Colleen Dewhurst

Canadian-American actress (1924–1991)

Colleen Dewhurst

Colleen Dewhurst in The Trial of Susan B. Anthony (1971)

Born|

Colleen Rose Dewhurst

(1924-06-03)June 3, 1924

Montreal, Quebec

Died| August 22, 1991(1991-08-22) (aged 67)

South Salem, New York, U.S.

Occupation| Actress
Years active| 1952–1991
Spouses|

* James Vickery

(m. 1947; div. 1960)​

* George C. Scott

(m. 1960; div. 1965)​

* ​

(m. 1967; div. 1972)​

Partner| Ken Marsolais (1975–1991; her death)
Children| 2, including Campbell Scott
Awards|

* 2 Tony Awards
* 4 Emmy Awards

11th President of the Actors' Equity Association
In office
1985 – 1991 (died in the office)
Preceded by| Ellen Burstyn
Succeeded by| Ron Silver

Colleen Rose Dewhurst (June 3, 1924 – August 22, 1991) was a Canadian-American actress mostly known for theatre roles. She was a renowned interpreter of the works of Eugene O'Neill on the stage, and her career also encompassed film, early dramas on live television, and performances in Joseph Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival. One of her last roles was playing Marilla Cuthbert in the Kevin Sullivan television adaptations of the Anne of Green Gables series and her reprisal of the role in the subsequent TV series Road to Avonlea. In the United States, Dewhurst won two Tony Awards and four Emmy Awards for her stage and television work. In addition to other Canadian honors over the years, Dewhurst won two Gemini Awards (the former Canadian equivalent of an Emmy Award) for her portrayal of Marilla Cuthbert; once in 1986 and again in 1988. It is arguably her best known role because of the Kevin Sullivan produced series’ continuing popularity and also the initial co-production by the CBC; allowing for rebroadcasts over the years on it, and also on PBS in the United States. The initial broadcast alone was seen by millions of viewers.[1]

## Early life[edit]

Dewhurst was born June 3, 1924, in Montreal, Quebec, the only child of Frances Marie (nee Woods) and Ferdinand Augustus "Fred" Dewhurst. Fred Dewhurst was the owner of a chain of confectionery stores and had been a celebrated athlete in Canada, where he had played football with the Ottawa Rough Riders.[2] The family became naturalized as U.S. citizens before 1940. Colleen Dewhurst's mother was a Christian Scientist, a faith Colleen also embraced.[3]

The Dewhursts moved to Massachusetts in 1928 or 1929, staying in the Boston area neighborhoods of Dorchester, Auburndale, and West Newton. Later they moved to New York City and then to Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin. Dewhurst attended Whitefish Bay High School for her first two years of high school, moved to Shorewood High School for her junior year, and graduated from Riverside High School in Milwaukee in 1942. About this time her parents separated. Dewhurst attended Milwaukee-Downer College for two years, then moved to New York City to pursue an acting career.[4]

## Career[edit]

One of her more significant stage roles was in the 1974 Broadway revival of O'Neill's A Moon for the Misbegotten as Josie Hogan, for which she won a Tony Award. She previously won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in 1961 for All the Way Home. She later played Katharina in a 1956 production of Taming of the Shrew for Joseph Papp. She (as recounted in her posthumous obituary in collaboration with Tom Viola) wrote:

> With Brooks Atkinson's blessing, our world changed overnight. Suddenly in our audience of neighbors in T-shirts and jeans appeared men in white shirts, jackets and ties and ladies in summer dresses. We were in a hit that would have a positive effect on my career, as well as Joe's, but I missed the shouting.[5]

She played Shakespeare's Cleopatra and Lady Macbeth for Papp and years later, Gertrude in a production of Hamlet at the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park.

