African-American Tony nominees and winners facts for kids
This is a list of Black creatives who have been nominated for a Tony Award for outstanding achievement in theater.
While some American people of African ancestry prefer "Black," and others prefer "African American"; "African American" is considered a less appropriate umbrella term for people of African ancestry worldwide because it obscures other ethnicities or national origins. Thus, "Black" is a more inclusive umbrella term.
Contents
- Facts and figures
- Book of a Musical
- Choreography
- Costume Design
- Costume Design of a Musical
- Costume Design of a Play
- Direction of a Musical
- Direction of a Play
- Excellence in Theatre Education Award
- Lighting Design
- Lighting Design in a Play
- Musical
- Orchestrations
- Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
- Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
- Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
- Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
- Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
- Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
- Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
- Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
- Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
- Play
- Regional Theatre Tony Award
- Revival of a Musical
- Revival of a Play
- Sound Design of a Play
- Special Theatrical Event
- Special Tony Awards
Facts and figures
Multiple nominations
As of 2022 ceremony:
- George C. Wolfe – 24
- Audra McDonald – 9
- August Wilson – 9
- Paul Tazewell – 8
- Harold Wheeler – 7
- Lloyd Richards – 6
- Stephen Byrd – 5
- Gregory Hines – 5
- Bill T. Jones – 5
- Donald McKayle – 5
- Ron Simons – 5
- Savion Glover – 4
- David Alan Grier – 4
- Allen Lee Hughes – 4
- Toni-Leslie James – 4
- Alia Jones – 4
- James Earl Jones – 4
- LaChanze – 4
- Brian Stokes Mitchell – 4
- Mbongeni Ngema – 4
- Condola Rashad – 4
- Stew – 4
- Hilton Battle – 3
- Camille A. Brown – 3
- Vinnette Carroll – 3
- Viola Davis – 3
- André De Shields – 3
- Brandon Victor Dixon – 3
- Micki Grant – 3
- Joshua Henry – 3
- Geoffrey Holder – 3
- Kenny Leon – 3
- Henry LeTang – 3
- Lynn Nottage – 3
- Tonya Pinkins – 3
- Gilbert Price – 3
- Phylicia Rashad – 3
- Ruben Santiago-Hudson – 3
- Melvin Van Peebles – 3
- Courtney B. Vance – 3
- Daryl Waters – 3
- Mary Alice – 2
- Dede Ayite – 2
- Debbie Allen – 2
- Gretha Boston – 2
- Charles Brown – 2
- Chuck Cooper – 2
- Cleavant Derricks – 2
- Ann Duquesnay – 2
- Charles S. Dutton – 2
- George Faison – 2
- Laurence Fishburne – 2
- K. Todd Freeman – 2
- Whoopi Goldberg – 2
- Luther Henderson – 2
- Linda Hopkins – 2
- Ernestine Jackson – 2
- Michael R. Jackson – 2
- Quincy Jones – 2
- Joaquina Kalukango – 2
- John Kani – 2
- Eartha Kitt – 2
- John Legend – 2
- Adriane Lenox – 2
- Claudia McNeil – 2
- S. Epatha Merkerson – 2
- Patina Miller – 2
- Zakes Mokae – 2
- Brian Moreland - 2
- Dominique Morisseau - 2
- Sahr Ngaujah – 2
- Winston Ntshona – 2
- Sophie Okonedo – 2
- Jeremy Pope – 2
- Billy Porter – 2
- Josephine Premice – 2
- Vivian Reed – 2
- Roger Robinson – 2
- Anika Noni Rose – 2
- Diana Sands – 2
- Anna Deavere Smith – 2
- Emilio Sosa – 2
- Ron Taylor – 2
- Lynne Thigpen – 2
- Tamara Tunie – 2
- Leslie Uggams – 2
- Ben Vereen – 2
- Adrienne Warren – 2
- Denzel Washington – 2
- Jason Michael Webb – 2
- Lillias White – 2
- Dick Anthony Williams – 2
- Billy Wilson – 2
- Oprah Winfrey – 2
- Jeffrey Wright – 2
- Samuel E. Wright – 2
Multiple wins
As of 2022 ceremony:
- Audra McDonald – 6
- George C. Wolfe – 5
- Hinton Battle – 3
- James Earl Jones – 3
- Ron Simons – 3
- Viola Davis – 2
- Geoffrey Holder – 2
- Bill T. Jones – 2
- Billy Porter – 2
- Phylicia Rashad – 2
Book of a Musical
| Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result |
| 1972 | Melvin Van Peebles | Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death | Nominated |
| 1973 | Don't Play Us Cheap | Nominated | |
| Micki Grant | Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope | Nominated | |
| 1977 | Vinnette Carroll | Your Arms Too Short to Box with God | Nominated |
| 1992 | Clarke Peters | Five Guys Named Moe | Nominated |
| George C. Wolfe | Jelly's Last Jam | Nominated | |
| 1996 | Reg E. Gaines | Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk | Nominated |
| 1999 | Ron Taylor, Lita Gaithers, Charles Bevel | It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues | Nominated |
| 2000 | George C. Wolfe | The Wild Party | Nominated |
| 2008 | Stew | Passing Strange | Won |
| 2010 | Bill T. Jones | Fela! | Nominated |
