Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical

The Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical is an annual award presented by the Society of London Theatre in recognition of achievements in commercial London theatre. The awards were established as the Society of West End Theatre Awards in 1976, and renamed in 1984 in honour of English actor and director Laurence Olivier.

Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical
2025 Recipient: Imelda Staunton
Awarded for	Best Actress in a Musical
Location	England
Presented by	Society of London Theatre
First award	1979
Currently held by	Imelda Staunton for Hello Dolly (2025)
Website	officiallondontheatre.com/olivier-awards/

This award was introduced in 1979, along with the award for Best Actor in a Musical. In 1977 and 1978, there had been a commingled actor/actress award for Best Performance in a Musical, won both times by an actress.

Winners and nominees

1970s

Year	Actress	Musical	Character
1979
	Virginia McKenna	The King and I	Anna Leonowens
	Carol Channing	Hello, Dolly!	Dolly Gallagher Levi
	Antonia Ellis	Chicago	Velma Kelly
	Liz Robertson	My Fair Lady	Eliza Doolittle

1980s

Year	Actress	Musical	Character
1980
	Gemma Craven	They're Playing Our Song	Sonia Walsk
	Sheila Hancock	Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street	Mrs. Lovett
	Julia McKenzie	On the Twentieth Century	Lily Garland
	Siân Phillips	Pal Joey	Vera Simpson
1981
	Carlin Glynn	The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas	Mona Stangley
	Petula Clark	The Sound of Music	Maria von Trapp
	Patricia Hodge	The Mitford Girls	Nancy Mitford
	Sylvia Kuumba Williams	One Mo' Time	"Big Bertha" Williams
1982
	Julia McKenzie	Guys and Dolls	Miss Adelaide
	Val McLane	Andy Capp	Florrie
	Imelda Staunton	The Beggar's Opera	Lucy Lockit
	Marti Webb	Song and Dance	Emma
1983
	Barbara Dickson	Blood Brothers	Mrs. Johnstone
	Ellen Greene	Little Shop of Horrors	Audrey
	Stephanie Lawrence	Marilyn	Marilyn Monroe
	Sarah Payne	Singin' in the Rain	Lina Lamont
1984
	Natalia Makarova	On Your Toes	Vera Barnova
	Julia Hills	The Hired Man	Emily
	Clare Leach	42nd Street	Peggy Sawyer
	Sheila White	Little Me	Belle
1985
	Patti LuPone	Les Misérables	Fantine
		The Cradle Will Rock	Moll
	Betsy Brantley	Guys and Dolls	Miss Adelaide
	Carol Sloman	Lennon	Performer
	Elisabeth Welch	Jerome Kern Goes to Hollywood	Performer
1986
	Lesley Mackie	Judy	Judy Garland
	Maureen Lipman	Wonderful Town	Ruth Sherwood
	Elaine Paige	Chess	Florence
	Angela Richards	Side by Side by Sondheim	Herself
1987
	Nichola McAuliffe	Kiss Me, Kate	Lilli Vanessi / Katharine
	Dee Dee Bridgewater	Lady Day	Billie Holiday
	Julia McKenzie	Follies	Sally Durant Plummer
	Carol Woods	Blues in the Night	Performer
1988
	Patricia Routledge	Candide	Old Lady
	Kiki Dee	Blood Brothers	Mrs. Johnstone
	Ann Miller	Sugar Babies	Ann
	Imelda Staunton	The Wizard of Oz	Dorothy Gale
1989/90
	Lea Salonga	Miss Saigon	Kim
	Patricia Hodge	Noël and Gertie	Gertie
	Judy Kuhn	Metropolis	Maria / Futura
	Elaine Paige	Anything Goes	Reno Sweeney

