Some notable records and facts about the Laurence Olivier Awards include the following:
Productions • The most Olivier Awards ever won in the history of the ceremony were given to the play
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in 2017, when it won nine awards including Best New Play. • The record for the most Olivier Awards ever received by a musical is tied between
Paddington: The Musical (2026),
Sunset Boulevard (2024),
Cabaret (2022),
Hamilton (2018) and
Matilda (2012) each of which received seven awards including Best Musical (for
Matilda,
Hamilton and
Paddington) or Best Musical Revival (for
Cabaret and
Sunset Boulevard) •
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (2013) received seven Olivier Awards.
Nicholas Nickleby (1980) and
My Neighbour Totoro (2023) received six.
Life of Pi (2022),
Chimerica (2014),
Sunday in the Park with George (2007),
She Loves Me (1995) and
Guys and Dolls (1982) received five.
Gypsy (2016),
The Book of Mormon (2014),
After the Dance (2011),
Spring Awakening (2010),
Black Watch (2009),
Hairspray (2008),
Jerry Springer: The Opera (2004),
All My Sons (2001),
Billy Elliot (2006),
Hedda Gabler (2006),
Oklahoma (1999),
Stanley (1997),
Machinal (1994),
Sweeney Todd (1994),
An Inspector Calls (1993) and
Carousel (1993) received four. • The most nominations ever received by a production is 13 with
Hamilton (2018) and
Fiddler on the Roof (2025).
Paddington: The Musical (2026),
Into the Woods (2026),
Sunset Boulevard (2024),
Cabaret (2022),
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (2017) and
Hairspray (2008) received 11.
Follies (2018) had 10.
Dear England (2024),
Guys and Dolls (2024),
My Neighbour Totoro (2023),
Life of Pi (2022),
& Juliet (2020),
Come from Away (2019),
Company (2019),
Memphis (2015),
Matilda (2012),
Billy Elliot (2006),
Mary Poppins (2005),
Kiss Me, Kate (2002),
Oklahoma (1999) and
Carousel (1993) received nine.
The Inheritance (2019),
The Ferryman (2018),
Groundhog Day (2017),
Gypsy (2016),
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (2015),
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (2013),
The Producers (2005),
Guys and Dolls (2006),
Jerry Springer (2004),
Pacific Overtures (2004),
Ragtime (2004),
My Fair Lady (2002),
Spend, Spend, Spend (2000),
The Lion King (2000),
Tommy (1997),
She Loves Me (1995) and
Fiddler on the Roof (2020) received eight. •
Kiss Me, Kate (2002) holds the record for most nominations without any wins with nine. • The play
Stereophonic (2026) holds the record for most nominations
without one for Best Production (play or musical, new or revival) with six.
Individuals • Sonia Friedman is the producer with the most Olivier wins with 18. She is also the only producer to have won Best Play, Best Musical, Best Play Revival, and Best Musical Revival. •
William Dudley (designer),
Judi Dench (actress) and
Matthew Bourne (choreographer) are tied for the record for the most competitive wins by an individual with seven each. Dench also won a
Special Olivier Award in 2004. •
Andrew Lloyd Webber (composer/producer) has won six plus the Special Olivier Award in 2008. •
Ian McKellen,
Alan Bennett,
Richard Eyre and
Stephen Sondheim have all won five competitive awards plus the Special Olivier Award. • Six wins:
Paule Constable and
Imelda Staunton. • Five wins:
Declan Donnellan, Mark Henderson, Mark Thompson. • Four wins:
Michael Bryant,
Michael Frayn,
Tim Goodchild,
Clare Higgins,
Alex Jennings,
Sam Mendes,
Trevor Nunn,
Philip Quast,
Willy Russell,
Simon Russell Beale,
Frances de la Tour,
Paule Constable,
Bunny Christie. •
Paule Constable has a record seventeen Olivier nominations, winning an Olivier six times. •
Michael Gambon has thirteen Olivier nominations, winning an Olivier three times. •
Imelda Staunton has fifteen Olivier Nominations, winning the Olivier Award five times. • Performers who have won Olivier Awards in both the play and musical categories are:
Simon Russell Beale,
Jonathan Pryce,
Henry Goodman,
Imelda Staunton,
Judi Dench,
Sheridan Smith,
Janie Dee,
Sharon D. Clarke,
Sheila Atim and
Eddie Redmayne. • Of those 10, Judi Dench is the only performer to win both the play and musical Olivier acting awards in the same year (1996) – for her performances in
Absolute Hell and
A Little Night Music. • In 1991
Karla Burns became the first black performer to win the award, for the role of Queenie in the
Royal Shakespeare Company's production of
Show Boat. •
Maggie Smith has never won the award despite being nominated a total of six times. She did receive the
Special Olivier Award in 2010. •
Sinéad Cusack has never won the award despite being nominated a total of five times. •
Philip Quast has won the Olivier for Best Actor in a Musical on three occasions, while
Michael Crawford,
Robert Lindsay,
Daniel Evans,
Michael Ball and
John Dagleish have all won the award twice. •
Imelda Staunton has won the Olivier for Best Actress in a Musical four times.