| 2016 | George C. Wolfe | Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed | Nominated |
| 2019 | Dominique Morisseau | Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations | Nominated |
| 2020 | Katori Hall | Tina - The Tina Turner Musical | Nominated |
| 2022 | Lynn Nottage | MJ | Nominated |
| Christina Anderson | Paradise Square | Nominated | |
| Michael R. Jackson | A Strange Loop | Won | |
Choreography
| Tony Award for Best Choreography | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result |
| 1965 | Donald McKayle | Golden Boy | Nominated |
| 1970 | Louis Johnson | Purlie | Nominated |
| 1974 | Donald McKayle | Raisin | Nominated |
| 1975 | Doctor Jazz | Nominated | |
| George Faison | The Wiz | Won | |
| 1976 | Billy Wilson | Bubbling Brown Sugar | Nominated |
| 1977 | Talley Beatty | Your Arms Too Short to Box with God | Nominated |
| 1979 | Henry LeTang and Billy Wilson | Eubie! | Nominated |
| 1981 | Henry LeTang and Donald McKayle | Sophisticated Ladies | Nominated |
| 1983 | George Faison | Porgy and Bess | Nominated |
| 1988 | Ndaba Mhlongo and Mbongeni Ngema | Sarafina! | Nominated |
| 1989 | Cholly Atkins, Henry LeTang, Frankie Manning, and Fayard Nicholas | Black and Blue | Won |
| 1992 | Hope Clarke, Ted L. Levy, and Gregory Hines | Jelly's Last Jam | Nominated |
| 1996 | Savion Glover | Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk | Won |
| 2006 | Donald Byrd | The Color Purple | Nominated |
| 2007 | Bill T. Jones | Spring Awakening | Won |
| 2010 | Fela! | Won | |
| 2016 | Savion Glover | Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed | Nominated |
| 2019 | Camille A. Brown | Choir Boy | Nominated |
| 2022 | Bill T. Jones | Paradise Square | Nominated |
Costume Design
| Tony Award for Best Costume Design | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result |
| 1975 | Geoffrey Holder | The Wiz | Won |
| 1978 | Timbuktu! | Nominated | |
| 1991 | Judy Dearing | Once on This Island | Nominated |
| 1992 | Toni-Leslie James | Jelly's Last Jam | Nominated |
| 1996 | Paul Tazewell | Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk | Nominated |
Costume Design of a Musical
| Tony Award for Best Costume Design of a Musical | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result |
| 2006 | Paul Tazewell | The Color Purple | Nominated |
| 2008 | In the Heights | Nominated | |
| 2010 | Memphis | Nominated | |
| 2012 | ESosa | The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess | Nominated |
| 2016 | Paul Tazewell | Hamilton | Won |
| 2019 | Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations | Nominated | |
| 2022 | Toni-Leslie James | Paradise Square | Nominated |
| Paul Tazewell | MJ | Nominated | |
Costume Design of a Play
| Tony Award for Best Costume Design of a Play | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result |
| 2012 | Paul Tazewell | A Streetcar Named Desire | Nominated |
| 2017 | Toni-Leslie James | August Wilson's Jitney | Nominated |
| 2019 | Bernhardt/Hamlet | Nominated | |
| 2020 | Dede Ayite | Slave Play | Nominated |
| A Soldier's Play | Nominated | ||
| 2022 | Emilio Sosa | Trouble in Mind | Nominated |
Direction of a Musical
| Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result |
| 1972 | Gilbert Moses | Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death | Nominated |
| 1973 | Vinnette Carroll | Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope | Nominated |
| 1974 | Donald McKayle | Raisin | Nominated |
| 1975 | Geoffrey Holder | The Wiz | Won |
| 1977 | Vinnette Carroll | Your Arms Too Short to Box with God | Nominated |
| 1988 | Mbongeni Ngema | Sarafina! | Nominated |
| 1992 | George C. Wolfe | Jelly's Last Jam | Nominated |
| 1996 | Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk | Won | |
| 2004 | Caroline, or Change | Nominated | |
| 2010 | Bill T. Jones | Fela! | Nominated |
| 2016 | George C. Wolfe | Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed | Nominated |
Direction of a Play
| Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result |
| 1960 | Lloyd Richards | A Raisin in the Sun | Nominated |
| 1987 | Mbongeni Ngema | Asinamali! | Nominated |
| Lloyd Richards | Fences | Won | |
| 1988 | Joe Turner's Come and Gone | Nominated | |
| 1990 | The Piano Lesson | Nominated | |
| 1993 | George C. Wolfe | Angels in America: Millennium Approaches | Won |
| 1994 | Angels in America: Perestroika | Nominated | |
| 1996 | Lloyd Richards | Seven Guitars | Nominated |
| 2001 | Marion McClinton | King Hedley II | Nominated |
| 2010 | Kenny Leon | Fences | Nominated |