She appeared in the Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode Night Fever in 1965 and with Ingrid Bergman in More Stately Mansions on Broadway in 1967. José Quintero directed her in O'Neill's Long Day's Journey into Night and Mourning Becomes Electra. She appeared in Edward Albee's adaptation of Carson McCullers' Ballad of the Sad Cafe and as Martha in a Broadway revival of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, with Ben Gazzara which Albee directed.

Dewhurst (right) guest starring on The Big Valley in 1966 with Barbara Stanwyck (left) and Michael Burns

She appeared in 1962 as Joanne Novak in the episode "I Don't Belong in a White-Painted House" in the medical drama The Eleventh Hour, starring Wendell Corey and Jack Ging. Dewhurst appeared opposite her then husband, Scott, in a 1971 television adaptation of Arthur Miller's The Price, on Hallmark Hall of Fame, and an anthology series. There is another television recording of them together when she played Elizabeth Proctor to the unfaithful John in Miller's The Crucible (with Tuesday Weld). In 1977, Woody Allen cast her in his film Annie Hall as Annie's mother.

In her autobiography, Dewhurst wrote: "I had moved so quickly from one Off-Broadway production to the next that I was known, at one point, as the 'Queen of Off-Broadway'. This title was not due to my brilliance, but, rather, because most of the plays I was in closed after a run of anywhere from one night to two weeks. I would then move immediately into another."[5]

In 1972 she played a madam, Mrs. Kate Collingwood, in The Cowboys (1972), which starred John Wayne. Dewhurst also appeared with Wayne in the 1974 film McQ. She was the first actress to share a love scene with Wayne in bed. In 1985, she played the role of Marilla Cuthbert in Kevin Sullivan's adaptation of Lucy Maud Montgomery's novel Anne of Green Gables and reprised the role in 1987's Anne of Avonlea (also known as Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel) and in several episodes of Kevin Sullivan's Road to Avonlea.

Dewhurst was on hiatus from Road to Avonlea when she died in 1991. Sullivan Productions was unaware she was terminally ill, so her portrayal of Marilla ended posthumously. This was accomplished by shooting new scenes with actress Patricia Hamilton acting as a body double for Dewhurst and by recycling parts of scenes from Anne of Green Gables, Road to Avonlea, and using Dewhurst's death scene as Hepzibah in Sullivan's production of Lantern Hill. The latter was a 1990 television film based on L.M. Montgomery's Jane of Lantern Hill.

During 1989 and 1990, she appeared in a supporting role on the television series Murphy Brown playing Avery Brown, the feisty mother of Candice Bergen's title character; this role earned her two Emmy Awards, the second being awarded posthumously. Dewhurst won a total of two Tony Awards and four Emmy Awards for her stage and television work. Season 4, Episode 6 entitled "Full Circle" was the Murphy Brown episode filmed shortly after her death and dedicated to her memory.

In a review of Dewhurst's final film role as Ruth in Bed and Breakfast (1991), Emanuel Levy wrote “Bed and Breakfast is the kind of small, intimate picture that actors revere. The stunningly sensual Dewhurst, in one of her last screen roles, dominates every scene she is in, making the lusty and down-to-earth Ruth at once credible and enchanting.“

Dewhurst was president of the Actors' Equity Association from 1985 until her death. She was the first national president to die in the office.

## Personal life and final years[edit]

Colleen Dewhurst was married to James Vickery from 1947 to 1960. She married and divorced George C. Scott twice. They had two sons, Alexander Scott and actor Campbell Scott; she co-starred with Campbell in Dying Young (1991), one of her later film roles as she died in August 1991.[citation needed]

During the last years of her life she lived on a farm in South Salem, New York, with her partner Ken Marsolais. They also had a summer home on Prince Edward Island, Canada.[citation needed]

Maureen Stapleton wrote about Dewhurst:

> Colleen looked like a warrior, so people assumed she was the earth mother. But in real life Colleen was not to be let out without a keeper. She couldn't stop herself from taking care of people, which she then did with more care than she took care of herself. Her generosity of spirit was overwhelming and her smile so dazzling that you couldn't pull the ... reins in on her even if you desperately wanted to and knew damn well that somebody should.[5]

Dewhurst's summer home at Fortune Bridge, Prince Edward Island, was built by the playwright Elmer Blaney Harris. It is a private inn as of August 2008.

