – Alfred Molina
- 2016 – Danny Burstein
- In 1989, Jason Alexander won the award for portraying several characters in Jerome Robbins' Broadway, amongst them, the role of Tevye.
- Take Me Along is the only production to receive three nominations for the award – Jackie Gleason (winner), Robert Morse and Walter Pidgeon.
- The lead role of Sweeney Todd from Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street has received 4 nominations, though only Len Cariou has won the award for playing the role, which he originated.
- Actors have won Tonys for both Best Actor in a Play and "Best Actor in a Musical" for playing Cyrano de Bergerac: Jose Ferrer in Cyrano de Bergerac and Christopher Plummer in Cyrano.
- Four roles have been nominated in this category that have also been classified in the category Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical. George Rose won the 1976 Best Actor Award for playing Alfred P. Doolittle in My Fair Lady whereas Stanley Holloway and Norbert Leo Butz were nominated in the featured category for playing the part in 1956 and 2018, respectively. Similarly, Lou Diamond Phillips and Ken Watanabe were nominated for Best Actor for playing the King of Siam in The King and I in 1996 and 2015, respectively, while Yul Brynner won the Best Featured Actor Tony for the same role in 1951. Alan Cumming won and Eddie Redmayne was nominated in Best Actor for playing the Master of Ceremonies in Cabaret in 1998 and 2024, respectively, while Joel Grey won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor for the role in 1966. Also, Jack Gilford was nominated for Best Actor for playing Herr Schultz in Cabaret, a role for which four actors have subsequently been nominated for Best Featured Actor.
- Harvey Fierstein was the first actor to win the award for portraying a female character, for his 2003 performance as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray. Neil Patrick Harris won in 2014 for his performance as Hedwig, a genderqueer woman in Hedwig and the Angry Inch.
- There have never been consecutive victories, and only five actors have managed, over the decades, to score consecutive nominations: Gregory Hines (1980/1981), George Hearn (1983/1984), Patrick Wilson (2001/2002), Michael Cerveris (2006/2007), and Jonathan Groff (2024/2025).
- In 2009, David Álvarez, Trent Kowalik, and Kiril Kulish were jointly nominated for the award for their performances in Billy Elliot the Musical as the titular character. They won the award, marking the first time three actors have received it.
- The oldest performer to win in this category is Bert Lahr who was 68 when he won for Foxy in 1964. The youngest winner is Trent Kowalik who won for Billy Elliot at age 14. He shared the award with David Álvarez and Kiril Kulish – both 15 at the time.
- The role of The Leading Player in Pippin holds the distinction of winning in both Best Leading Actor and Leading Actress categories. Ben Vereen won in 1972, while Patina Miller won in the leading actress category for the 2013 revival.
- Darren Criss became the first Asian American actor to win in this category for his performance as Oliver in Maybe Happy Ending in 2025.
See also
- Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play
- Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play
- Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical
- Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical
- Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical
- List of Tony Award-nominated productions
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