The Laurence Olivier Awards, previously known as The Society of West End Theatre Awards, were renamed in honour of British actor Laurence Olivier, Baron Olivier in 1984, having first been established in 1976. Laurence Olivier, as photographed in 1939 by Carl Van Vechten The Right Honourable Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM, KBE (May 22, 1907 – July 11, 1989) was an Oscar winning English actor and director, esteemed by many as the greatest actor of the 20th century. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1976 calendar). ...

The awards are organized by The Society of London Theatre in London. The Society of London Theatre (previously The Society of West End Theatre) is an umbrella organization for West End theatre in London. ... This article is about the British city. ...

Awards

The following list shows the winners in the principal categories since 1989/90. See the link to the official site below for other categories and earlier years.

Best new play

2005 – The History Boys by Alan Bennett The History Boys is a play by Alan Bennett. ... Published by Faber/Profile Books in 2005 Alan Bennett (born May 9, 1934) is an English author and actor famous for his work and his sonorous Yorkshire accent. ...

2004 – The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh The Pillowman is a play by Martin McDonagh. ... Martin McDonagh (born 26 March 1970) is a contemporary British playwright. ...

2003 – Vincent in Brixton by Nicholas Wright

2002 – Jitney by August Wilson Jitney is a play in two acts by American playwright August Wilson. ... August Wilson August Wilson (April 27, 1945 – October 2, 2005) was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright. ...

2001 – Blue/Orange by Joe Penhall Joe Penhall is a writer. ...

2000 – Goodnight Children Everywhere by Richard Nelson

1999 – The Weir by Conor McPherson Conor McPherson (born August 6, 1971) is an Irish playwright and director. ...

1998 – Closer by Patrick Marber Closer is the second play written by Patrick Marber. ... Patrick Marber (born September 19, 1964) is a British Jewish writer, actor, and sometimes director associated with the kind of playwriting referred to as in-yer-face theatre. ...

1997 – Stanley by Pam Gems Pam Gems (born August 1, 1925) is an English playwright considered to be part of the Feminist Theatre group which also includes Caryl Churchill. ...

1996 – Skylight by David Hare David Hare (born June 5, 1947) is an English dramatist and director. ...

1995 – Broken Glass by Arthur Miller Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

1994 – Arcadia by Tom Stoppard Arcadia is a play by Tom Stoppard which first opened at the Royal National Theatre in London on 13 April 1993 and has played at many theatres since. ... Sir Tom Stoppard OM, CBE is a British playwright born in Czechoslovakia on 3 July 1937. ...

1993 РSix Degrees of Separation by John Guare Six degrees of separation is the theory that anyone on earth can be connected to any other person on the planet through a chain of acquaintances that has no more than four intermediaries. ... John Guare (gw̢r) was born February 5, 1938 in New York City and raised in Queens. ...

1992 – Death and the Maiden by Ariel Dorfman Death and the Maiden (La muerte y la doncella) is a play by Ariel Dorfman, first published in 1991. ... Ariel Dorfman (born May 6, 1942) is a Jewish Chilean novelist, dramatist, essayist, and human rights activist. ...

1991 – Dancing at Lughnasa by Brian Friel Dancing at Lughnasa (see references to Lughnasa, or Lughnasadh, the ancient pagan ritual) is a play by Brian Friel set in Irelands County Donegal in August 1936. ... Brian Friel (born January 9, 1929) is a playwright and director from Northern Ireland. ...

1989/90 – Racing Demon by David Hare David Hare (born June 5, 1947) is an English dramatist and director. ...

Best actor

2005 – Richard Griffiths for The History Boys To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The History Boys is a play by Alan Bennett. ...

2004 – Matthew Kelly for Of Mice and Men Matthew Kelly Matthew Kelly, born 9 May 1950 in Urmston, Manchester and lived in Primrose Avenue in his childhood. ... Of Mice and Men is a novel by John Steinbeck, first published in 1937, which tells the tragic story of George and Lennie, two displaced Anglo migrant farm workers in California during the Great Depression (1929-1939). ...

