Movie actors who have won a Tony Award for Leading Actor

- Title: "Mister Roberts" (Play)
- Year: 1948

Legendary actor Henry Fonda started his five-decade-long film career in 1935 after finding success on Broadway. Fonda won the Tony Award for Lead Actor in 1948 for his performance in the World War II play “Mister Roberts” based on the novel by Thomas Heggen. In March 1982, Fonda won Best Actor at the Oscars for his performance in “On Golden Pond.”

- Title: "Where's Charley?" (Musical)
- Year: 1949

Actor Ray Bolger won the Tony Award for Leading Man in a Musical for his performance in “Where's Charley?” in 1948. Bolger became forever connected with the musical's most famous song “Once in Love with Amy” which he performed regularly on variety shows. However, Bolger is best known for an even more famous character: he played the Scarecrow in “The Wizard of Oz.”

- Title: "Fanny" (Musical)
- Year: 1955

Walter Slezak was an Austrian actor who was often cast as a bad guy after arriving in Hollywood in the 1930s. He played a German submarine captain in Alfred Hitchcock's “Lifeboat,” a 1944 film written by John Steinbeck and Jo Swerling. A decade later, he starred as Panisse—a rich older man who marries the pregnant woman at the center of the play—in the Broadway musical “Fanny.” He won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 1955.

- Title: "The Disenchanted" (Play)
- Year: 1959

Jason Robards—son of actor Jason Robards Sr.—saw his acting career bloom after returning from service in World War II. In the mid-1970s, Robards became a two-time Oscar winner; he is one of just 42 actors to achieve that feat. In 1959, he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for a performance as Manley Halliday, a 1920s renowned author whose star has faded by the time he collaborates with a younger writer in the 1930s.

- Title: "Take Me Along" (Musical)
- Year: 1960

Jackie Gleason was an actor and comedian with a sharp edge and a New York brashness and bravado. Gleason started by performing in clubs before getting a string of film and stage roles throughout the 1940s. Gleason won the Tony Award for Best Lead Actor in a Musical for "Take Me Along" which played at Broadway's Shubert Theater from October 1959 to December 1960.

- Title: "Camelot" (Musical)
- Year: 1961

For a time, the Welsh thespian was believed to be the next Laurence Olivier; instead, after an impressive run doing Shakespeare in the 1950s at the Old Vic in London, he fell into drinking, womanizing, and public marital controversy with on-and-off lover Elizabeth Taylor. In 1960, Burton played King Arthur in the musical that also starred Julie Andrews as Guinevere and was written by Lerner and Loewe of “My Fair Lady” fame; he won the Tony for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance.

- Title: "Dylan" (Play)
- Year: 1964

Sir Alec Guinness began his acting career on the stage, playing many Shakespearean characters at London's Old Vic theater throughout the 1930s. The greatest moments in his film career came later in life when Guinness appeared in a run of classics by director David Lean: “The Bridge Over River Kwai,” “Lawrence of Arabia,” and “Doctor Zhivago.” He won the Tony for Best Actor for his performance as the writer Dylan Thomas in “Dylan,” which was written by David Michaels and ran at the Plymouth Theater from January to September of 1964.

- Title: "Foxy" (Musical)
- Year: 1964

Bert Lahr began his career on stage but gave his most lasting acting performance as the Cowardly Lion in “The Wizard of Oz.” Starting in the mid-1950s, Lahr began a run of serious theater roles, including playing Estragon in the U.S. premiere of “Waiting for Godot.” In 1964, he won Best Actor in a Musical for his performance in “Foxy,” a musical that takes place during the Klondike Gold Rush, which ran from February to April 1964 at the Ziegfeld Theater on Broadway.

- Title: "The Odd Couple" (Play)
- Year: 1965

After winning the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in 1962's “A Shot in the Dark,” Walter Matthau won the Tony Award for Best Lead Actor in 1965's “The Odd Couple,” which was written by Neil Simon and directed by Mike Nichols. In 1968, Matthau starred in the film adaptation alongside Jack Lemmon; the two would star alongside each other in films for decades to come.

