• 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==