Dewhurst's Christian Science beliefs[6] led to her refusal to accept any kind of surgical treatment. She died of cervical cancer at the age 67 at her South Salem home in 1991. She was cremated and her ashes were given to family and friends; no public service was planned.[citation needed]

## Awards[edit]

Over the course of her 45-year career, Dewhurst won the 1974 Sarah Siddons Award for her work in Chicago theatre, two Tony Awards, two Obie Awards, and two Gemini Awards. In 1989, she won the Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for her role in Hitting Home. Of her 13 Emmy Award nominations, she won four. She was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 1981.[7]

* 1961: Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play \- All the Way Home
* 1974: Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play \- A Moon for the Misbegotten
* 1986: Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Miniseries or a Movie \- Between Two Women
* 1989: Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series \- Murphy Brown: "Mama Said"
* 1989: Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie \- Those She Left Behind
* 1991: Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series \- Murphy Brown: "Bob and Murphy and Ted and Avery"

Nominations

This television-related list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (February 2010)

|

* 1962: Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role by an Actress \- Focus
* 1968: Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Drama \- The Crucible
* 1971: Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role \- The Price
* 1976: Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama or Comedy Special \- A Moon For the Misbegotten
* 1979: Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie \- Silent Victory: The Kitty O'Neil Story
* 1981: Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie \- The Women's Room
* 1990: Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie \- Lantern Hill
* 1990: Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress – Drama Series \- Road to Avonlea
* 1991: Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress – Drama Series \- Road to Avonlea
* 1962: Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play - Great Day in the Morning
* 1964: Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play - The Ballad of the Sad Cafe
* 1968: Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play - More Stately Mansions
* 1972: Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play - All Over
* 1973: Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play - Mourning Becomes Electra
* 1977: Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play - Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

## Filmography[edit]

### Films and television films[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

1959  | The Nun's Story | Archangel Gabriel (Sanatorium)  |
1960  | Man on a String | Helen Benson  |
1961  | The Foxes |  | television film
1962  | Focus |
1966  | A Fine Madness | Dr. Vera Kropotkin  |
1967  | The Crucible | Elizabeth Proctor  | television film (adaptation of the play The Crucible)
1971  | The Price | Esther Franz  | television film
The Last Run | Monique  |
1972  | The Cowboys | Kate  |
The Hands of Cormac Joyce | Molly Joyce  | television film
1973  | Legend in Granite | Marie Lombardi
1974  | Parker Addison, Philosopher | Hostess
The Music School
McQ | Myra  |
The Story of Jacob and Joseph | Rebekah  | television film
1975  | A Moon for the Misbegotten | Josie Hogan  | television film (adaptation of the play A Moon for the Misbegotten)
1977  | Annie Hall | Mrs. Hall  |
1978  | The Third Walker | Kate Maclean  |
Ice Castles | Beulah Smith  |
1979  | Silent Victory: The Kitty O'Neil Story | Mrs. O'Neil  | television film
When a Stranger Calls | Tracy Fuller  |
And Baby Makes Six | Anna Kramer  | television film
Mary and Joseph: A Story of Faith | Elizabeth
1980  | Death Penalty | Elaine Lipton
Escape | Lily Levinson
Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones | Mrs. Myrtle Kennedy  | miniseries
The Women's Room | Val  | television film (based on the book The Women's Room)
A Perfect Match | Meg Larson  | television film
Baby Comes Home | Anna Kramer
Final Assignment | Dr. Valentine Ulanova  |
Tribute | Gladys Petrelli  |
1981  | A Few Days in Weasel Creek | Aunt Cora  | television film
1982  | Split Cherry Tree | Mother  |
Between Two Brothers |  | television film
1983  | Sometimes I Wonder | Grandma
The Dead Zone | Henrietta Dodd  |
1984  | You Can't Take It with You | Grand Duchess Olga Katrina  | television film (adaptation of the play You Can't Take It with You)
The Glitter Dome | Lorna Dillman  | television film
1985  | Anne of Green Gables | Marilla Cuthbert
1986  | Between Two Women | Barbara Petherton
Johnny Bull | Marie Kovacs
As Is | Hospice Worker
The Boy Who Could Fly | Mrs. Sherman  |
Sword of Gideon | Golda Meir | television film
1987  | Hitting Home | Judge
Bigfoot | Gladys Samco
Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel | Marilla Cuthbert
1988  | Woman in the Wind |  |
1989  | Those She Left Behind | Margaret Page  | television film
Termini Station | Molly Dushane  |
1990  | The Exorcist III | Pazuzu | Voice, Uncredited
Kaleidoscope | Margaret  | television film
Lantern Hill | Elizabeth
1991  | Dying Young | Estelle Whittier  |
Bed & Breakfast | Ruth Wellesly  | final film role