- Title: "Promises, Promises" (Musical)
- Year: 1969

Jerry Orbach is best known for his role as Detective Lennie Briscoe on "Law and Order," but he made his name in the New York City theater scene, starring in the original runs of "Chicago" and "42nd Street." He won the Tony Award for Best Lead Actor in a Musical for his performance in "Promises, Promises," which was a musical based on the film "The Apartment." Burt Bacharach wrote the music for the play, which ran from 1968 to 1972 at Broadway's Shubert Theater, and one of the songs ("I'll Never Fall in Love Again") became a hit single for Dionne Warwick.

- Title: "Purlie" (Musical)
- Year: 1970

Cleavon Little made his Broadway debut in 1969's “Jimmy Shine” which starred Dustin Hoffman. The next year, he returned to Broadway to star in “Purlie,” a role that won him the Best Lead Actor in a Musical Tony. The play led Little to the small screen and then to the silver screen, where his most iconic role was as Sheriff Bart in Mel Brooks' “Blazing Saddles.”

- Title: "The Rothschilds" (Musical)
- Year: 1971

Hal Linden broke into the Broadway theater world by replacing Sydney Chaplin in “Bells are Ringing” in 1958. More than a decade later, Linden won the Tony for Best Lead Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of Mayor Rothschild in the musical “The Rothschilds,” which ran at the Lunt-Fontanne Theater from October 1970 to January 1972. In 1974, he landed the titular role on the network police comedy “Barney Miller,” which became his most famous character.

- Title: "The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel" (Play)
- Year: 1977

In April 1977, a revival of “The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel” opened at Broadway's Longacre Theatre with Al Pacino in the leading role. Pacino was fresh off one of the greatest four-year runs in film acting history (“The Godfather,” “Serpico,” “The Godfather: Part II,” “Dog Day Afternoon”), during which he grabbed four Oscar nominations, but zero wins. He finally got a lead acting award, delivering a Tony Award-winning performance as Hummel, a soldier who trains for and then dies in Vietnam.

- Title: "The Robber Bridegroom" (Musical)
- Year: 1977

Two years after his starring role as Brad Majors in the cult-classic musical horror comedy “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” Barry Bostwick won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of Jamie Lockhart in “The Robber Bridegroom.” The play, which opened October 1976 at the Biltmore Theater on Broadway, tells the story of a Robin Hood-like character who heroically pillages late-18th-century Mississippi. Years later, he had a role as the mayor on the Michael J. Fox sitcom “Spin City.”

- Title: "Barnum" (Musical)
- Year: 1980

In 1971, English actor Jim Dale set out from London's illustrious Old Vic theater to co-found the Young Vic, a cheaper, more youth-oriented theater aimed at bringing great theater to the under-30s. In 1980, he starred in "Barnum" which ran at the St. James Theater on Broadway until May 1982. Dale won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of P.T. Barnum; the play covers the showman's life and Glenn Close co-starred as Barnum's wife.

- Title: "Amadeus" (Play)
- Year: 1981

One of the great British actors, Sir Ian McKellen has played Richard II, Macbeth, Iago, and Estragon on stage, and Gandalf, Magneto, and James Whale on screen. McKellen spent his early career becoming one of the most respected stage actors in London before coming to Broadway for a performance in the original performance of “Amadeus” in December 1980. McKellen played Antonio Salieri opposite Tim Curry's Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in the performance which ran for three years at Broadway's Broadhurst Theater. It was not until the mid-1990s that he started starring in feature films.

- Title: "The Real Thing" (Play)
- Year: 1984

After spending 15 years in London's West End theater scene, Jeremy Irons came to Broadway to star in “The Real Thing” at the Plymouth Theater in January 1984. Irons won the Tony for Best Actor playing Henry opposite Glenn Close's Annie during the play's 16-month run. Irons went on to have an Oscar-winning film acting career.