1990s

Year	Actress	Musical	Character
1991
	Imelda Staunton	Into the Woods	The Baker's Wife
	Sally Burgess	Show Boat	Julie
	Maria Friedman	Sunday in the Park with George	Dot / Marie
	Julia McKenzie	Into the Woods	The Witch
1992
	Wilhelmenia Fernandez	Carmen Jones	Carmen
	Sharon Benson	Carmen Jones	Carmen
	Linzi Hateley	Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat	Narrator
	Miriam Margolyes	Dickens' Women	Various Characters
1993
	Joanna Riding	Carousel	Julie Jordan
	Kim Criswell	Annie Get Your Gun	Annie Oakley
	Ruthie Henshall	Crazy for You	Polly Baker
	Kelly Hunter	The Blue Angel	Lola
1994
	Julia McKenzie	Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street	Mrs. Lovett
	Haydn Gwynne	City of Angels	Oolie / Donna
	Patti LuPone	Sunset Boulevard	Norma Desmond
	Elaine Paige	Piaf	Édith Piaf
1995
	Ruthie Henshall	She Loves Me	Amalia
	Betty Buckley	Sunset Boulevard	Norma Desmond
	Sally Dexter	Oliver!	Nancy
1996
	Judi Dench	A Little Night Music	Desirée Armfeldt
	Elizabeth Mansfield	Marie	Marie Lloyd
	Caroline O'Connor	Mack & Mabel	Mabel
	Elaine Paige	Sunset Boulevard	Norma Desmond
1997
	Maria Friedman	Passion	Fosca
	B.J. Crosby	Smokey Joe's Café	Performer
	Joanna Riding	Guys and Dolls	Sarah Brown
	Imelda Staunton	Guys and Dolls	Miss Adelaide
1998
	Ute Lemper	Chicago	Velma Kelly
	Maria Friedman	Lady in the Dark	Liza Elliott
	Ruthie Henshall	Chicago	Roxie Hart
	Siân Phillips	Marlene	Marlene Dietrich
1999
	Sophie Thompson	Into the Woods	The Baker's Wife
	Krysten Cummings	Rent	Mimi Márquez
	Maria Friedman	Chicago	Roxie Hart
	Josefina Gabrielle	Oklahoma!	Laurey

2000s

Year	Actress	Musical	Character
2000
	Barbara Dickson	Spend Spend Spend	Viv Nicholson
	Josette Bushell-Mingo	The Lion King	Rafiki
	Rachel Leskovac	Spend Spend Spend	Young Viv Nicholson
	Siobhan McCarthy	Mamma Mia!	Donna Sheridan
2001
	Samantha Spiro	Merrily We Roll Along	Mary Flynn
	Nicola Hughes	Fosse	Performer
	Joanna Riding	The Witches of Eastwick	Jane Smart
	Josie Walker	The Beautiful Game	Mary
2002
	Martine McCutcheon	My Fair Lady	Eliza Doolittle
	Barbara Cook	Barbara Cook Sings Mostly Sondheim	Herself
	Ruthie Henshall	Peggy Sue Got Married	Peggy Sue
	Marin Mazzie	Kiss Me, Kate	Lilli Vanessi / Katharine
2003
	Joanna Riding	My Fair Lady	Eliza Doolittle
	Janie Dee	My One and Only	Edith Herbert
	Elaine Stritch	Elaine Stritch at Liberty	Herself
	Sarah Wildor	Contact	Wife
2004
	Maria Friedman	Ragtime	Mother
	Amanda Holden	Thoroughly Modern Millie	Millie Dilmount
	Alison Jiear	Jerry Springer	Shawntel
	Maureen Lipman	Thoroughly Modern Millie	Mrs. Meers
2005
	Laura Michelle Kelly	Mary Poppins	Mary Poppins
	Maria Friedman	The Woman in White	Marian
	Leigh Zimmerman	The Producers	Ulla
2006
	Jane Krakowski	Guys and Dolls	Miss Adelaide
	Haydn Gwynne	Billy Elliot	Mrs. Wilkinson
	Jenna Russell	Guys and Dolls	Sarah Brown
	Julie Walters	Acorn Antiques	Mrs. Overall
2007
	Jenna Russell	Sunday in the Park with George	Dot / Marie
	Nicola Hughes	Porgy and Bess	Bess
	Tonya Pinkins	Caroline, or Change	Caroline Thibodeaux
	Elena Roger	Evita	Eva Perón
	Hannah Waddingham	Spamalot	Lady of the Lake
2008
	Leanne Jones	Hairspray	Tracy Turnblad
	Lara Pulver	Parade	Lucille Frank
	Sheridan Smith	Little Shop of Horrors	Audrey
	Summer Strallen	The Drowsy Chaperone	Janet Van Der Graaf
2009
	Elena Roger	Piaf	Édith Piaf
	Sofia Escobar	West Side Story	Maria
	Kathryn Evans	Sunset Boulevard	Norma Desmond
	Ruthie Henshall	Marguerite	Marguerite
	Emma Williams	Zorro	Luisa

