ENTERTAINMENT
Theatre - Olivier Awards
Most Wins for Female Acting
This list features the lead female actors that have won the most musical and drama acting awards in Olivier Awards history - this exclude awards for supporting roles.
RANK | ACTRESS | NOMINATIONS | WINS | YEARS |
1 | Judi Dench | 12 | 6 | Macbeth (1977), Juno and the Paycock (1980), Pack of Lies (1983), Antony and Cleopatra (1987), Absolute Hell (1996), A Little Night Music (1996) |
2 | Imelda Staunton | 12 | 4 | Into the Woods (1991), Sweeney Todd (2013), Gypsy (2016), Hello, Dolly! (2025) |
3 | Maria Friedman | 7 | 2 | Passion (1997), Ragtime (2004) |
4 | Julia McKenzie | 6 | 2 | Guys and Dolls (1982), Sweeney Todd (1994) |
5 | Eileen Atkins | 6 | 2 | The Unexpected Man (1999), Honour (2004) |
6 | Zoë Wanamaker | 6 | 2 | Once in a Lifetime (1979), Electra (1998) |
7 | Joanna Riding | 5 | 2 | Carousel (1993), My Fair Lady (2003) |
8 | Clare Higgins | 4 | 3 | Sweet Bird of Youth (1995), Vincent in Brixton (2003), Hecuba (2005) |
9 | Lindsay Duncan | 4 | 2 | Les Liaisons Dangereuses (1986), Private Lives (2002) |
10 | Fiona Shaw | 4 | 2 | Electra, As You Like It and The Good Person of Szechwan (1990), Machinal (1994) |
11 | Lesley Manville | 4 | 2 | Ghosts (2014), Oedipus (2025) |
12 | Frances de la Tour | 3 | 2 | Duet for One (1980), A Moon for the Misbegotten (1983), |
13 | Barbara Dickson | 2 | 2 | Blood Brothers (1983), Spend Spend Spend (2000) |
14 | Samantha Spiro | 2 | 2 | Merrily We Roll Along (2001), Hello, Dolly! (2010) |
15 | Katie Brayben | 2 | 2 | Beautiful (2015), Tammy Faye (2023) |
16 | Dorothy Tutin | 2 | 2 | A Month in the Country (1976), The Double Dealer (1978) |
17 | Margaret Tyzack | 2 | 2 | Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1981), The Chalk Garden (2009) |
References