- Title: "Me and My Girl" (Musical)
- Year: 1987

English actor Robert Lindsay spent his early career appearing in British films and in plays in London's West End. Lindsay came to New York to star in “Me and My Girl” at the Marquis Theatre along with Maryann Plunkett; Lindsay and Plunkett won the Best Actor and Actress in a Musical Tony Awards.

- Title: "Jerome Robbins' Broadway" (Musical)
- Year: 1989

1989 was a life-changing year for Jason Alexander. Starting in February, he starred in “Jerome Robbins' Broadway”—a sort of greatest hits musical featuring works by director/choreographer Robbins—and won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. That July, he started playing a character named George Costanza in a little NBC show named “Seinfeld.”

- Title: "Miss Saigon" (Musical)
- Year: 1991

In 1991, Pryce starred as the Engineer in the original version of "Miss Saigon," which tells a love story between an American GI and a Vietnamese woman during the Vietnam War. The show opened at the Broadway Theatre and, incredibly, played for a decade straight, racking up 4,092 performances. Recently, Pryce played the High Sparrow on HBO's "Game of Thrones."

- Title: "Jelly's Last Jam" (Musical)
- Year: 1992

Gregory Hines made his name as a child dancer and found his way to theater after a career in the Los Angeles music scene. The actor was a musical theater star on Broadway, getting Tony nominations for Broadway performances during the late-70s and early-80s before finally winning Best Actor in a Musical for his performance in “Jelly's Last Jam” in 1992, in which he played famed musician Jelly Roll Morton. Hines's most memorable film role was as a Roman soldier in Mel Brooks' “History of the World, Part I.”

- Title: "She Loves Me" (Musical)
- Year: 1994

In 1994, Boyd Gaines won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of Georg Nowack, a Budapest shopkeeper. The musical is an adaptation of the same 1937 play that was later adapted into “You've Got Mail.” He became a TV actor, with appearances on “Law and Order” and “L.A. Law” throughout the 1990s.

- Title: "Hamlet" (Play)
- Year: 1995

English actor Ralph Fiennes first gained acclaim in the English theater as a Shakespearean actor in the 1980s. In 1995, Fiennes made his Broadway debut playing Hamlet at the Belasco Theatre; he won the Tony Award for Best Actor for his performance. In 1993, Fiennes gave his most famous on-screen performance, winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Nazi Amon Göth in “Schindler's List.”

- Title: "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" (Musical)
- Year: 1995

A rave review from a New York Times' critic helped launch Matthew Broderick's career, and by 1995, Broderick played J. Pierrepont Finch in “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” which ran from March 1995 to July 1996 at Broadway's Richard Rodgers Theatre; he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance. Broderick is best known for his iconic performance as a magnetic, rule-bending teenager in “Ferris Bueller's Day Off.”

- Title: "Cabaret" (Musical)
- Year: 1998

Alan Cumming began his career in Glasgow before making a name for himself in London's theater scene and on British television. He finally made his Broadway debut in March 1998 as Master of Ceremonies in a revival of "Cabaret"; the play takes place at Berlin's Kit Kat Klub right as the Nazis are rising to power. Cumming won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.

- Title: "Little Me" (Musical)
- Year: 1999

Martin Short first broke through on "Second City Television" and "Saturday Night Live," which he joined in 1984. In 1999, he starred in a Broadway revival of “Little Me” and won a Tony Award for Best Actor for the play in which he portrayed eight different roles in the Neil Simon musical. He's been in dozens of films throughout his 35-year on-screen career.

- Title: "The Real Thing" (Play)
- Year: 2000

Stephen Dillane is an English actor who got his career started on stage, with breakout roles in “Angels in America” and “Endgame.” His performance as Henry in the Broadway revival of “The Real Thing” won him the Tony Award for Best Actor; the revival played at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre from April to August 2000. Dillane gave a memorable performance as Virginia Woolf's husband in “The Hours” but is best known for his role of Stannis Baratheon in HBO's “Game of Thrones.”