2010s

Year	Actress	Musical	Character
2010
	Samantha Spiro	Hello, Dolly!	Dolly Levi
	Melanie C	Blood Brothers	Mrs. Johnstone
	Patina Miller	Sister Act	Deloris Van Cartier
	Hannah Waddingham	A Little Night Music	Desirée Armfeldt
	Charlotte Wakefield	Spring Awakening	Wendla
2011
	Sheridan Smith	Legally Blonde	Elle Woods
	Sierra Boggess	Love Never Dies	Christine Daaé
	Elena Roger	Passion	Fosca
	Emma Williams	Love Story	Jenny
2012
	Cleo Demetriou, Kerry Ingram, Sophia Kiely, Eleanor Worthington Cox	Matilda	Matilda Wormwood
	Kate Fleetwood	London Road	Julie
	Sarah Lancashire	Betty Blue Eyes	Joyce Chilvers
	Scarlett Strallen	Singin' in the Rain	Kathy Seldon
2013
	Imelda Staunton	Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street	Mrs. Lovett
	Heather Headley	The Bodyguard	Rachel Marron
	Summer Strallen	Top Hat	Dale Tremont
	Hannah Waddingham	Kiss Me, Kate	Lilli Vanessi / Katharine
2014
	Zrinka Cvitešić	Once	Girl
	Rosalie Craig	The Light Princess	The Light Princess
	Jenna Russell	Merrily We Roll Along	Mary Flynn
	Charlotte Wakefield	The Sound of Music	Maria von Trapp
2015
	Katie Brayben	Beautiful	Carole King
	Gemma Arterton	Made in Dagenham	Rita O'Grady
	Tamsin Greig	Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown	Pepa Marcos
	Beverley Knight	Memphis	Felicia Farrell
2016
	Imelda Staunton	Gypsy	Mama Rose
	Tracie Bennett	Mrs Henderson Presents	Laura Henderson
	Natalie Dew	Bend It Like Beckham	Jess Bhamra
	Laura Pitt-Pulford	Seven Brides for Seven Brothers	Milly
	Sophie Thompson	Guys and Dolls	Miss Adelaide
2017	Amber Riley	Dreamgirls	Effie White
	Glenn Close	Sunset Boulevard	Norma Desmond
	Debbie Chazen, Sophie-Louise Dann, Michele Dotrice, Claire Machin, Claire Moore and Joanna Riding	The Girls	The Girls
	Sheridan Smith	Funny Girl	Fanny Brice
2018
	Shirley Henderson	Girl from the North Country	Elizabeth Lane
	Janie Dee	Follies	Phyllis Rogers Stone
	Imelda Staunton		Sally Durant Plummer
	Josie Walker	Everybody's Talking About Jamie	Margaret New
2019
	Sharon D. Clarke	Caroline, or Change	Caroline Thibodeaux
	Rosalie Craig	Company	Bobbie
	Kelli O'Hara	The King and I	Anna Leonowens
	Adrienne Warren	Tina	Tina Turner