Julia McKenzie,
Joanna Riding,
Maria Friedman,
Samantha Spiro and
Katie Brayben have all won twice. Imelda Staunton also holds the record for the most Olivier nominations in the Best Actress in a Musical category, with eight nominations. Maria Friedman is next, with six nominations. • In 1985,
Patti LuPone tied with herself for an Olivier for her performances as
Fantine in the original London cast of
Les Miserables, and as Moll in
The Cradle Will Rock. •
Jenny Galloway and
Tracie Bennett have both won the Olivier for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical twice. • Shows that have won Olivier Awards for both Best Actor and Best Actress in a Musical:
Barbara Dickson and
Con O'Neill in
Blood Brothers (1988),
Jonathan Pryce and
Lea Salonga in
Miss Saigon (1990),
Alun Armstrong and
Julia McKenzie in
Sweeney Todd (1993),
Daniel Evans and
Samantha Spiro in
Merrily We Roll Along (2001),
Alex Jennings and
Joanna Riding in
My Fair Lady (2003),
Daniel Evans and
Jenna Russell in
Sunday in the Park with George (2007),
Michael Ball and
Leanne Jones in
Hairspray (2008),
Bertie Carvel and all four Matildas in
Matilda (2012)
Michael Ball and
Imelda Staunton in
Sweeney Todd (2013),
Eddie Redmayne and
Jessie Buckley in
Cabaret (2022) and
Tom Francis and
Nicole Scherzinger in
Sunset Boulevard (2024) • In 2026
All My Sons received nominations for all 4 acting categories for
Bryan Cranston,
Marianne Jean-Baptiste,
Paapa Essiedu and
Hayley Squires along with nominations for
Best Revival and
Best Director for
Ivo van Hove • In 1984, Tim Flavin was the first American actor to win the Olivier Award for his performance in
On Your Toes at the
Palace Theatre. He was nominated twice in the same year for Most Promising Newcomer and Best Actor in a Musical and the award was presented by Dame
Anna Neagle. In 1985,
Patti LuPone was the first American actress to win an Olivier award for her work in
The Cradle Will Rock and
Les Miserables.
Jessica Lange was the first American actress nominated for the Olivier Award for Best Actress for her performance in ''
Long Day's Journey into Night'' •
Hairspray won all three musical acting awards in 2008: Best Actor and Actress in a Musical for
Michael Ball and
Leanne Jones and Best Supporting Performance in a Musical for
Tracie Bennett.
Cabaret won all four musical acting awards in 2022: Best Actor and Actress ina Musical for
Eddie Redmayne and
Jessie Buckley and Best Actor and Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical for
Elliot Levey and
Liza Sadovy. • Roles that have won awards for actors on more than one occasion include: Miss Adelaide in
Guys and Dolls (1982 and 2006), George in
Sunday in the Park with George (1991 and 2007), The Baker's Wife in
Into the Woods (1991 and 1999), Nicely Nicely Johnson in
Guys and Dolls (1982 and 1997), Sweeney Todd in
Sweeney Todd (1980, 1994 and 2013), Mrs. Lovett in
Sweeney Todd (1994 and 2013), Frau Schneider in
Cabaret (1994 and 2007) and Eliza Doolittle in
My Fair Lady (2002 and 2003). •
Michael Ball,
Bertie Carvel and Jak Malone all won Oliviers for playing roles of the opposite sex, in 2008 for
Hairspray, 2012 for
Matilda, and 2024 for
Operation Mincemeat (musical) respectively. • Shared wins: In 2022, all seven actors sharing the role of the Tiger in
Life of Pi received the Olivier for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. In 2012, all four actresses sharing the role of Matilda in
Matilda the Musical received the Olivier for Best Actress in a Musical. In 2006, all three actors sharing the role of Billy Elliot in
Billy Elliot the Musical received the Olivier for Best Actor in a Musical. • Shared nominations: In 2017, the eight members of the cast (six leads and two understudies) of
Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour were jointly nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Also in 2017, the six cast members from
The Girls were jointly nominated in the Best Actress in a Musical category. In 2019, the six cast members of
Six were jointly nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical for their performances as the six wives of Henry VIII. In 2026 James Hameed and Arti Shah received a joint nomination for the role of
Paddington the Musical in
Best Actor in a Musical. • On 15 April 2012, at age 10 years 299 days,
Eleanor Worthington Cox became the youngest winner of an award, when she received the Olivier for Best Actress in a Musical for
Matilda the Musical. • In 2018,
Billie Piper became the first, and so far only, actor to have won all six of the currently available UK Theatre Best Actress awards for a single performance:
Standard Theatre Awards,
WhatsOnStage Awards,
Critics' Circle Theatre Awards, Broadway UK Theatre Awards,
Glamour Awards and Laurence Olivier Theatre Awards. This accolade was achieved by her performance in
Yerma, which was hailed as "the performance of the decade", "shattering, exhausting, earthquaking" and "unbearably harrowing". ==See also==