### Television work (excluding television films)[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

1957  | Studio One |  | teleplay: First Prize for Murder
1958  | Kraft Television Theatre |  | teleplay: Presumption of Innocence
Decoy | Taffy  | episode: "Deadly Corridor"
DuPont Show of the Month |  | teleplay: The Count of Monte Cristo
1959  | Aldonza/Dulcinea  | teleplay: I, Don Quixote
Play of the Week | Mordeen Saul / Woman  | teleplays: Burning Bright; Medea
The United States Steel Hour | Vera Brandon  | teleplay: The Hours Before Dawn
1961  | Play of the Week |  | teleplays: No Exit; The Indifferent Lover
Ben Casey | Phyllis Anders  | episode: "I Remember a Lemon Tree"
1962  | The Eleventh Hour | Joanne Novak  | episode: "I Don't Belong in a White-Painted House"
The Virginian | Celia Ames  | episode: "The Executioners"
The Nurses | Grace Milo  | episode: "Fly, Shadow"
1963  | The United States Steel Hour | Francie Broderick  | teleplay: Night Run to the West
DuPont Show of the Month | Karen Holt  | teleplay: Something to Hide
1964  | East Side/West Side | Shirley  | episode: "Nothing but the Half Truth"
1965  | Dr. Kildare | Eleanor Markham  | episode: "All Brides Should Be Beautiful"
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | Nurse Ellen Hatch  | episode: "Night Fever"
1966  | The F.B.I. | Amy Doucette  | episode: "The Baby Sitter"
The Big Valley | Annie Morton  | episode: "A Day of Terror"
1971  | ITV Sunday Night Theatre | Mrs. Franz  | teleplay: The Price
Hallmark Hall of Fame
1972  | Molly Joyce  | teleplay: The Hands of Cormac Joyce
1973  | Wide World Mystery | Margery Landing  | episode: "A Prowler in the Heart"
1979  | Studs Lonigan | Mary Lonigan  | miniseries
1982  | Quincy, M.E. | Dr. Barbara Ludow  | episode: "For Love of Joshua"
The Blue and the Gray | Maggie Geyser  | miniseries
1983  | Great Performances | Red Queen  | teleplay: Alice in Wonderland
1984  | Finder of Lost Loves | Rachel Green  | episode: "Echoes"
The Love Boat | Maud  | episode: "Welcome Aboard: Part 1 and 2"
1985  | A.D. | Antonia  | miniseries
1988  | The Twilight Zone | Hallie Parker  | episode: "There Was an Old Woman"
1989  | Moonlighting | Betty Russell  | episode: "Take My Wife, for Example"
1989–1990  | Murphy Brown | Avery Brown Sr.  | 3 episodes:
-"Brown Like Me: Part 1 and Part II" (1989)
-"Mama Said" (1989)
-"Bob & Murphy & Ted & Avery (1990)
1990–1992  | Road to Avonlea | Marilla Cuthbert  | 4 episodes: "Of Corsets and Secrets and True, True Love", "The Materializing of Duncan McTavish", "The Quarantine at Alexander Abraham's" and "Old Friends New Wounds (Marilla's Death)"

