Standard Theatre Award for Best Actor

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The Standard Theatre Award for Best Actor is an award presented since 1955 by The Standard in recognition of achievement in London theatre. Richard Burton was the inaugural winner of the award. The most recent recipient is Andrew Scott.

Awarded forBest Actor
Location United Kingdom
Presented byThe Standard
Currently held byBrendan Gleeson for The Weir (2025)
Quick facts Standard Theatre Award for Best Actor, Awarded for ...
Standard Theatre Award
for Best Actor
2025 recipient: Brendan Gleeson
Awarded forBest Actor
Location United Kingdom
Presented byThe Standard
Currently held byBrendan Gleeson for The Weir (2025)
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Simon Russell Beale has won the award the most frequently, with four separate wins. Albert Finney, Ian Holm, Alec McCowen, Laurence Olivier, and Paul Scofield have each won the award thrice, while thirteen other actors have won twice. Chiwetel Ejiofor was the first black actor to win, and Adrian Lester was the second. Two instances have occurred where two actors have been awarded as winners from the same play: In 2011, Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller from Frankenstein; and again in 2013, Rory Kinnear and Lester from Othello. 2001 was the first year in which additional runner-ups/nominees were recognized, rather than just the winners as in all the years' prior.

Winners and nominees

1950s

More information Year, Actor ...
Year Actor Work Character
1955
Richard Burton Henry V Henry V
1956
Paul Scofield The Power and the Glory The Priest
1957
Laurence Olivier The Entertainer Archie Rice
1958
Michael Redgrave A Touch of the Sun Philip Lester
1959
Eric Porter Rosmersholm John Rosmer
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1960s

More information Year, Actor ...
Year Actor Work Character
1960
Alec Guinness Ross T. E. Lawrence
Rex Harrison Platonov Mikhail Platonov
1961
Christopher Plummer Becket Henry II
1962
Paul Scofield King Lear King Lear
1963
Michael Redgrave Uncle Vanya Uncle Vanya
1964
Nicol Williamson Inadmissible Evidence Bill Maitland
1965
Ian Holm Henry V Henry V
1966
Albert Finney A Flea in Her Ear Victor Emmanuel Chandebise
1967
Laurence Olivier Dance of Death Edgar
1968
Alec McCowen Hadrian VII Frederick Rolfe
1969
Nicol Williamson Hamlet Hamlet
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1970s

More information Year, Actor ...
Year Actor Work Character
1970
John Gielgud Home Harry
Ralph Richardson Jack
1971
Alan Bates Butley Ben Butley
1972
Laurence Olivier Long Day's Journey into Night James Tyrone
1973
Alec McCowen The Misanthrope Alceste
1974
John Wood Travesties Henry Carr
1975
John Gielgud No Man's Land Spooner
1976
Albert Finney Tamburlaine the Great Tamburlaine
1977
Donald Sinden King Lear King Lear
1978
Alan Howard Coriolanus Coriolanus
1979
Warren Mitchell Death of a Salesman Willy Loman
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1980s

More information Year, Actor ...
Year Actor Work Character
1980
Tom Courtenay The Dresser Norman
1981
Alan Howard Good John Halder
1982
Alec McCowen The Portage to San Cristobal of A.H. Adolf Hitler
1983
Derek Jacobi Much Ado About Nothing Benedick
1984
Ian McKellen Coriolanus Coriolanus
1985
Antony Sher Richard III Richard III
1986
Albert Finney Orphans Harold
1987
Michael Gambon A View from the Bridge Eddie Carbone
1988
Eric Porter Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Big Daddy
1989
Ian McKellen Othello Iago
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1990s

More information Year, Actor ...
Year Actor Work Character
1990
Richard Harris Henry IV Henry IV
1991
John Wood King Lear King Lear
1992
Nigel Hawthorne The Madness of George III George III
1993
Ian Holm Moonlight Andy
1994
Tom Courtenay Moscow Stations Venichka Yerofeev
1995
Michael Gambon Volpone Volpone
1996
Paul Scofield John Gabriel Borkman John Gabriel Borkman
1997
Ian Holm King Lear King Lear
1998
Kevin Spacey The Iceman Cometh Theodore "Hickey" Hickman
1999
Stephen Dillane The Real Thing Henry
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2000s

More information Year, Actor ...
Year Actor Work Character
2000
Simon Russell Beale Hamlet Prince Hamlet
2001

[1]

Alex Jennings The Relapse and The Winter's Tale Lord Foppington and Leontes
William Houston Henry IV, Part 1 and Part 2 and Henry V Prince Hal and Henry V
Alan Rickman Private Lives Elyot Chase
2002

[2]