- Title: "Sweet Smell of Success" (Musical)
- Year: 2002

John Lithgow has a nearly unbelievable amount of nominations and awards for acting: 12 Emmy nominations (with six wins), five Golden Globe nominations (with two wins), two Oscar nominations, and six Tony nominations (with two Tony wins). Lithgow won his first Tony Award for a role in 1973's “The Changing Room”; it was his Broadway debut. Most recently, Lithgow won the Emmy for his portrayal of Winston Churchill on the Netflix series “The Crown.”

- Title: "The Boy from Oz" (Musical)
- Year: 2004

Australian actor Hugh Jackman has had a fantastically varied career, as both a musical theater star and a hulked-out, cigar-chomping mutant superhero. In 2003, Jackman made his Broadway debut in “The Boy from Oz,” starring as Australian singer Peter Allen in the musical biography which ran at the Imperial Theatre from October 2013 to September 2014. Jackman won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance at the theater award show, which he also hosted.

- Title: "Curtains" (Musical)
- Year: 2007

David Hyde Pierce made his Broadway debut in 1982 in the short-running original comedy "Beyond Therapy," but his career breakthrough didn't happen until he was cast as Kelsey Grammer's younger brother on the Emmy-winning "Cheers" spin-off "Frasier" in 1993. After "Frasier" ended, he starred as Lieutenant Frank Cioffi in a Los Angeles production of "Curtains," a musical comedy that tells the story of a murder of an untalented actress and the detective/musical theater enthusiast who is tasked with solving the crime. The play moved to Broadway's Al Hirschfeld Theatre in March 2007 and ran until January 2008, winning him the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance.

- Title: "Exit the King" (Play)
- Year: 2009

Geoffrey Rush began his career with an impressive stage run in the Australian theater scene, before breaking through on the silver screen with his Academy Award-winning performance in the 1996 film “Shine.” Rush made his Broadway debut in “Exit the King,” starring as King Berenger alongside Susan Sarandon in an absurdist drama by playwright Eugène Ionesco. The revival opened at Broadway's Ethel Barrymore Theatre in March 2009 and ran until June of that year; Rush won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his performance.

- Title: "Fences" (Play)
- Year: 2010

Denzel Washington needs no introduction, and his career is impossible to summarize in something as small as a blurb. But, to try: Washington started as a promising off-Broadway performer before becoming a huge movie star. In April 2010, “Fences” opened at the Cort Theatre, with Washington starring alongside Viola Davis (they both won Best Acting Tonys for their performances). The play, written by August Wilson in 1985, was adapted into a film, for which Davis won Best Supporting Actress and Washington was nominated for Best Actor at the 2017 Academy Awards.

- Title: "One Man, Two Guvnors" (Play)
- Year: 2012

English comedian James Corden first broke through with a role on the British show “Fat Friends” in 2000, but his star-making role was on BBC's “Gavin and Stacey,” a critically acclaimed comedy which he starred in and co-wrote from 2007–2010. In June 2011, Corden began starring in the comedy play “One Man, Two Guvnors” at London's Royal National Theatre; the show moved to Broadway's Music Box Theatre in April 2012. Corden won the Tony for Best Actor in a Play for his portrayal of Francis Henshall, an out-of-work musician who becomes a servant to two different bosses.

- Title: "All the Way" (Play)
- Year: 2014

Bryan Cranston's first breakthrough role came as Jerry's dentist on “Seinfeld,” but his most notable career-making role was as Hal on the Fox sitcom “Malcolm in the Middle,” which started airing in 2000. Cranston gave the performance of his life on “Breaking Bad,” portraying a chemistry teacher-turned-meth-kingpin in the Emmy-winning AMC series. In March 2014, Cranston made his Broadway debut in “All the Way”—playing President Lyndon Johnson in a production that won him a Tony.