### Theatre[edit]

Year  | Play  | Role

|
|

1952  | Desire Under the Elms | Neighbor
1956  | Tamburlaine the Great | Virgin of Memphis / Turkish Concubine
1957–1958  | The Country Wife | Mrs. Squeamish
1960  | Caligula | Caesonia
1960–1961  | All the Way Home | Mary Follet
1962  | Great Day in the Morning | Phoebe Flaherty
1963–1964  | The Ballad of the Sad Café | Miss Amelia Evans
1967–1968  | More Stately Mansions | Sara
1970  | The Good Woman of Setzuan | Shen Te
1971  | All Over | The Mistress
1972  | Mourning Becomes Electra | Christine Mannon
1973–1974  | A Moon for the Misbegotten | Josie Hogan
1976  | Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? | Martha
1977–1978  | An Almost Perfect Person | Irene Porter
1982  | The Queen and the Rebels | Argia
1983–1984  | You Can't Take It with You | Olga
1982  | Long Day's Journey into Night | Mary Cavan Tyrone
Ah, Wilderness! | Essie Miller
1989–1990  | Love Letters | Melissa Gardner

### Bibliography[edit]

* Dewhurst, Colleen; Viola, Tom (1997). Colleen Dewhurst - Her Autobiography. Scribner. ISBN 978-0-684-80701-0.

## References[edit]

1. ^ "CBC Archives".
2. ^ Colleen Dewhurst genealogy
3. ^ "Show Business: Gorgeous Gael". Time. January 21, 1974. Archived from the original on December 22, 2008. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
4. ^ Colleen Dewhurst profile, Yahoo! Movies; accessed February 8, 2014.
5. ^ a b c Dewhurst, Colleen; Viola, Tom (1997). Colleen Dewhurst – Her Autobiography. Scribner; ISBN 978-0-684-80701-0
6. ^ Susan Ware (editor), Notable American Women: A Biographical Dictionary Completing the Twentieth Century, Volume 5, pages 174-175 (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Belknap Press, 2004). ISBN 9780674014886
7. ^ The New York Times, March 3, 1981 - 26 Elected to the Theater Hall of Fame

## External links[edit]

* Biography portal

* Colleen Dewhurst at the Internet Broadway Database
* Colleen Dewhurst at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
* Colleen Dewhurst at IMDb

Awards for Colleen Dewhurst

* v
* t
* e

Canadian Screen Award for Best Supporting Performance in a Film

Best Supporting Actor
1970–2021|

* Gratien Gélinas (1970)
* Danny Freedman (1971)
* Donald Pilon (1972)
* Willie Lamothe (1973)
* No Award (1974)
* Henry Beckman (1975)
* Frank Moore (1976)
* Jean Lapointe (1977)
* Henry Beckman (1978)
* Gordon Pinsent (1980)
* Germain Houde (1981)
* Saul Rubinek (1982)
* R. H. Thomson (1983)
* Michael Zelniker (1984)
* Alan Scarfe (1985)
* Alan Arkin (1986)
* Gabriel Arcand (1987)
* Germain Houde (1988)
* Rémy Girard (1989)
* Rémy Girard (1990)
* August Schellenberg (1991)
* Michael Hogan (1992)
* Kevin Tighe (1993)
* Don McKellar (1994)
* Kenneth Welsh (1995)
* Peter Donaldson (1996)
* Peter MacNeill (1997)
* Callum Keith Rennie (1998)
* Mark McKinney (1999)
* Martin Cummins (2000)
* Vincent Gale (2001)
* Elias Koteas (2002)
* Stéphane Rousseau (2003)
* Jean Lapointe (2004)
* Denis Bernard (2005)
* Stephen McHattie (2006)
* Armin Mueller-Stahl (2007)
* Callum Keith Rennie (2008)
* Maxim Gaudette (2009)
* Dustin Hoffman (2010)
* Viggo Mortensen (2011)
* Serge Kanyinda (2012)
* Gordon Pinsent (2013)
* John Cusack (2014)
* Nick Serino (2015)
* Vincent Cassel (2016)
* Ethan Hawke (2017)
* Richard Clarkin (2018)
* Rémy Girard (2019)
* Colm Feore (2020)
* Joshua Odjick (2021)

