The Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play is an honor presented at the Tony Awards, a ceremony established in 1947 as the Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, to actors for quality supporting roles in a Broadway play. 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."
The award was originally called the Tony Award for Actor, Supporting or Featured (Dramatic). It was first presented to Arthur Kennedy at the 3rd Tony Awards for his portrayal of Biff Loman in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. Before 1956, nominees' names were not made public; the change was made by the awards committee to "have a greater impact on theatregoers".
Frank Langella holds the record for having the most wins in this category, with a total of two; he is the only person to win the award more than once. Richard Roma in Glengarry Glen Ross, Phil Hogan in A Moon for the Misbegotten, and Mason Marzac in Take Me Out are the only characters to take the award multiple times, all winning twice.
Winners and nominees
1940s Year Actor Project Role(s) 1949 Arthur Kennedy Death of a Salesman Biff Loman
1950s Year Actor Project Role(s) 1950 Not awarded 1951 Eli Wallach The Rose Tattoo Alvaro Mangiacavallo 1952 John Cromwell Point of No Return John Gray 1953 John Williams Dial M for Murder Inspector Hubbard 1954 John Kerr Tea and Sympathy Tom Robinson Lee 1955 Francis L. Sullivan Witness for the Prosecution Sir Wilfrid Robats, Q.C. 1956 Ed Begley Inherit the Wind Matthew Harrison Brady Anthony Franciosa A Hatful of Rain Polo Pope Andy Griffith No Time for Sergeants Will Stockdale Anthony Quayle Tamburlaine the Great Tamburlaine Fritz Weaver The Chalk Garden Maitland 1957 Frank Conroy The Potting Shed Father William Callifer Eddie Mayehoff A Visit to a Small Planet General Tom Powers William Podmore Separate Tables Mr. Fowler Jason Robards Long Day's Journey into Night James Tyrone Jr. 1958 Henry Jones Sunrise at Campobello Louis McHenry Howe Sig Arno Time Remembered Ferdinand Theodore Bikel The Rope Dancers Dr. Jacobson Pat Hingle The Dark at the Top of the Stairs Rubin Flood George Relph The Entertainer Billy Rice 1959 Charlie Ruggles The Pleasure of His Company Mackenzie Savage Marc Connelly Tall Story Professor Charles Osman George Grizzard The Disenchanted Shep Stearns Walter Matthau Once More, with Feeling! Maxwell Archer Robert Morse Say, Darling Ted Snow George C. Scott Comes a Day Tydings Glenn
1960s Year Actor Project Role(s) 1960 Roddy McDowall The Fighting Cock Tarquin Edward Mendigales Warren Beatty A Loss of Roses Kenny Harry Guardino One More River Pompey Rip Torn Sweet Bird of Youth Tom Junior Lawrence Winters The Long Dream Tyree Tucker 1961 Martin Gabel Big Fish, Little Fish Basil Smythe Philip Bosco The Rape of the Belt Heracles Eduardo Ciannelli The Devil's Advocate Aurelio George Grizzard Big Fish, Little Fish Ronnie Johnson 1962 Walter Matthau A Shot in the Dark Benjamin Beaurevers Godfrey Cambridge Purlie Victorious Gitlow Judson Joseph Campanella A Gift of Time Daniel Stein Paul Sparer Ross Auda Abu Tayi 1963 Alan Arkin Enter Laughing David Kolowitz Barry Gordon A Thousand Clowns Nick Burns Paul Rogers Photo Finish Reginald Kinsale, Esq. Frank Silvera The Lady of the Carnellias M. Duval 1964 Hume Cronyn Hamlet Polonius Lee Allen Marathon '33 Patsy Michael Dunn The Ballad of the Sad Café Cousin Lyman Larry Gates A Case of Libel Boyd Bendix 