2020s

Year	Actress	Musical	Character
2020	Miriam-Teak Lee	& Juliet	Juliet Capulet
	Audrey Brisson	Amélie	Amélie Poulain
	Judy Kuhn	Fiddler on the Roof	Golde
	Zizi Strallen	Mary Poppins	Mary Poppins
2021	Not presented due to extended closing of theatre productions during COVID-19 pandemic[A]
2022[A]	Jessie Buckley	Cabaret	Sally Bowles
	Sutton Foster	Anything Goes	Reno Sweeney
	Beverley Knight	The Drifters Girl	Faye Treadwell
	Stephanie McKeon	Frozen	Anna
2023	Katie Brayben	Tammy Faye	Tammy Faye Messner
	Anoushka Lucas	Oklahoma!	Laurey Williams
	Miri Mesika	The Band's Visit	Dina
	Faith Omole	Standing at the Sky's Edge	Joy
2024
	Nicole Scherzinger	Sunset Boulevard	Norma Desmond
	Natasha Hodgson	Operation Mincemeat	Ewen Montagu & Others
	Caissie Levy	Next to Normal	Diana Goodman
	Marisha Wallace	Guys and Dolls	Miss Adelaide
2025	Imelda Staunton	Hello, Dolly!	Dolly Gallagher Levi
	Chumisa Dornford-May	Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812	Natasha Rostova
	Lauren Drew	Titanique	Celine Dion
	Clare Foster	The Curious Case of Benjamin Button	Elowen Keene
	Lara Pulver	Fiddler on the Roof	Golde

1. Due to late March 2020^[1] to late July 2021^[2] closing of London theatre productions during the COVID-19 pandemic in England, the 2022 awards recognise productions that launched anytime from February 2020 to February 2022^[3]

Multiple awards and nominations for Best Actress in a Musical

Awards

Four awards

• Imelda Staunton

Two awards

• Barbara Dickson
• Maria Friedman
• Julia McKenzie
• Joanna Riding
• Samantha Spiro
• Katie Brayben

Nominations

Seven nominations

• Imelda Staunton

Six nominations

• Maria Friedman

Five nominations

• Ruthie Henshall
• Julia McKenzie
• Joanna Riding

Four nominations

• Elaine Paige

Three nominations

• Elena Roger
• Jenna Russell
• Sheridan Smith
• Hannah Waddingham

Two nominations

• Katie Brayben
• Rosalie Craig
• Janie Dee
• Barbara Dickson
• Haydn Gwynne
• Patricia Hodge
• Nicola Hughes
• Beverley Knight
• Judy Kuhn
• Maureen Lipman
• Patti LuPone
• Siân Phillips
• Samantha Spiro
• Summer Strallen
• Sophie Thompson
• Charlotte Wakefield
• Josie Walker
• Emma Williams

Multiple awards and nominations for a character

Awards

2 awards

• Dolly Levi from Hello, Dolly!
• Eliza Doolittle from My Fair Lady
• Miss Adelaide from Guys and Dolls
• Mrs. Lovett from Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
• The Baker's Wife from Into the Woods

Nominations

6 nominations

• Miss Adelaide from Guys and Dolls
• Norma Desmond from Sunset Boulevard

3 nominations

• Dolly Levi from Hello, Dolly!
• Eliza Doolittle from My Fair Lady
• Lilli Vanessi / Katharine from Kiss Me, Kate
• Mrs. Johnstone from Blood Brothers
• Mrs. Lovett from Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

2 nominations

• Audrey from Little Shop of Horrors
• Caroline Thibodeaux from Caroline, or Change
• Desirée Armfeldt from A Little Night Music
• Dot / Marie from Sunday in the Park with George
• Édith Piaf from Piaf
• Eva Perón from Evita
• Fosca from Passion
• Laurey Williams from Oklahoma!
• Maria von Trapp from The Sound of Music
• Mary Flynn from Merrily We Roll Along
• Mary Poppins from Mary Poppins
• Reno Sweeney from Anything Goes
• Roxie Hart from Chicago
• Sally Durant Plummer from Follies
• Sarah Brown from Guys and Dolls
• The Baker's Wife from Into the Woods
• Velma Kelly from Chicago

See also

• Tony Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
• Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
• WhatsOnStage Award for Best Actress in a Musical