- Title: "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" (Musical)
- Year: 2014

Neil Patrick Harris was a star before he could drink a beer, starring as the titular role on the ABC show "Doogie Howser, M.D." which followed a young Harris as he balanced the struggles of being a doctor and a teenager. Harris made his first mark on Broadway after taking over for Alan Cumming in the lead role in "Cabaret," but it was his starring role in "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" in which he finally fully realized his potential as a bonafide musical theater star. Harris won the Tony for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance in "Hedwig," which ran from April 2014 to September 2015 at the Belasco Theatre.

- Title: "Fun Home" (Musical)
- Year: 2015

American actor Michael Cerveris appeared in off-Broadway plays throughout the 1980s before making his Broadway debut in 1993's “The Who's Tommy,” in which he played the titular role. It was his performance as Bruce in “Fun Home”—a 2015 musical adaptation of Alison Bechdel's graphic novel about her complicated relationship with her gay father—that finally won him the Best Actor in a Musical Tony Award. “Fun Home” opened in April 2015 at the Circle in the Square Theatre and ran through September 2016. Cerveris has also appeared in a handful of films and in recurring roles on the TV shows “Fringe,” “Treme,” and “The Good Wife.”

- Title: "Angels in America" (Play)
- Year: 2018

After breaking into Hollywood with a role in 2007's “Lions for Lambs,” Andrew Garfield became a star playing Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin in David Fincher's “The Social Network” in 2010. In 2017, Garfield starred in the role of Prior Walter in a revival of “Angels in America” at London's Royal Theatre; the epic play moved to Broadway's Neil Simon Theatre in March 2018, running for four months. Garfield won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his performance.

- Title: "The Band's Visit" (Musical)
- Year: 2018

Tony Shalhoub made his Broadway debut in the 1985 revival of “The Odd Couple,” and by the 1990s, he started performing in television, eventually landing the lead on the show “Monk.” Shalhoub has starred in five Broadway plays since 2010; his most recent role, as Tewfiq in the original musical “The Band's Visit,” won him the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. The play ran from November 2017 to April 2019 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway.

- Titles: "Top Banana," "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" (Musicals)
- Years: 1952, 1972

Actor and comedian Phil Silvers is best known for his role as Sergeant Ernest G. Bilko in the mid-1950s CBS hit “The Phil Silvers Show,” but Silvers made his Broadway debut 15 years earlier. From November 1951 to December 1952, Silvers played Jerry Biffle in the original musical comedy “Top Banana” and won Best Actor in a Musical for his performance.

- Titles: "The Music Man," "I Do! I Do!" (Musicals)
- Years: 1958, 1967

Robert Preston made his film acting debut in the 1938 film "King of Alcatraz" when he was 20 years old. He continued to star in many films throughout the 1930s and 1940s, but it was a 1950s role that would make him a legendary star. From December 1957 to January 1959, Preston starred as Harold Hill in the original musical "The Music Man," which opened at Broadway's Majestic Theatre and won him a Tony.

- Titles: "Redhead," "Man of La Mancha" (Musicals)
- Years: 1959, 1966

It was his performance in “Redhead” at the 46th Street Theatre from February 1959 to March 1960 that won him his first Best Actor in a Musical Tony. Kiley played Tom Baxter in the musical that centers around a murder and a Victorian-era wax museum. Kiley played the Pilot in 1974's filmed adaptation of “The Little Prince”; he also was cast as the Jurassic Park tour voice in the 1993 blockbuster.

- Titles: "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," "Tru" (Musical, Play)
- Years: 1962, 1990

In 1961, Robert Morse starred in the original Broadway musical “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” as J. Pierrepont Finch, a mailroom worker who becomes the chairman of the board. The play ran for almost four years at the 46th Street Theatre, and Morse won the Tony for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance. Morse gave a memorable performance much later in life as Bertram Cooper, a partner at Don Draper's ad agency, in AMC's “Mad Men.”