1965 Jack Albertson The Subject Was Roses John Cleary Murray Hamilton Absence of a Cello Otis Clifton Martin Sheen The Subject Was Roses Timmy Cleary Clarence Williams III Slow Dance on the Killing Ground Randall 1966 Patrick Magee Marat/Sade Marquis de Sade Burt Brinckerhoff Cactus Flower Igor Larry Haines Generation Stan Herman Eamon Kelly Philadelphia, Here I Come! S. B. O'Donnell 1967 Ian Holm The Homecoming Lenny Clayton Corzatte The School for Scandal Charles Surface Stephen Elliott Marat/Sade Mr. Coulmier Sydney Walker The Wild Duck Lt. Ekdal 1968 James Patterson The Birthday Party Stanley Paul Hecht Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead The Player Brian Murray Rosencrantz John Wood Guildenstern 1969 Al Pacino Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie? Bickham Richard S. Castellano Lovers and Other Strangers Frank Tony Roberts Play It Again, Sam Dick Christie Louis Zorich Hadrian VII Cardinal Ragna
1970s Year Actor Project Role(s) 1970 Ken Howard Child's Play Paul Reese Joseph Bova The Chinese and Dr. Fish Mr. Lee Dennis King A Patriot for Me Baron von Epp 1971 Paul Sand Paul Sills' Story Theatre Various CharactersSand played as Cowherd and the Rich Peasant in The Little Peasant, Robber Bridegroom in The Robber Bridegroom, Turkey Lurkey in Henny Penny, Clerk and Soldier in The Master Thief, Simpleton in The Golden Goose and Hound in Town Musicians of Bremen. Ronald Radd Abelard and Heloise Gilies de Vannes Donald Pickering Conduct Unbecoming Capt. Rupert Harper Ed Zimmermann The Philanthropist Donald 1972 Vincent Gardenia The Prisoner of Second Avenue Harry Edison Douglas Rain Vivat! Vivat Regina! William Cecil Lee Richardson Lord Bothwell Joe Silver Lenny Various Characters 1973 John Lithgow The Changing Room Kenny Kendal Barnard Hughes Much Ado About Nothing Dogberry John McMartin Don Juan Sganarelle Hayward Morse Butley Joseph Keyston 1974 Ed Flanders A Moon for the Misbegotten Phil Hogan René Auberjonois The Good Doctor Performer Douglas Turner Ward The River Niger Johnny Williams Dick Anthony Williams What the Wine-Sellers Buy Rico 1975 Frank Langella Seascape Leslie Larry Blyden Absurd Person Singular Sidney Leonard Frey The National Health Barnet Philip Locke Sherlock Holmes Professor Moriarty George Rose My Fat Friend Henry Dick Anthony Williams Black Picture Show Alexander 1976 Edward Herrmann Mrs. Warren's Profession Frank Gardner Barry Bostwick They Knew What They Wanted Joe Gabriel Dell Lamppost Reunion Fred Santora Daniel Seltzer Knock Knock Cohn 1977 Jonathan Pryce Comedians Gethin Price Bob Dishy Sly Fox Abner Truckle Joe Fields The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel First Sergeant Tower Laurence Luckinbill The Shadow Box Brian 1978 Lester Rawlins Da Drumm Morgan Freeman The Mighty Gents Zeke Victor Garber Deathtrap Clifford Anderson Cliff Gorman Chapter Two Leo Schneider 1979 Michael Gough Bedroom Farce Ernest Bob Balaban The Inspector General Óssip Joseph Maher Spokesong The Trick Cyclist Edward James Olmos Zoot Suit El Pachuco
