The WhatsOnStage Award for Best Performer in a Male Identifying Role in a Play is an annual award presented by WhatsOnStage.com as part of the annual WhatsOnStage Awards. Founded in 2001 as the Theatregoers' Choice Awards, the WhatsOnStage Awards are based on a popular vote recognising performers and productions in London's West End theatre.
This award is given to a person who has performed a leading male identifying role in a play during the eligibility year. Introduced in 2001 as the award for Best Actor in a Play, the category was renamed in 2022 in an effort to be more inclusive. The category was discontinued following the 2022 ceremony and was replaced with the gender-neutral WhatsOnstage Award for Best Performer in a Play.
First presented to Conleth Hill at the inaugural ceremony, Kenneth Branagh, Kevin Spacey and David Tennant are the only actors to have won the award twice.
Winners and nominees 2000s Year Performer Play Male Identifying Character 2001 Conleth Hill Stones in His Pockets Charlie Conlon 2002 Alan Rickman Private Lives Elyot Chase Ben Daniels Tales from Hollywood Ödön von Horváth Henry Goodman Feelgood Eddie Jasper Britton Japes Michael Paul Rudd The Shape of Things Adam Sorenson Simon Russell Beale Humble Boy Felix Humble 2003 Samuel West Hamlet Prince Hamlet Daniel Craig A Number B1 / B2 / Michael Black Mark Rylance Twelfth Night Olivia Simon Russell Beale Uncle Vanya / Twelfth Night Ivan Petrovich Voynitsky / Malvolio Tom Georgeson Frozen Ralph Wantage Woody Harrelson On an Average Day Bob 2004 Kenneth Branagh Edmond Edmond Burke Conleth Hill Democracy Gunter Guillaume Matthew Kelly Of Mice and Men Lennie Michael Sheen Caligula Caligula Ralph Fiennes Brand Brand Tom Hollander The Hotel in Amsterdam Laurie 2005 Christian Slater One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Randle McMurphy Ben Whishaw Hamlet Prince Hamlet Jonathan Pryce The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? Michael Gambon Endgame Martin Gray Richard Griffiths The History Boys Douglas Hector Stanley Townsend Shining City John 2006 Kevin Spacey Richard II Richard II Brian Dennehy Death of a Salesman Willy Loman Con O'Neill Telstar Joe Meek Derek Jacobi Don Carlos Philip II Rob Lowe A Few Good Men Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee Simon Russell Beale The Philanthropist Philip 2007 Kevin Spacey A Moon for the Misbegotten Jim Tyrone Alan Cumming Bent Max David Haig Donkeys' Years Christopher Headingley Iain Glen The Crucible John Proctor Michael Sheen Frost/Nixon David Frost Frank Langella Richard Nixon Rufus Sewell Rock 'n' Roll Jan 2008 Ian McKellen King Lear King Lear Charles Dance Shadowlands C. S. Lewis John Simm Elling Elling Paterson Joseph The Emperor Jones Brutus Jones Patrick Stewart Macbeth Macbeth Robert Lindsay The Entertainer Archie Rice 2009 Kenneth Branagh Ivanov Nikolai Ivanov Adam Godley Rain Man Raymond Babbit Chiwetel Ejiofor Othello Othello Eddie Redmayne Now or Later John Jr. Ian McDiarmid Six Characters in Search of an Author Father Kevin Spacey Speed-the-Plow Charlie Fox Jeff Goldblum Bobby Gould
2010s Year Performer Play Male Identifying Character 2010 Jude Law Hamlet Prince Hamlet David Harewood The Mountaintop Martin Luther King Jr. Dominic West Life Is a Dream Segismundo Ken Stott A View from the Bridge Eddie Carbone Mark Rylance Jerusalem Johnny "Rooster" Byron Samuel West Enron Jeffrey Skilling 2011 David Suchet All My Sons Joe Keller Benedict Cumberbatch After the Dance David Scott-Fowler Matthew Macfadyen Private Lives Elyot Chase Rory Kinnear Hamlet Prince Hamlet Simon Russell Beale Deathtrap Sidney Bruhl Toby Stephens The Real Thing Henry 2012 James Corden One Man, Two Guvnors Francis Henshall Benedict Cumberbatch Frankenstein Victor Frankenstein Jude Law Anna Christie Mat Burke Kevin Spacey Richard III Richard III David Tennant Much Ado About Nothing Benedick James Earl Jones Driving Miss Daisy Hoke Colburn 2013 Rupert Everett The Judas Kiss Oscar Wilde David Haig The Madness of George III George III Adrian Lester Red Velvet Ira Aldridge David Suchet Long Day's Journey into Night James Tyrone Luke Treadaway The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Christopher Boone Mark Rylance Twelfth Night / Richard III Olivia / Richard III 2014 Daniel Radcliffe The Cripple of Inishmaan Lenny Henry Fences Troy Maxson Rory Kinnear Othello Othello James McAvoy Macbeth Macbeth Ben Whishaw Peter and Alice Peter Llewelyn Davies 2015 David Tennant Richard III Richard III Richard Armitage The Crucible John Proctor Tom Bateman Shakespeare in Love William Shakespeare Tom Hiddleston Coriolanus Coriolanus Mark Strong A View from the Bridge Eddie Carbone 2016 Benedict Cumberbatch Hamlet Prince Hamlet Bradley Cooper The Elephant Man Joseph Merrick Alex Hassell Henry V Henry V James McAvoy The Ruling Class Jack Gurney Mark Rylance Farinelli and the King Philip V 2017 Jamie Parker Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Harry Potter Kenneth Branagh The Entertainer Archie Rice Ralph Fiennes Richard III Richard III Ian Hallard The Boys in the Band Michael Ian McKellen No Man's Land Spooner 2018 David Tennant Don Juan in Soho Don Juan Bryan Cranston Network Howard Beale Martin Freeman Labour of Love MP David Lyons Andrew Garfield Angels in America Prior Walter Andrew Scott Hamlet Prince Hamlet 2019 Aidan Turner The Lieutenant of Inishmore Padraic Mark Gatiss The Madness of George III George III Arinzé Kene Misty Performer Colin Morgan Translations Owen Kyle Soller The Inheritance Eric Glass
2020s Year Performer Play Male Identifying Character 2020 Andrew Scott Present Laughter Tom Hiddleston Betrayal Robert Laurie Kynaston The Son Nicolas Wendell Pierce Death of a Salesman Willy Loman Matt Smith Lungs M 2021 Not presented due to impact on theatres of COVID-19 pandemic 2022 James McAvoy Cyrano de Bergerac Cyrano de Bergerac Richard Armitage Uncle Vanya dr Astrov (Mikhail Lvovich Astrov) Ben Daniels The Normal Heart Ned Weeks Omari Douglas Constellations Manuel Hadley Fraser 2:22 A Ghost Story Sam Henry Lewis Magic Goes Wrong Mind Mangler
Multiple wins and nominations Wins 2 wins Kenneth Branagh Kevin Spacey David Tennant
Nominations 4 nominations Simon Russell Beale Mark Rylance Kevin Spacey
3 nominations Kenneth Branagh Benedict Cumberbatch James McAvoy David Tennant
2 nominations
References
External links Official website