2003 – Simon Russell Beale for Uncle Vanya Simon Russell Beale (born January 12, 1961, in Penang, Malaya) is an accomplished British actor. ... Anton Chekhov (left) and Maxim Gorky in Yalta. ...

2002 – Roger Allam for Privates on Parade Roger Allam (born October 26, 1953) is an English actor, best known for his stage career. ...

2001 – Conleth Hill for Stones in his Pockets

2000 – Henry Goodman for The Merchant of Venice Henry Goodman is a theatre actor. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

1999 – Kevin Spacey for The Iceman Cometh Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26, 1959), better known as Kevin Spacey, is an American actor. ... The Iceman Cometh is a play by Eugene ONeill, which was later made into a TV movie in 1960 as well as a big screen motion picture in 1973, both by the same name. ...

1998 – Ian Holm for King Lear Sir Ian Holm Sir Ian Holm CBE (born 12 September 1931), born as Ian Holm Cuthbert, is an English actor. ... King Lear and the Fool in the Storm by William Dyce (1806-1864) King Lear is generally regarded as one of William Shakespeares greatest tragedies. ...

1997 – Antony Sher for Stanley Sir Antony Sher, KBE (born June 14, 1949) is an actor and novelist. ...

1996 – Alex Jennings for Peer Gynt Alex Jennings (born 10 May 1957) is a British actor. ... Peer Gynt is a play by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen and is perhaps his best-known. ...

1995 – David Bamber for My Night with Reg David Bamber as Marcus Tullius Cicero in the television series Rome. ... My Night with Reg is a play by British playwright Kevin Elyot (born 1951) which was produced in 1994 by the Royal Court Theatre, London (directed by Roger Michell) and which later transferred to the West End (playscript: ISBN 1854592726); and a British film (1996) based on Elyots play...

1994 – Mark Rylance for Much Ado About Nothing Mark Rylance (* January 18, 1960) is an internationally well-known actor and theatre director. ... Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy by William Shakespeare. ...

1993 – Robert Stephens for Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2 Sir Robert Stephens (July 14, 1931 – November 12, 1995) was a leading actor in the early years of Britains Royal National Theatre. ... Henry IV, Part 1 is a history play by William Shakespeare, widely considered the greatest of the histories. ... Henry IV part 2 is a history play by William Shakespeare, first published as part of Shakespeares First Folio. ...

1992 – Nigel Hawthorne for The Madness of George III Sir Nigel Hawthorne, KBE (5 April 1929 – 26 December 2001) was a renowned English actor. ...

1991 – Ian McKellen for Richard III Sir Ian McKellen at the premiere of The Return of the King in Wellington, New Zealand, December 1, 2003 Sir Ian Murray McKellen, CBE (born May 25, 1939) is a highly acclaimed stage and screen actor, the recipient of a Tony Award and several Oscar nominations. ... The Life and Death of King Richard III is William Shakespeares version of the short career of Richard III of England, who receives a singularly unflattering depiction. ...

1989/90 – Oliver Ford Davies for Racing Demon Oliver Ford Davies is an award winning actor. ...

Best actress

2005 – Clare Higgins for Hecuba Hecuba (also Hekuba or Hekabe) was a Trojan queen in Greek mythology, daughter of Dymas. ...

2004 – Eileen Atkins for Honour Dame Eileen June Atkins, DBE (born June 16, 1934 in London, England) is a British writer and an award-winning film and theatre actress. ... Honour (CwE) or honor (AmE) comprises the reputation, self-perception or moral identity of an individual or of a group. ...

2003 – Clare Higgins for Vincent in Brixton

2002 – Lindsay Duncan for Private Lives Lindsay Duncan (born on 7 November 1950 in Edinburgh, Scotland) is a Scottish actress. ... Private Lives is a play written by Noel Coward in 1930. ...