| 2011 | George C. Wolfe | The Normal Heart | Nominated |
| 2013 | George C. Wolfe | Lucky Guy | Nominated |
| 2014 | Kenny Leon | A Raisin in the Sun | Won |
| 2016 | Liesl Tommy | Eclipsed | Nominated |
| 2017 | Ruben Santiago-Hudson | August Wilson's Jitney | Nominated |
| 2018 | George C. Wolfe | Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh | Nominated |
| 2019 | Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus | Nominated | |
| 2020 | Kenny Leon | A Soldier's Play | Nominated |
| Robert O'Hara | Slave Play | Nominated | |
| 2022 | Lileana Blain-Cruz | The Skin of Our Teeth | Nominated |
Excellence in Theatre Education Award
| Excellence in Theatre Education | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | School | Result |
| 2015 | Corey Mitchell | Northwest School of the Arts in Charlotte, N.C. | Won |
| 2016 | Marilyn McCormick | Cass Technical High School in Detroit, MI | Won |
| 2022 | Roshunda Jones-Koumba | G. W. Carver Magnet High School in Houston, Texas | Won |
Lighting Design
| Tony Award for Best Lighting Design | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result |
| 1983 | Allen Lee Hughes | K2 | Nominated |
| 1985 | Strange Interlude | Nominated | |
| 1991 | Once on This Island | Nominated | |
Lighting Design in a Play
| Tony Award for Best Lighting Design in a Play | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result |
| 2020 | Allen Lee Hughes | A Soldier's Play | Nominated |
Musical
| Tony Award for Best Musical | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result |
| 1975 | Ken Harper (as producer) | The Wiz | Won |
| 1996 | George C. Wolfe (as producer) | Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk | Nominated |
| 2000 | The Wild Party | Nominated | |
| 2002 | Whoopi Goldberg (as producer) | Thoroughly Modern Millie | Won |
| 2004 | George C. Wolfe (as producer) | Caroline, or Change | Nominated |
| 2006 | Oprah Winfrey (as producer), Quincy Jones (as producer) | The Color Purple | Nominated |
| 2007 | Tamara Tunie (as producer) | Spring Awakening | Won |
| 2010 | Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter (as producer), Will Smith (as producer), Jada Pinkett Smith (as producer) | Fela! | Nominated |
| 2011 | Whoopi Goldberg (as producer) | Sister Act | Nominated |
| 2014 | Wynton Marsalis (as producer) | After Midnight | Nominated |
| Ron Simons (as producer) | A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder | Won | |
| 2019 | Ron Simons (as producer), Stephen Byrd (as producer), Alia Jones (as producer) | Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations | Nominated |
| 2020 | Tina Turner (as producer) | Tina - The Tina Turner Musical | Nominated |
| 2022 | Stephen C. Byrd (as producer) | MJ | Nominated |
| Sheila C. Johnson (as producer) | Paradise Square | Nominated | |
| RuPaul Charles (as producer), Debra Martin Chase (as producer), Don Cheadle (as producer), Bridgid Coulter Cheadle (as producer), Jennifer Hudson (as producer), Billy Porter (as producer), Cody Renard Richard (as producer), Tre’ Scott (as producer), Paul Oakley Stovall (as producer), Zach Stafford (as producer), | A Strange Loop | Won | |
Orchestrations
| Tony Award for Best Orchestrations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result |
| 1997 | Luther Henderson | Play On! | Nominated |
| Harold Wheeler | The Life | Nominated | |
| 1999 | Little Me | Nominated | |
| 2000 | Swing! | Nominated | |
| 2001 | The Full Monty | Nominated | |
| 2003 | Hairspray | Nominated | |
| 2005 | Dirty Rotten Scoundrels | Nominated | |
| 2008 | Stew | Passing Strange | Nominated |
| 2010 | Daryl Waters | Memphis | Won |
| 2016 | Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Harold Wheeler | Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations | Nominated |
| 2022 | Jason Michael Webb | MJ | Nominated |
Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
| Tony Award for Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result |
| 1972 | Melvin Van Peebles | Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death | Nominated |
| 1973 | Micki Grant | Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope | Nominated |
| 1975 | Charlie Smalls | The Wiz | Won |
| 1976 | Scott Joplin | Treemonisha | Nominated |
| 1978 | Micki Grant | Working | Nominated |
| 1979 | Eubie Blake, Noble Sissle, Andy Razaf, F. E. Miller, and Jim Europe | Eubie! | Nominated |
| 1988 | Mbongeni Ngema and Hugh Masekela | Sarafina! | Nominated |
| 1992 | Luther Henderson, Jelly Roll Morton | Jelly's Last Jam | Nominated |