- Titles: "The Great White Hope," "Fences" (Plays)
- Years: 1969, 1987

James Earl Jones made his Broadway debut in 1957 and won his first Tony Award 12 years later for his performance as Jack Jefferson in “The Great White Hope.” The play, which tells a version of the story of boxer Jack Johnson and his controversial marriage to his first wife, ran from October 1968 to January 1970 at Broadway's Alvin Theatre. Jones has starred in films for six decades with endless iconic roles, including Darth Vader in “Star Wars” and Terence Mann in “Field of Dreams.”

- Titles: "Cyrano," "Barrymore" (Musical, Play)
- Years: 1974, 1997

The Canadian actor was in his first film in 1958 and, incredibly, has continued giving memorable, award-winning performances well into his 80s, winning an Academy Award at age 82 for “Beginners” and getting an acting nomination at age 88 for his portrayal of J. Paul Getty. Plummer made his Broadway debut in 1954 and won Best Actor in a Musical for his performance as Cyrano de Bergerac in “Cyrano,” which played at Broadway's Palace Theatre from May to June 1973.

- Titles: "Shenandoah," "On the Twentieth Century" (Musicals)
- Years: 1975, 1978

From January 1975 to August 1977, John Cullum starred as Charlie Anderson in "Shenandoah," a Civil War drama that debuted at Broadway's Alvin Theater. Cullum has continued to appear on Broadway, while also appearing in many television shows, including "E.R.," "Madam Secretary," and "Northern Exposure."

- Titles: "The Pirates of Penzance," "Present Laughter" (Musical, Play)
- Years: 1981, 2017

Kevin Kline made his Broadway debut in 1973 and won his first Tony Award as a featured actor in 1978's “On the Twentieth Century.” Kline won the Tony for Best Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of the Pirate King in a revival of “The Pirates of Penzance,” which ran from January 1981 to November of 1982. In 1982, he also starred in his first feature film, playing Nathan in “Sophie's Choice.”

- Titles: "City of Angels," "Chicago" (Musicals)
- Years: 1990, 1997

James Naughton appeared in a few films and in the TV version of “Planet of the Apes” before making his Broadway debut in the 1977 musical “I Love My Wife.” From December 1989 to January 1992, Naughton won the Tony for Best Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of Stone, the over-the-top noirish P.I., in the musical “City of Angels,” which played at Broadway's Virginia Theatre.

- Titles: "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," "The Producers" (Musicals)
- Years: 1996, 2001

Ever since his Broadway debut in 1982's “Present Laughter,” Nathan Lane has been a force on New York's biggest stages. Lane got his first Tony nomination for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance as Nathan Detroit in a revival of “Guys and Dolls.” Lane gave memorable film performances in 1996's “The Birdcage” and as Timon in 1994's “The Lion King.”

- Titles: "Frost/Nixon," "The Father" (Plays)
- Years: 2007, 2016

American actor Frank Langella made his Broadway debut in 1956, 50 years before winning the second of his two Tony Awards. Langella's first win came for his portrayal of Richard Nixon in “Frost/Nixon,” which tells the story of the interview between British talk-show host David Frost and the disgraced former president and ran at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre from April to August 2007.

- Titles: "Boeing Boeing," "Jerusalem" (Plays)
- Years: 2008, 20110

Sir Mark Rylance announced himself as an important English stage actor in 1994 when he won the Olivier Award (given to the best plays and performances of London's theatre scene) for Best Actor for his performance in a West End production of Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing." Rylance made his Broadway debut in May 2008 playing Robert in a star-studded revival of "Boeing Boeing," which ran until January 2009 at the Longacre Theatre. Rylance won Best Actor in a Play for his portrayal of Robert, the unclassy friend of a suave American businessman balancing three simultaneous affairs with flight attendants.