2001 – Julie Walters for All My Sons Julie Walters as Molly Weasley in Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone Julia Mary Walters (born February 22, 1950) is a British actor of Irish Catholic extraction, mainly associated with comedy and character roles. ... All My Sons is the name of a 1947 play by Arthur Miller, a 1948 movie based on the play, and a 1986 made-for-TV movie, also based on the play. ...

2000 – Janine Dee for Comic Potential

1999 – Eileen Atkins for The Unexpected Man Dame Eileen June Atkins, DBE (born June 16, 1934 in London, England) is a British writer and an award-winning film and theatre actress. ... Elika Abdolrazaghi, as The Woman, in The Unexpected Man, (from a production by Naqshineh Theatre). ...

1998 – Zoe Wanamaker for Electra Zoe Wanamaker as Madam Hooch Zoë Wanamaker, Honorary CBE (born May 13, 1949 in New York City) is an American-born actress who lives and works in the United Kingdom. ... Elektra or Electra is a Greek tragic play by Sophocles. ...

1997 – Janet McTeer for A Doll's House Janet McTeer (8 May 1961-) is a British actor. ... A Dolls House (Original Norwegian title: Et dukkehjem) is a 1879 play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. ...

1996 – Judi Dench for Absolute Hell Dame Judi Dench as the widowed Queen Victoria in Dame Judith Olivia Dench CH DBE (born 9 December 1934), better known as Dame Judi Dench, is an Oscar-winning English stage, film and television actor. ...

1995 – Clare Higgins for Sweet Bird of Youth Sweet Bird of Youth is a Western Australian up coming band currently recording an Ep with Sound Lab Studio. ...

1994 – Fiona Shaw for Machinal Fiona Shaw as Aunt Petunia in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. ... Machinal (1928) was a play written by early 20th Century playwright and journalist Sophie Treadwell. ...

1993 – Alison Steadman for The Rise and Fall of Little Voice Alison Steadman (born 26 August 1946 in Liverpool) is an English actress. ...

1992 – Juliet Stevenson for Death and the Maiden Juliet Anne Virginia Stevenson is an English actress. ... Death and the Maiden (La muerte y la doncella) is a play by Ariel Dorfman, first published in 1991. ...

1991 – Kathryn Hunter for The Visit Kathryn Hunter is an English actress who has had many roles involved with British television. ... The Visit is the title of various English translations of Friedrich Dürrenmatts play Der Besuch der alten Dame (literally, The Visit of the Old Lady). It is probably the most well-known of his work, at least in the English-speaking world. ...

1989/90 – Fiona Shaw for Electra, As You Like It and The Good Person of Sezuan Fiona Shaw as Aunt Petunia in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. ... Elektra or Electra is a Greek tragic play by Sophocles. ... Scene from As you like it, Francis Hayman, c. ... < die gute Person des i>The von Sezuan, auch bekannt als die gute Frau von Setzuan, ist ein Spiel durch [ [ Deutschland|Deutscher ] ] [ [ playwright ] ], [ [ Dichter ] ], Theater [ [ Kritiker ] ] und [ [ Theoretiker ] ] [ [ Bertolt Brecht ] ]. Es wurde innen [ [ 1943 ] ] w�hrend der Autor in tempor�rem self-imposed politischem exile innen lebte [ [ die Vereinigten Staaten...

See also

• West End theatre
• Evening Standard Awards - a rival prize ceremony
• London Critics' Circle Theatre Awards - another rival prize ceremony

// West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre in London, or sometimes more specifically for shows staged in the large theatres of Londons Theatreland . Along with New Yorks Broadway Theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of theatre in the... The Evening Standard Awards are presented annually for oustanding achievements in London Theatre. ... The London Critics Circle Theatre Awards (Drama Theatre Awards until 1990) are presented annually for achievements in London Theatre. ...

External links

• Official website
• Laurence Olivier Theatre Award list from NNDB