Best Supporting Actress
1970–2021|

* Fernande Giroux (1970)
* Olivette Thibault (1971)
* Doris Petrie (1972)
* Camille Bernard (1973)
* No Award (1974)
* Lila Kedrova (1975)
* Tedde Moore (1976)
* Carole Lazare (1977)
* Marilyn Lightstone (1978)
* Geneviève Bujold (1980)
* Kate Reid (1981)
* Denise Filiatrault (1982)
* Jackie Burroughs (1983)
* Jackie Burroughs (1984)
* Linda Sorenson (1985)
* Linda Sorenson (1986)
* Louise Portal (1987)
* Paule Baillargeon (1988)
* Colleen Dewhurst (1989)
* Robyn Stevan (1990)
* Danielle Proulx (1991)
* Monique Mercure (1992)
* Nicola Cavendish (1993)
* Martha Henry (1994)
* Kate Nelligan (1995)
* Martha Burns (1996)
* Seana McKenna (1997)
* Monique Mercure (1998)
* Catherine O'Hara (1999)
* Helen Shaver (2000)
* Molly Parker (2001)
* Pascale Montpetit (2002)
* Marie-Josée Croze (2003)
* Jennifer Jason Leigh (2004)
* Danielle Proulx (2005)
* Carrie-Anne Moss (2006)
* Kristen Thomson (2007)
* Kristin Booth (2008)
* Martha Burns (2009)
* Minnie Driver (2010)
* Sophie Nélisse (2011)
* Seema Biswas (2012)
* Sarah Gadon (2013)
* Suzanne Clément (2014)
* Joan Allen (2015)
* Molly Parker (2016)
* Bahar Noohian (2017)
* Sarah Gadon (2018)
* Nour Belkhiria (2019)
* Mary Walsh (2020)
* Cherish Violet Blood (2021)

Best Supporting Performance in a Film
2022-present|

* Aaron Pierre (2022)

Canadian Film Awards 1968-1978, Genie Awards 1980-2011, Canadian Screen Awards 2012-present.
Separate awards were presented by gender prior to 2022; a single unified category for best performance regardless of gender has been presented since.

* v
* t
* e

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

1975–2000|

* Juliet Mills (1975)
* Rosemary Murphy (1976)
* Diana Hyland (1977)
* Eva Le Gallienne (1978)
* Esther Rolle (1979)
* Mare Winningham (1980)
* Jane Alexander (1981)
* Penny Fuller (1982)
* Jean Simmons (1983)
* Roxana Zal (1984)
* Kim Stanley (1985)
* Colleen Dewhurst (1986)
* Piper Laurie (1987)
* Jane Seymour (1988)
* Colleen Dewhurst (1989)
* Eva Marie Saint (1990)
* Ruby Dee (1991)
* Amanda Plummer (1992)
* Mary Tyler Moore (1993)
* Cicely Tyson (1994)
* Judy Davis / Shirley Knight (1995)
* Greta Scacchi (1996)
* Diana Rigg (1997)
* Mare Winningham (1998)
* Anne Bancroft (1999)
* Vanessa Redgrave (2000)