| 1996 | Ann Duquesnay, Reg E. Gaines, Zane Mark, Daryl Waters, George C. Wolfe | Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk | Nominated |
| 2006 | Stephen Bray, Brenda Russell | The Color Purple | Nominated |
| 2008 | Stew | Passing Strange | Nominated |
| 2010 | Branford Marsalis | Fences | Nominated |
| 2018 | Yolanda Adams, John Legend, T.I., Domani & Lil' C | SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical | Nominated |
| 2020 | Jason Michael Webb | The Rose Tattoo | Nominated |
| 2022 | Masi Asare | Paradise Square | Nominated |
| Michael R. Jackson | A Strange Loop | Nominated | |
Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
| Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result | Milestone |
| 1954 | Harry Belafonte | John Murray Anderson's Almanac | Won | First African-American male winner |
| 1958 | Ossie Davis | Jamaica | Nominated | |
| 1967 | Leon Bibb | A Hand Is on the Gate | Nominated | |
| 1972 | Ben Vereen | Jesus Christ Superstar | Nominated | |
| 1973 | Avon Long | Don't Play Us Cheap | Nominated | |
| Gilbert Price | Lost in the Stars | Nominated | ||
| 1974 | Ralph Carter | Raisin | Nominated | |
| 1975 | Ted Ross | The Wiz | Won | |
| Gilbert Price | The Night That Made America Famous | Nominated | ||
| 1977 | Larry Marshall | Porgy and Bess | Nominated | |
| 1979 | Gregory Hines | Eubie! | Nominated | |
| 1981 | Hinton Battle | Sophisticated Ladies | Won | |
| 1982 | Cleavant Derricks | Dreamgirls | Won | |
| Obba Babatundé | Nominated | |||
| David Alan Grier | The First | Nominated | ||
| 1984 | Hinton Battle | The Tap Dance Kid | Won | With this win, first African-American to win 2 Tonys. |
| Samuel E. Wright | Nominated | |||
| 1985 | Ron Richardson | Big River | Won | |
| 1989 | Bunny Briggs | Black and Blue | Nominated | |
| Savion Glover | Nominated | |||
| 1991 | Hinton Battle | Miss Saigon | Won | With this win, first African-American to win 3 Tonys. |
| Gregg Burge | Oh, Kay! | Nominated | ||
| 1992 | Keith David | Jelly's Last Jam | Nominated | |
| 1995 | Michel Bell | Show Boat | Nominated | |
| Victor Trent Cook | Smokey Joe's Café | Nominated | ||
| 1997 | Chuck Cooper | The Life | Won | |
| André De Shields | Play On! | Nominated | ||
| 1998 | Samuel E. Wright | The Lion King | Nominated | |
| 1999 | Desmond Richardson | Fosse | Nominated | |
| Ron Taylor | It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues | Nominated | ||
| 2001 | André De Shields | The Full Monty | Nominated | |
| 2003 | Corey Reynolds | Hairspray | Nominated | |
| 2004 | Michael McElroy | Big River | Nominated | |
| 2006 | Brandon Victor Dixon | The Color Purple | Nominated | |
| 2008 | Daniel Breaker | Passing Strange | Nominated | |
| 2011 | Colman Domingo | The Scottsboro Boys | Nominated | |
| Forrest McClendon | Nominated | |||
| 2012 | David Alan Grier | The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess | Nominated | |
| Phillip Boykin | Nominated | |||
| 2013 | Charl Brown | Motown: The Musical | Nominated | |
| 2014 | Joshua Henry | Violet | Nominated | |
| James Monroe Iglehart | Aladdin | Won | ||
| 2016 | Daveed Diggs | Hamilton | Won | |
| Christopher Jackson | Nominated | |||
| Brandon Victor Dixon | Shuffle Along, Or The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed | Nominated | ||
| 2019 | André De Shields | Hadestown | Won | |
| Jeremy Pope | Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations | Nominated | ||
| Ephraim Sykes | Nominated | |||
| 2020 | Sahr Ngaujah | Moulin Rouge! The Musical | Nominated | |
| Daniel J. Watts | Tina - The Tina Turner Musical | Nominated | ||
| 2022 | Sidney DuPont | Paradise Square | Nominated | |
| Jared Grimes | Funny Girl | Nominated | ||
| John-Andrew Morrison | A Strange Loop | Nominated | ||
Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
| Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result |
| 1962 | Godfrey M. Cambridge | Purlie Victorious | Nominated |
| 1965 | Clarence Williams III | Slow Dance on the Killing Ground | Nominated |
| 1974 | Douglas Turner Ward | The River Niger | Nominated |
| Dick Anthony Williams | What the Wine-Sellers Buy | Nominated | |
| 1975 | Black Picture Show | Nominated | |
| 1978 | Morgan Freeman | The Mighty Gents | Nominated |
| 1980 | Earle Hyman | The Lady from Dubuque | Nominated |
| 1982 | Zakes Mokae | Master Harold...and the Boys | Won |
| 1985 | Charles S. Dutton | Ma Rainey's Black Bottom | Nominated |
| 1987 | Frankie R. Faison | Fences | Nominated |
| Courtney B. Vance | Nominated | ||
| 1988 | Delroy Lindo | Joe Turner's Come and Gone | Nominated |