1980s Year Actor Project Role(s) 1980 David Rounds Morning's at Seven Homer Bolton David Dukes Bent Horst George Hearn Watch on the Rhine Kurt Muller Earle Hyman The Lady from Dubuque Oscar Joseph Maher Night and Day Geoffrey Carson 1981 Brian Backer The Floating Light Bulb Paul Pollack Tom Aldredge The Little Foxes Horace Giddens Adam Redfield A Life Desmond Shepperd Strudwick To Grandmother's House We Go Jared 1982 Zakes Mokae Master Harold...and the Boys Sam Richard Kavanaugh The Hothouse Gibbs Edward Petherbridge The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby Newman Noggs David Threlfall Smike 1983 Matthew Broderick Brighton Beach Memoirs Eugene Jerome Željko Ivanek Brighton Beach Memoirs Stanley Jerome George N. Martin Plenty Leonard Darwin Stephen Moore All's Well That Ends Well Captain Parolles 1984 Joe Mantegna Glengarry Glen Ross Richard Roma Philip Bosco Heartbreak House Boss Mangan Robert Prosky Glengarry Glen Ross Shelly Levene Douglas Seale Noises Off Selsdon Mowbray 1985 Barry Miller Biloxi Blues Arnold Epstein Charles S. Dutton Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Levee William Hurt Hurlyburly Eddie Edward Petherbridge Strange Interlude Charles Marsden 1986 John Mahoney The House of Blue Leaves Artie Shaughnessy Peter Gallagher Long Day's Journey into Night Edmund Tyrone Charles Keating Loot McLeavy Joseph Maher Truscott 1987 John Randolph Broadway Bound Ben Frankie R. Faison Fences Gabriel Maxson Jamey Sheridan All My Sons Chris Keller Courtney B. Vance Fences Cory Maxson 1988 BD Wong M. Butterfly Song Liling Michael Gough Breaking the Code Dillwyn Knox Lou Liberatore Burn This Larry Delroy Lindo Joe Turner's Come and Gone Herald Loomis 1989 Boyd Gaines The Heidi Chronicles Peter Patrone Peter Frechette Eastern Standard Drew Eric Stoltz Our Town George Gibbs Gordon Joseph Weiss Ghetto The Dummy
1990s Year Actor Project Role(s) 1990 Charles Durning Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Big Daddy Rocky Carroll The Piano Lesson Lymon Terry Kinney The Grapes of Wrath Jim Casy Gary Sinise Tom Joad 1991 Kevin Spacey Lost in Yonkers Louie Kurnitz Adam Arkin I Hate Hamlet Gary Peter Lefkowitz Dylan Baker La Bête Prince County Stephen Lang The Speed of Darkness Lou 1992 Laurence Fishburne Two Trains Running Sterling Roscoe Lee Browne Two Trains Running Holloway Željko Ivanek Two Shakespearean Actors John Ryder Tony Shalhoub Conversations with My Father Charlie 1993 Stephen Spinella Angels in America: Millennium Approaches Prior Walter, et al. Robert Sean Leonard Candida Eugene Marchbanks Joe Mantello Angels in America: Millennium Approaches Louis Ironson Zakes Mokae The Song of Jacob Zulu Rev. Zulu/Mr. X, Itshe 1994 Jeffrey Wright Angels in America: Perestroika Norman "Belize" Arriaga, et al. Larry Bryggman Picnic Howard Bevans David Marshall Grant Angels in America: Perestroika Joe Pitt, et al. Gregory Itzin The Kentucky Cycle Various Characters 1995 John Glover Love! Valour! Compassion! John and James Jeckyll Stephen Bogardus Love! Valour! Compassion! Gregory Mitchell Anthony Heald Perry Sellars Jude Law Indiscretions Michael 1996 Ruben Santiago-Hudson Seven Guitars Canewell James Gammon Buried Child Dodge Roger Robinson Seven Guitars Hedley Reg Rogers Holiday Ned Seton 1997 Owen Teale A Doll's House Torvald Helmer Terry Beaver The Last Night of Ballyhoo Adolph Brian Murray The Little Foxes Oscar Biff McGuire The Young Man from Atlanta Pete Davenport 1998 Tom Murphy The Beauty Queen of Leenane Ray Dooley Brían F. O'Byrne The Beauty Queen of Leenane Pato Dooley Sam Trammell Ah, Wilderness! Richard Miller Max Wright Ivanov Pavel Lebedev 1999 Frank Wood Side Man Gene Kevin Anderson Death of a Salesman Biff Loman Finbar Lynch Not About Nightingales Jim Allison Howard Witt Death of a Salesman Charley
2000s