Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical
American theatre award for Broadway actresses
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The Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress 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 actresses for quality supporting 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.
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Awarded forBest Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
LocationUnited States New York City
Presented byAmerican Theatre Wing The Broadway League
Currently held byShoshana Bean for The Lost Boys (2026)
| Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical | |
|---|---|
2026 Recipient: Shoshana Bean | |
| Awarded for | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical |
| Location | United States New York City |
| Presented by | American Theatre Wing The Broadway League |
| Currently held by | Shoshana Bean for The Lost Boys (2026) |
| 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."[1]
The award was originally called the Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured or Supporting Role in a Musical. It was first presented to Juanita Hall at the 4th Tony Awards for her portrayal of Bloody Mary in South Pacific. Before 1956, nominees' names were not made public;[2] the change was made by the awards committee to "have a greater impact on theatregoers".[3] The category was renamed to its current title in 1976.
Judy Kaye, Andrea Martin and Audra McDonald share the record for having the most wins in this category, with a total of two. Carrie Pipperidge in Carousel and Marge MacDougall in Promises, Promises are the characters to take the award the most times, winning twice. Louise from Gypsy is currently the character with the most nominations in this category, with six. Additionally, each eligible Louise has been nominated for this award.
Winners and nominees
indicates the winner
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1950s
| Year | Actor | Musical | Role(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 (4th) | ||||
| Juanita Hall | South Pacific | Bloody Mary | ||
| 1951 (5th) | ||||
| Isabel Bigley | Guys and Dolls | Sarah Brown | ||
| 1952 (6th) | ||||
| Helen Gallagher | Pal Joey | Gladys Bumps | ||
| 1953 (7th) | ||||
| Sheila Bond | Wish You Were Here | Fay Fromkin | ||
| 1954 (8th) | ||||
| Gwen Verdon | Can-Can | Claudine | ||
| 1955 (9th) | ||||
| Carol Haney | The Pajama Game | Gladys Hotchkiss | ||
| 1956 (10th) | ||||
| Lotte Lenya | The Threepenny Opera | Jenny Diver | [4] | |
| Rae Allen | Damn Yankees | Gloria Thorpe | ||
| Pat Carroll | Catch a Star! | Various Characters | ||
| Judy Tyler | Pipe Dream | Suzy | ||
| 1957 (11th) | ||||
| Edie Adams | Lil' Abner | Daisy Mae | [5] | |
| Virginia Gibson | Happy Hunting | Beth Livingstone | ||
| Irra Petina | Candide | The Old Lady / Madame Sofronia | ||
| Jo Sullivan Loesser | The Most Happy Fella | Rosabella | ||
| 1958 (12th) | ||||
| Barbara Cook | The Music Man | Marian Paroo | [6] | |
| Susan Johnson | Oh, Captain! | Mae | ||
| Carol Lawrence | West Side Story | Maria | ||
| Jackie McKeever | Oh, Captain! | Mrs. Maud St.James | ||
| Josephine Premice | Jamaica | Ginger | ||
| 1959 (13th) | ||||
| Pat Stanley | Goldilocks | Lois Lee | [7] | |
| Julienne Marie | Whoop-Up | Mary Champlain |
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
Most wins
- 2 wins
Most nominations
- 5 nominations
- 4 nominations
- 3 nominations
- 2 nominations
- Tammy Blanchard
- Gretha Boston
- Barbara Cook
- Helen Gallagher
- Jayne Houdyshell
- Cady Huffman
- Nikki M. James
- Patsy Kelly
- Judy Kuhn
- Marcia Lewis
- Priscilla Lopez
- Julienne Marie
- Millicent Martin
- Audra McDonald
- Lindsay Mendez
- Ruthie Ann Miles
- Bebe Neuwirth
- Mary Beth Peil
- Josephine Premice
- Chita Rivera
- Jennifer Simard
- Louise Troy
- Lillias White
- Mary Louise Wilson
Musicals with multiple nominations
boldface=winner
- The Sound of Music – Patricia Neway and Lauri Peters, Kathy Dunn, Evanna Lien, Mary Susan Locke, Marilyn Robers, William Snowden & Joseph Stewart
- A Joyful Noise – Leland Palmer and Susan Watson
- Applause – Bonnie Franklin and Penny Fuller
- Company – Barbara Barrie and Pamela Myers
- A Little Night Music – Patricia Elliott and Hermione Gingold
- Candide – Maureen Brennan and June Gable
- A Chorus Line – Kelly Bishop and Priscilla Lopez
- Side by Side by Sondheim – Millicent Martin and Julia McKenzie
- Ain't Misbehavin' – Nell Carter and Charlayne Woodard
- The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas – Carlin Glynn and Joan Ellis
- West Side Story – Debbie Allen and Josie de Guzman
- Nine – Karen Akers, Liliane Montevecchi and Anita Morris
- Quilters – Evalyn Baron and Lenka Peterson
- The Mystery of Edwin Drood – Patti Cohenour and Jana Schneider
- Les Misérables – Frances Ruffelle and Judy Kuhn
- Me and My Girl – Jane Connell and Jane Summerhays (Les Misérables and Me and My Girl were nominated the same year)
- Cabaret – Alyson Reed and Regina Resnik
- Jerome Robbins' Broadway – Debbie Gravitte, Jane Lanier and Faith Prince
- The Secret Garden – Daisy Eagan and Alison Fraser
- Smokey Joe's Cafe – Brenda Braxton, B.J. Crosby and DeLee Lively
- Contact – Deborah Yates and Karen Ziemba
- Swing! – Laura Benanti and Ann Hampton Callaway (Contact and Swing! were nominated the same year)
- 42nd Street – Kate Levering and Mary Testa
- Nine – Jane Krakowski, Mary Stuart Masterson and Chita Rivera (This is the second time the show had multiple nominations)
- The Boy from Oz – Beth Fowler and Isabel Keating
- The Color Purple – Felicia P. Fields and Elisabeth Withers
- Billy Elliot the Musical – Haydn Gwynne and Carole Shelley
- Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown – Laura Benanti and Patti LuPone
- Fun Home – Judy Kuhn, Sydney Lucas and Emily Skeggs
- Carousel – Renée Fleming and Lindsay Mendez
- Oklahoma! – Ali Stroker and Mary Testa
- Tootsie – Lilli Cooper and Sarah Stiles (Oklahoma! and Tootsie were nominated the same year)
- Jagged Little Pill – Kathryn Gallagher, Celia Rose Gooding and Lauren Patten
- Company – Patti LuPone and Jennifer Simard (This is the second time the show had multiple nominations)
- Hell's Kitchen – Shoshana Bean and Kecia Lewis
See also
- Dorian Award for Outstanding Featured Performance in a Broadway Musical
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical
- Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance
- Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical
- Lists of acting awards
- List of awards for supporting actor
- Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Musical