| 1992 | Laurence Fishburne | Two Trains Running | Won |
| Roscoe Lee Browne | Nominated | ||
| 1993 | Zakes Mokae | The Song of Jacob Zulu | Nominated |
| 1994 | Jeffrey Wright | Angels in America: Perestroika | Won |
| 1996 | Ruben Santiago-Hudson | Seven Guitars | Won |
| Roger Robinson | Nominated | ||
| 2001 | Charles Brown | King Hedley II | Nominated |
| 2003 | Thomas Jefferson Byrd | Ma Rainey's Black Bottom | Nominated |
| Daniel Sunjata | Take Me Out | Nominated | |
| 2007 | Anthony Chisholm | Radio Golf | Nominated |
| John Earl Jelks | Nominated | ||
| 2009 | Roger Robinson | Joe Turner's Come and Gone | Won |
| 2010 | David Alan Grier | Race | Nominated |
| Stephen McKinley Henderson | Fences | Nominated | |
| Jon Michael Hill | Superior Donuts | Nominated | |
| 2013 | Courtney B. Vance | Lucky Guy | Won |
| 2015 | K. Todd Freeman | Airline Highway | Nominated |
| 2017 | John Douglas Thompson | August Wilson's Jitney | Nominated |
| 2018 | Brian Tyree Henry | Lobby Hero | Nominated |
| 2020 | Ato Blankson-Wood | Slave Play | Nominated |
| David Alan Grier | A Soldier's Play | Won | |
| 2022 | Chuck Cooper | Trouble in Mind | Nominated |
| Ron Cephas Jones | Clyde's | Nominated | |
| Jesse Williams | Take Me Out | Nominated | |
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
| Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result |
| 1965 | Sammy Davis | Golden Boy | Nominated |
| 1968 | Robert Hooks | Hallelujah, Baby! | Nominated |
| 1970 | Cleavon Little | Purlie | Won |
| 1972 | Clifton Davis | Two Gentlemen of Verona | Nominated |
| 1973 | Brock Peters | Lost in the Stars | Nominated |
| Ben Vereen | Pippin | Won | |
| 1974 | Joe Morton | Raisin | Nominated |
| 1977 | Robert Guillaume | Guys and Dolls | Nominated |
| 1978 | Gilbert Price | Timbuktu! | Nominated |
| 1980 | Gregory Hines | Comin' Uptown | Nominated |
| 1981 | Sophisticated Ladies | Nominated | |
| 1982 | Ben Harney | Dreamgirls | Won |
| 1983 | Al Green | Your Arms Too Short to Box with God | Nominated |
| Michael V. Smartt | Porgy and Bess | Nominated | |
| 1986 | Cleavant Derricks | Big Deal | Nominated |
| Maurice Hines | Uptown...It's Hot! | Nominated | |
| 1992 | Gregory Hines | Jelly's Last Jam | Won |
| 1996 | Savion Glover | Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk | Nominated |
| 1998 | Brian Stokes Mitchell | Ragtime | Nominated |
| 2000 | Kiss Me, Kate | Won | |
| 2003 | Man of La Mancha | Nominated | |
| 2008 | Stew | Passing Strange | Nominated |
| 2010 | Sahr Ngaujah | Fela! | Nominated |
| 2011 | Joshua Henry | The Scottsboro Boys | Nominated |
| 2012 | Norm Lewis | The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess | Nominated |
| 2013 | Billy Porter | Kinky Boots | Won |
| 2016 | Leslie Odom, Jr. | Hamilton | Won |
| 2018 | Joshua Henry | Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel | Nominated |
| 2019 | Derrick Baskin | Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations | Nominated |
| 2022 | Myles Frost | MJ | Won |
| Jaquel Spivey | A Strange Loop | Nominated | |
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
| Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result | |
| 1960 | Sidney Poitier | A Raisin in the Sun | Nominated | |
| 1969 | James Earl Jones | The Great White Hope | Won | |
| 1975 | John Kani and Winston Ntshona | Sizwe Banzi is Dead / The Island | Won | |
| 1976 | Moses Gunn | The Poison Tree | Nominated | |
| 1980 | Charles Brown | Home | Nominated | |
| 1984 | Calvin Levels | Open Admissions | Nominated | |
| 1987 | James Earl Jones | Fences | Won | |
| 1990 | Charles S. Dutton | The Piano Lesson | Nominated | |
| 1991 | Courtney B. Vance | Six Degrees of Separation | Nominated | |
| 1993 | K. Todd Freeman | The Song of Jacob Zulu | Nominated | |
| 2001 | Brian Stokes Mitchell | King Hedley II | Nominated | |
| 2002 | Jeffrey Wright | Topdog/Underdog | Nominated | |
| 2005 | James Earl Jones | On Golden Pond | Nominated | |
| 2008 | Laurence Fishburne | Thurgood | Nominated | |
| 2010 | Denzel Washington | Fences | Won | |
| 2012 | James Earl Jones | Gore Vidal's The Best Man | Nominated | |
| 2017 | Corey Hawkins | John Guare's Six Degrees of Separation | Nominated | |
| 2018 | Denzel Washington | Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Jeremy Pope | Choir Boy | Nominated | |
| 2020 | Blair Underwood | A Soldier's Play | Nominated | |
| 2022 | Adrian Lester | The Lehman Trilogy | Nominated | |
| Ruben Santiago-Hudson | Lackawanna Blues | Nominated | ||
Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
| Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result | Milestone |
| 1950 | Juanita Hall | South Pacific | Won | First African-American Tony winner. First African-American Tony female winner. |
| 1958 | Josephine Premice | Jamaica | Nominated | |
| 1967 | A Hand Is on the Gate | Nominated | ||
| 1968 | Lillian Hayman | Hallelujah, Baby! | Won | |
| 1970 | Melba Moore | Purlie | Won | |
| 1972 | Linda Hopkins | Inner City | Won | |
| Beatrice Winde | Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death | Nominated | ||
| 1974 | Ernestine Jackson | Raisin | Nominated | |
| 1975 | Dee Dee Bridgewater | The Wiz | Won | |
| 1977 | Delores Hall | Your Arms Too Short to Box with God | Won | |
| 1978 | Nell Carter | Ain't Misbehavin' | Won | |
| Charlayne Woodard | Nominated | |||
| 1980 | Debbie Allen | West Side Story | Nominated | |
| 1981 | Phyllis Hyman | Sophisticated Ladies | Nominated | |
| Lynne Thigpen | Tintypes | Nominated | ||
| 1983 | Karla Burns | Show Boat | Nominated | |
| 1984 | Martine Allard | The Tap Dance Kid | Nominated | |
| 1985 | Leilani Jones | Grind | Won | |
| 1986 | Elisabeth Welch | Jerome Kern Goes to Hollywood | Nominated | |
| 1988 | Leleti Khumalo | Sarafina | Nominated | |
| 1991 | LaChanze | Once on This Island | Nominated | |
| 1992 | Tonya Pinkins | Jelly's Last Jam | Won | |
| Vivian Reed | The High Rollers Social and Pleasure Club | Nominated | ||
| 1994 | Audra McDonald | Carousel | Won | |
| 1995 | Gretha Boston | Show Boat | Won | |
| Brenda Braxton | Smokey Joe's Café | Nominated | ||
| B.J. Crosby | Nominated | |||
| 1996 | Ann Duquesnay | Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk | Won | |
| 1997 | Lillias White | The Life | Won | |
| 1998 | Audra McDonald | Ragtime | Won | With this win, first African-American to win twice in this category. |
| Tsidii Le Loka | The Lion King | Nominated | ||
| 1999 | Gretha Boston | It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues | Nominated | |
| Valerie Pettiford | Fosse | Nominated | ||
| 2000 | Eartha Kitt | The Wild Party | Nominated | |
| 2004 | Anika Noni Rose | Caroline, or Change | Won | |
| 2006 | Felicia P. Fields | The Color Purple | Nominated | |
| Elisabeth Withers-Mendes | Nominated | |||
| 2008 | De'Adre Aziza | Passing Strange | Nominated | |
| 2010 | Karine Plantadit | Come Fly Away | Nominated | |
| Lillias White | Fela! | Nominated | ||
| 2011 | Nikki M. James | The Book of Mormon | Won | |
| 2012 | Da'Vine Joy Randolph | Ghost the Musical | Nominated | |
| 2014 | Adriane Lenox | After Midnight | Nominated | |
| 2016 | Danielle Brooks | The Color Purple | Nominated | |
| Renée Elise Goldsberry | Hamilton | Won | ||
| Adrienne Warren | Shuffle Along, Or The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed | Nominated | ||
| 2018 | Ariana DeBose | Summer: The Donna Summer Musical | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Lilli Cooper | Tootsie | Nominated | |
| Amber Gray | Hadestown | Nominated | ||
| 2020 | Celia Rose Gooding | Jagged Little Pill | Nominated | |
| Myra Lucretia Taylor | Tina - The Tina Turner Musical | Nominated | ||
| 2022 | Jeannette Bayardelle | Girl from the North Country | Nominated | |
| L Morgan Lee | A Strange Loop | Nominated | First transgender person to be nominated for a Tony. | |
Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
| Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result | Milestone |
| 1964 | Diana Sands | Blues for Mister Charlie | Nominated | |
| 1973 | Maya Angelou | Look Away | Nominated | |
| 1974 | Roxie Roker | The River Niger | Nominated | |
| 1978 | Starletta DuPois | The Mighty Gents | Nominated | |
| 1985 | Theresa Merritt | Ma Rainey's Black Bottom | Nominated | |
| 1987 | Mary Alice | Fences | Won | |
| 1988 | L. Scott Caldwell | Joe Turner's Come and Gone | Won | |
| Kimberleigh Aarn | Nominated | |||
| Kimberly Scott | Nominated | |||
| 1990 | S. Epatha Merkerson | The Piano Lesson | Nominated | |
| 1992 | Cynthia Martells | Two Trains Running | Nominated | |
| 1996 | Audra McDonald | Master Class | Won | With this win, first African-American to win in both musical and play categories. |
| Viola Davis | Seven Guitars | Nominated | ||
| Michele Shay | Nominated | |||
| 1997 | Lynne Thigpen | An American Daughter | Won | |
| 2001 | Viola Davis | King Hedley II | Won | |
| 2004 | Audra McDonald | A Raisin in the Sun | Won | With this win first African American to win 4 Tonys. With this win, first African-American to win twice in this category |
| Sanaa Lathan | Nominated | |||
