WhatsOnStage Award for Best Actor in a Play

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WhatsOnStage Award for Best Performer in a Male Identifying Role in a Play
Awarded forExcellence in a leading role in a play
CountryUnited Kingdom
Presented byWhatsOnStage.com
First awarded2001
Currently held byJames McAvoy (2022)

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[edit]

2000s[edit]

Year Performer Play Male Identifying Character
2001[1] Conleth Hill Stones in His Pockets Charlie Conlon
2002[2] 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[3]
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[4] 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[5]
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[6] 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[7] 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[8] 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[9] 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[edit]

Year Performer Play Male Identifying Character
2010[10] 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[11] 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[12] 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[13] 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[14] 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[15] 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[16] 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[17] 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[18] 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[19] 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[edit]

Year Performer Play Male Identifying Character
2020[20] 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[21]
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[edit]

Wins[edit]

2 wins

Nominations[edit]

4 nominations
3 nominations
2 nominations

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Whatsonstage Awards 2001". Westendtheatre.com. 1 January 2009. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  2. ^ "Whatsonstage Awards 2002". Westendtheatre.com. 1 January 2009. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  3. ^ "Whatsonstage.com Awards - Theatregoers' Choice Awards". Archive.ph. 12 April 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-04-12. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Whatsonstage Awards 2004". Westendtheatre.com. 1 January 2009. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  5. ^ "Whatsonstage.com Awards - Theatregoers' Choice Awards". Archive.ph. 19 November 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-11-19. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  6. ^ "Whatsonstage.com Awards - Theatregoers' Choice Awards". Archive.ph. 19 November 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-11-19. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  7. ^ "Whatsonstage.com Awards - Theatregoers' Choice Awards". Archive.ph. 19 November 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-11-19. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  8. ^ "Full List: Your Theatregoers' Choice Award Winners". Whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  9. ^ Varley, Eddie. "Tennant, Branagh, Hartnett & 'JERSEY BOYS' Win Big at the WHATSONSTAGE Awards". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  10. ^ "Full List: 2010 Whatsonstage.com Award Winners". Whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  11. ^ "Full List: 2011 Whatsonstage.com Award Winners". Whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  12. ^ "Full List: 2012 Whatsonstage.com Awards Nominees". Whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  13. ^ "Full list: Winners announced of the 2013 Whatsonstage.com Awards". Whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  14. ^ "Full List: Winners of the 2014 WhatsOnStage Awards". Whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  15. ^ "Full list: Winners of the 15th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards". Whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  16. ^ "Whatsonstage Awards – Winners 2016". Westendtheatre.com. 22 February 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  17. ^ "Whatsonstage Awards – Winners 2017". Westendtheatre.com. 20 February 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  18. ^ "Winners of the 18th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards announced: David Tennant and Olivia Colman win". Whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  19. ^ "Hamilton and Aidan Turner among winners at 19th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards". Whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  20. ^ "20th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards winners include Andrew Scott, Claire Foy, Come From Away and Six". Whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  21. ^ "Nominees for 22nd Annual WhatsOnStage Awards announced". Whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 28 January 2022.

External links[edit]

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