2001–present|

* Tammy Blanchard (2001)
* Stockard Channing (2002)
* Gena Rowlands (2003)
* Mary-Louise Parker (2004)
* Jane Alexander (2005)
* Kelly Macdonald (2006)
* Judy Davis (2007)
* Eileen Atkins (2008)
* Shohreh Aghdashloo (2009)
* Julia Ormond (2010)
* Maggie Smith (2011)
* Jessica Lange (2012)
* Ellen Burstyn (2013)
* Kathy Bates (2014)
* Regina King (2015)
* Regina King (2016)
* Laura Dern (2017)
* Merritt Wever (2018)
* Patricia Arquette (2019)
* Uzo Aduba (2020)
* Julianne Nicholson (2021)
* Jennifer Coolidge (2022)
* Niecy Nash-Betts (2023)

* v
* t
* e

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series

1975–2000|

* Cloris Leachman (1975)
* Beah Richards (1988)
* Colleen Dewhurst (1989)
* Swoosie Kurtz (1990)
* Colleen Dewhurst (1991)
* No Award (1992)
* Tracey Ullman (1993)
* Eileen Heckart (1994)
* Cyndi Lauper (1995)
* Betty White (1996)
* Carol Burnett (1997)
* Emma Thompson (1998)
* Tracey Ullman (1999)
* Jean Smart (2000)

2001–present|

* Jean Smart (2001)
* Cloris Leachman (2002)
* Christina Applegate (2003)
* Laura Linney (2004)
* Kathryn Joosten (2005)
* Cloris Leachman (2006)
* Elaine Stritch (2007)
* Kathryn Joosten (2008)
* Tina Fey (2009)
* Betty White (2010)
* Gwyneth Paltrow (2011)
* Kathy Bates (2012)
* Melissa Leo (2013)
* Uzo Aduba (2014)
* Joan Cusack (2015)
* Tina Fey & Amy Poehler (2016)
* Melissa McCarthy (2017)
* Tiffany Haddish (2018)
* Jane Lynch (2019)
* Maya Rudolph (2020)
* Maya Rudolph (2021)
* Laurie Metcalf (2022)
* Judith Light (2023)

* v
* t
* e

Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Play

1947–1975|

* Ingrid Bergman / Helen Hayes (1947)
* Judith Anderson / Katharine Cornell / Jessica Tandy (1948)
* Martita Hunt (1949)
* Shirley Booth (1950)
* Uta Hagen (1951)
* Julie Harris (1952)
* Shirley Booth (1953)
* Audrey Hepburn (1954)
* Nancy Kelly (1955)
* Julie Harris (1956)
* Margaret Leighton (1957)
* Helen Hayes (1958)
* Gertrude Berg (1959)
* Anne Bancroft (1960)
* Joan Plowright (1961)
* Margaret Leighton (1962)
* Uta Hagen (1963)
* Sandy Dennis (1964)
* Irene Worth (1965)
* Rosemary Harris (1966)
* Beryl Reid (1967)
* Zoe Caldwell (1968)
* Julie Harris (1969)
* Tammy Grimes (1970)
* Maureen Stapleton (1971)
* Sada Thompson (1972)
* Julie Harris (1973)
* Colleen Dewhurst (1974)
* Ellen Burstyn (1975)

1976–2000|

* Irene Worth (1976)
* Julie Harris (1977)
* Jessica Tandy (1978)
* Constance Cummings / Carole Shelley (1979)
* Phyllis Frelich (1980)
* Jane Lapotaire (1981)
* Zoe Caldwell (1982)
* Jessica Tandy (1983)
* Glenn Close (1984)
* Stockard Channing (1985)
* Lily Tomlin (1986)
* Linda Lavin (1987)
* Joan Allen (1988)
* Pauline Collins (1989)
* Maggie Smith (1990)
* Mercedes Ruehl (1991)
* Glenn Close (1992)
* Madeline Kahn (1993)
* Diana Rigg (1994)
* Cherry Jones (1995)
* Zoe Caldwell (1996)
* Janet McTeer (1997)
* Marie Mullen (1998)
* Judi Dench (1999)
* Jennifer Ehle (2000)