| 2005 | Adriane Lenox | Doubt | Won | |
| 2012 | Condola Rashad | Stick Fly | Nominated | |
| 2013 | Shalita Grant | Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike | Nominated | |
| Condola Rashad | The Trip to Bountiful | Nominated | ||
| 2014 | Sophie Okonedo | A Raisin in the Sun | Won | |
| Anika Noni Rose | Nominated | |||
| 2016 | Pascale Armand | Eclipsed | Nominated | |
| Saycon Sengbloh | Nominated | |||
| 2017 | Condola Rashad | A Doll's House, Part 2 | Nominated | |
| Michelle Wilson | Sweat | Nominated | ||
| 2018 | Noma Dumezweni | Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two | Nominated | |
| 2020 | Chalia La Tour | Slave Play | Nominated | |
| 2022 | Uzo Aduba | Clyde's | Nominated | |
| Phylicia Rashad | Skeleton Crew | Won | ||
| Kara Young | Clyde's | Nominated | ||
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
| Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result | Milestone |
| 1958 | Lena Horne | Jamaica | Nominated | |
| 1962 | Diahann Carroll | No Strings | Won | First African-American winner in a lead role. |
| 1964 | Carol Channing | Hello, Dolly! | Won | Channing is German-American and African-American. |
| 1968 | Leslie Uggams | Hallelujah, Baby! | Won | |
| 1972 | Jonelle Allen | Two Gentlemen of Verona | Nominated | |
| 1974 | Virginia Capers | Raisin | Won | |
| 1975 | Lola Falana | Doctor Jazz | Nominated | |
| 1976 | Vivian Reed | Bubbling Brown Sugar | Nominated | |
| 1977 | Clamma Dale | Porgy and Bess | Nominated | |
| Ernestine Jackson | Guys and Dolls | Nominated | ||
| 1978 | Eartha Kitt | Timbuktu! | Nominated | |
| 1982 | Jennifer Holliday | Dreamgirls | Won | |
| Sheryl Lee Ralph | Nominated | |||
| 1983 | Lonette McKee | Show Boat | Nominated | |
| 1984 | Rhetta Hughes | Amen Corner | Nominated | |
| 1986 | Debbie Allen | Sweet Charity | Nominated | |
| 1989 | Ruth Brown | Black and Blue | Won | |
| Linda Hopkins | Nominated | |||
| 1997 | Pamela Isaacs | The Life | Nominated | |
| Tonya Pinkins | Play On! | Nominated | ||
| 2000 | Heather Headley | Aida | Won | |
| Audra McDonald | Marie Christine | Nominated | ||
| 2002 | Vanessa L. Williams | Into the Woods | Nominated | |
| 2004 | Tonya Pinkins | Caroline, or Change | Nominated | |
| 2006 | LaChanze | The Color Purple | Won | |
| 2007 | Audra McDonald | 110 in the Shade | Nominated | |
| 2010 | Montego Glover | Memphis | Nominated | |
| 2011 | Patina Miller | Sister Act | Nominated | |
| 2012 | Audra McDonald | The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess | Won | With this win, first African-American to win 5 Tonys. |
| 2013 | Patina Miller | Pippin | Won | |
| Valisia LeKae | Motown: The Musical | Nominated | ||
| 2016 | Cynthia Erivo | The Color Purple | Won | |
| 2017 | Denée Benton | Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 | Nominated | |
| 2018 | Hailey Kilgore | Once on This Island | Nominated | |
| LaChanze | Summer: The Donna Summer Musical | Nominated | ||
| 2020 | Adrienne Warren | Tina - The Tina Turner Musical | Won | |
| 2022 | Sharon D. Clarke | Caroline, or Change | Nominated | |
| Joaquina Kalukango | Paradise Square | Won | ||
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
| Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result |
| 1960 | Claudia McNeil | A Raisin in the Sun | Nominated |
| 1963 | Tiger Tiger Burning Bright | Nominated | |
| 1965 | Beah Richards | The Amen Corner | Nominated |
| Diana Sands | The Owl and the Pussycat | Nominated | |
| 1994 | Anna Deavere Smith | Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 | Nominated |
| 1995 | Mary Alice | Having Our Say | Nominated |
| 2001 | Leslie Uggams | King Hedley II | Nominated |
| 2004 | Phylicia Rashad | A Raisin in the Sun | Won |
| 2005 | Gem of the Ocean | Nominated | |
| 2008 | S. Epatha Merkerson | Come Back, Little Sheba | Nominated |
| 2010 | Viola Davis | Fences | Won |
| 2013 | Cicely Tyson | The Trip to Bountiful | Won |
| 2014 | LaTanya Richardson Jackson | A Raisin in the Sun | Nominated |
| Audra McDonald | Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill | Won | |
| 2016 | Lupita Nyong'o | Eclipsed | Nominated |
| Sophie Okonedo | Arthur Miller's The Crucible | Nominated | |
| 2018 | Condola Rashad | Saint Joan | Nominated |
| Lauren Ridloff | Children of a Lesser God | Nominated | |
| 2020 | Joaquina Kalukango | Slave Play | Nominated |
| Audra McDonald | Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune | Nominated | |
| 2022 | Gabby Beans | The Skin of Our Teeth | Nominated |
| LaChanze | Trouble in Mind | Nominated | |