Simon Russell Beale Twelfth Night and Uncle Vanya Malvolio and Uncle Vanya
Daniel Craig A Number Bernard 1, Bernard 2, and Michael Black
Tom Georgeson Frozen Ralph Wantage
2003

[3]

Michael Sheen Caligula Caligula
Kenneth Branagh Edmond Edmond Burke
Warren Mitchell The Price Gregory Solomon
2004

[4][5]

Richard Griffiths The History Boys Douglas Hector
Douglas Hodge Dumb Show Barry
Stanley Townsend Shining City John
2005

[6][7]

Simon Russell Beale The Philanthropist Philip
Brian Dennehy Death of a Salesman Willy Loman
Derek Jacobi Don Carlos Philip II of Spain
2006

[8][9]

Rufus Sewell Rock 'n' Roll Jan
Bill Irwin Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? George
Michael Sheen Frost/Nixon David Frost
Kevin Spacey A Moon for the Misbegotten Jim Tyrone
2007

[10][11]

Patrick Stewart Macbeth Macbeth
Charles Dance Shadowlands C.S. Lewis
Robert Lindsay The Entertainer Archie Rice
Mark Rylance Boeing Boeing Robert
2008

[12][13]

Chiwetel Ejiofor Othello Othello
Kenneth Branagh Ivanov Ivanov
David Calder King Lear King Lear
2009

[14][15]

Mark Rylance Jerusalem Johnny "Rooster" Byron
Simon Russell Beale The Winter's Tale Leontes
Ken Stott A View from the Bridge Eddie Carbone
Samuel West ENRON Jeffrey Skilling
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2010s

More information Year, Actor ...
Year Actor Work Character
2010

[16][17]

Rory Kinnear Hamlet and Measure For Measure Hamlet and Angelo
Roger Allam Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2 Falstaff
David Suchet All My Sons Joe Keller
2011

[18][19]

Benedict Cumberbatch Frankenstein The Creature / Victor Frankenstein
Jonny Lee Miller
Bertie Carvel Matilda the Musical Miss Trunchbull
Charles Edwards Much Ado About Nothing Benedick
2012

[20][21]

Simon Russell Beale Collaborators Joseph Stalin
Charles Edwards The King's Speech and This House George VI and Jack Weatherill
Adrian Lester Red Velvet Ira Aldridge
Luke Treadaway The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Christopher Boone
2013

[22]

Rory Kinnear Othello Iago
Adrian Lester Othello
Chiwetel Ejiofor A Season in the Congo Patrice Lumumba
2014

[23][24]

Tom Hiddleston Coriolanus Coriolanus
Ben Miles Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies Thomas Cromwell
Mark Strong A View from the Bridge Eddie Carbone
2015

[25][26]

James McAvoy The Ruling Class Jack Gurney
Kenneth Cranham The Father Andre
Ralph Fiennes Man and Superman Jack Tanner
Simon Russell Beale Temple The Dean
2016

[27][28]

Ralph Fiennes The Master Builder and Richard III Halvard Solness and Richard III
Kenneth Branagh The Entertainer Archie Rice
O. T. Fagbenle Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Levee
James McArdle Platonov Mikhail Platonov
Ian McKellen No Man's Land Spooner
2017

[29][30]

Andrew Garfield Angels in America Prior Walter
Bertie Carvel Ink Rupert Murdoch
Andrew Scott Hamlet Hamlet
2018

[31][32]

Ralph Fiennes Antony and Cleopatra Mark Antony
Bryan Cranston Network Howard Beale
Ian McKellen King Lear King Lear
Colin Morgan Translations Owen
Kyle Soller The Inheritance Eric Glass
2019

[33][34]

Andrew Scott Present Laughter Garry Essendine
K. Todd Freeman Downstate Dee
Francis Guinan Fred
Tom Hiddleston Betrayal Robert
Wendell Pierce Death of a Salesman Willy Loman
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2020s

More information Year, Actor ...
Year Actor Work Character
2022
James McAvoy Cyrano de Bergerac Cyrano
Paapa Essiedu A Number Various
Shubham Saraf The Father and the Assassin Nathuram Godse
Lennie James A Number Salter
Giles Terera Blues for an Alabama Sky Guy Jacobs
2023
Andrew Scott Vanya Various
Paapa Essiedu The Effect Tristan
Mark Gatiss The Motive and the Cue Sir John Gielgud
Paul Mescal A Streetcar Named Desire Stanley Kowalski
2025
[35]
Brendan Gleeson The Weir Jack
Jonathan Bailey Richard II Richard II
Tom Hiddleston Much Ado About Nothing Benedick
Michael Shannon A Moon for the Misbegotten James Tyrone Jr.
David Shields Punch Jacob Dunne
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Multiple awards and nominations

See also

References

External links

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