2001–present|

* Mary-Louise Parker (2001)
* Lindsay Duncan (2002)
* Vanessa Redgrave (2003)
* Phylicia Rashad (2004)
* Cherry Jones (2005)
* Cynthia Nixon (2006)
* Julie White (2007)
* Deanna Dunagan (2008)
* Marcia Gay Harden (2009)
* Viola Davis (2010)
* Frances McDormand (2011)
* Nina Arianda (2012)
* Cicely Tyson (2013)
* Audra McDonald (2014)
* Helen Mirren (2015)
* Jessica Lange (2016)
* Laurie Metcalf (2017)
* Glenda Jackson (2018)
* Elaine May (2019)
* Mary-Louise Parker (2020/21)
* Deirdre O'Connell (2022)
* Jodie Comer (2023)

* v
* t
* e

Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play

1947–1975|

* Patricia Neal (1947)
* Shirley Booth (1949)
* Maureen Stapleton (1951)
* Marian Winters (1952)
* Beatrice Straight (1953)
* Jo Van Fleet (1954)
* Patricia Jessel (1955)
* Una Merkel (1956)
* Peggy Cass (1957)
* Anne Bancroft (1958)
* Julie Newmar (1959)
* Anne Revere (1960)
* Colleen Dewhurst (1961)
* Elizabeth Ashley (1962)
* Sandy Dennis (1963)
* Barbara Loden (1964)
* Alice Ghostley (1965)
* Zoe Caldwell (1966)
* Marian Seldes (1967)
* Zena Walker (1968)
* Jane Alexander (1969)
* Blythe Danner (1970)
* Rae Allen (1971)
* Elizabeth Wilson (1972)
* Leora Dana (1973)
* Frances Sternhagen (1974)
* Rita Moreno (1975)

1976–2000|

* Shirley Knight (1976)
* Trazana Beverley (1977)
* Ann Wedgeworth (1978)
* Joan Hickson (1979)
* Dinah Manoff (1980)
* Swoosie Kurtz (1981)
* Amanda Plummer (1982)
* Judith Ivey (1983)
* Christine Baranski (1984)
* Judith Ivey (1985)
* Swoosie Kurtz (1986)
* Mary Alice (1987)
* L. Scott Caldwell (1988)
* Christine Baranski (1989)
* Margaret Tyzack (1990)
* Irene Worth (1991)
* Bríd Brennan (1992)
* Debra Monk (1993)
* Jane Adams (1994)
* Frances Sternhagen (1995)
* Audra McDonald (1996)
* Lynne Thigpen (1997)
* Anna Manahan (1998)
* Elizabeth Franz (1999)
* Blair Brown (2000)

2001–present|

* Viola Davis (2001)
* Katie Finneran (2002)
* Michele Pawk (2003)
* Audra McDonald (2004)
* Adriane Lenox (2005)
* Frances de la Tour (2006)
* Jennifer Ehle (2007)
* Rondi Reed (2008)
* Angela Lansbury (2009)
* Scarlett Johansson (2010)
* Ellen Barkin (2011)
* Judith Light (2012)
* Judith Light (2013)
* Sophie Okonedo (2014)
* Annaleigh Ashford (2015)
* Jayne Houdyshell (2016)
* Cynthia Nixon (2017)
* Laurie Metcalf (2018)
* Celia Keenan-Bolger (2019)
* Lois Smith (2020/21)
* Phylicia Rashad (2022)
* Miriam Silverman (2023)

Authority control databases

International|

* FAST
* ISNI
* VIAF

National|

* Spain
* France
* BnF data
* Germany
* Israel
* United States
* Netherlands
* Poland

People|

* Deutsche Synchronkartei

Other|

* SNAC
* IdRef

*[m.]: married
*[div.]: divorced
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