| Ruth Negga | Macbeth | Nominated | |
Play
| Tony Award for Best Play | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result |
| 1960 | Lorraine Hansberry (as playwright) | A Raisin in the Sun | Nominated |
| 1974 | Joseph A. Walker (as playwright) | The River Niger | Won |
| 1975 | John Kani and Winston Ntshona (as playwright) | Sizwe Banzi is Dead and The Island | Nominated |
| 1976 | Leslie Lee (as playwright) | The First Breeze of Summer | Nominated |
| 1980 | Samm-Art Williams (as playwright) | Home | Nominated |
| 1985 | August Wilson (as playwright) | Ma Rainey's Black Bottom | Nominated |
| 1987 | Fences | Won | |
| 1988 | Joe Turner's Come and Gone | Nominated | |
| 1990 | August Wilson (as playwright), Lloyd Richards (as producer) | The Piano Lesson | Nominated |
| 1992 | August Wilson (as playwright) | Two Trains Running | Nominated |
| 1993 | Tug Yourgrau (as playwright) | The Song of Jacob Zulu | Nominated |
| 1994 | George C. Wolfe (as producer) | Angels in America: Perestroika | Won |
| Anna Deavere Smith (as playwright), George C. Wolfe (as producer) | Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 | Nominated | |
| 1995 | Camille Cosby (as producer) | Having Our Say | Nominated |
| 1996 | August Wilson (as playwright) | Seven Guitars | Nominated |
| 1998 | George C. Wolfe (as producer) | Golden Child | Nominated |
| 2000 | The Ride Down Mt. Morgan | Nominated | |
| 2001 | August Wilson (as playwright) | King Hedley II | Nominated |
| 2002 | Suzan-Lori Parks (as playwright), George C. Wolfe (as producer) | Topdog/Underdog | Nominated |
| 2003 | George C. Wolfe (as producer) | Take Me Out | Won |
| 2005 | August Wilson (as playwright) | Gem of the Ocean | Nominated |
| 2007 | August Wilson (as playwright), Tamara Tunie (as producer) | Radio Golf | Nominated |
| 2013 | Ron Simons (as producer) | Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike | Won |
| 2016 | Danai Gurira (as playwright), Stephen C. Byrd (as producer), Alia Jones-Harvey (as producer), Alani LaLa Anthony (as producer) | Eclipsed | Nominated |
| 2017 | Lynn Nottage (as playwright) | Sweat | Nominated |
| 2019 | Tarell Alvin McCraney (as playwright) | Choir Boy | Nominated |
| 2020 | Jeremy O. Harris (as playwright and producer) | Slave Play | Nominated |
| Brian Moreland (as producer) | Sea Wall/A Life | Nominated | |
| The Sound Inside | Nominated | ||
| 2022 | Lynn Nottage (as playwright) | Clyde's | Nominated |
| Dominique Morisseau (as playwright) | Skeleton Crew | Nominated | |
Regional Theatre Tony Award
| Regional Theatre Tony Award | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Result | |
| 1999 | Crossroads Theatre | Won | |
Revival of a Musical
| Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result |
| 2014 | Brandon Victor Dixon (as producer), | Hedwig and the Angry Inch | Won |
| 2016 | Oprah Winfrey (as producer), Quincy Jones (as producer) | The Color Purple | Won |
Revival of a Play
| Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result |
| 2004 | Susan Batson (as producer) | A Raisin in the Sun | Nominated |
| 2013 | Kevin Liles (as producer), Stephen C. Byrd (as producer), Alia M. Jones (as producer) | The Trip to Bountiful | Nominated |
| 2017 | Mike Jackson (as producer), John Legend (as producer), Ron Simons (as producer) | August Wilson's Jitney | Won |
| 2018 | Stephen C. Byrd (as producer), Alia Jones-Harvey (as producer) | Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh | Nominated |
| 2020 | Charles Fuller (as playwright) | A Soldier's Play | Won |
Sound Design of a Play
| Tony Award for Best Sound Design of a Play | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result |
| 2022 | Mikaal Sulaiman | Macbeth | Nominated |
Special Theatrical Event
| Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result |
| 2002 | George C. Wolfe (as producer) | Elaine Stritch at Liberty | Won |
Special Tony Awards
| Special Tony Award | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Nominee | Show | Result |
| 1968 | Pearl Bailey | Won | |
| 1977 | Diana Ross | Won | |
| 1981 | Lena Horne | Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music | Won |
| 2006 | Sarah Jones | Bridge & Tunnel | Won |
| 2017 | James Earl Jones | Won | |
| 2019 | Harold Wheeler | Won | |
| Jason Michael Webb | Choir Boy | Won | |
| 2020 | Irene Gandy | Won | |
| Beverly Jenkins | Won | ||
| The Broadway Advocacy Coalition | Won | ||
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African-American Tony nominees and winners Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.