Madeline Kahn

American actress (1942–1999)

Madeline Kahn

Kahn in 1983

Born|

Madeline Gail Wolfson

(1942-09-29)September 29, 1942

Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

Died| December 3, 1999(1999-12-03) (aged 57)

New York City, U.S.

Education| Hofstra University
Occupations|

* Actress
* comedian
* singer

Years active| 1964–1999
Spouse|

John Hansbury

(m. 1999)​

Madeline Gail Kahn (née Wolfson; September 29, 1942 – December 3, 1999) was an American actress, comedian, and singer. She is known for comedic roles in films directed by Peter Bogdanovich and Mel Brooks, including What's Up, Doc? (1972), Young Frankenstein (1974), High Anxiety (1977), History of the World, Part I (1981), and her Academy Award–nominated roles in Paper Moon (1973) and Blazing Saddles (1974).

Kahn made her Broadway debut in Leonard Sillman's New Faces of 1968, and received Tony Award nominations for the play In the Boom Boom Room in 1974 and for the original production of the musical On the Twentieth Century in 1978. She starred as Madeline Wayne on the short-lived sitcom Oh Madeline (1983–84) and won a Daytime Emmy Award in 1987 for an ABC Afterschool Special. She received a third Tony Award nomination for the revival of the play Born Yesterday in 1989, before winning the 1993 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for the comedy The Sisters Rosensweig. Her other film appearances included The Cheap Detective (1978), Yellowbeard (1983), City Heat (1984), Clue (1985), and Nixon (1995).

## Early life and education

[edit]

Madeline Kahn in Hofstra University's 1964 yearbook.

Kahn was born in Boston, the daughter of Bernard B. Wolfson, a garment manufacturer, and his wife Freda (née Goldberg).[1][2] She was raised in a nonobservant Jewish family.[3] Her parents divorced when Kahn was two, and she moved with her mother to New York City. In 1953, Freda married Hiller Kahn, who later adopted Madeline; Freda eventually changed her own name to Paula Kahn.[2] Madeline Kahn had two half-siblings: Jeffrey (from her mother's marriage to Kahn) and Robyn (from her father's second marriage).[4]

In 1948, Kahn was sent to the progressive Manumit School, a boarding school in Bristol, Pennsylvania. During that time, her mother pursued her acting dream. Kahn soon began acting herself and performed in a number of school productions.[5] In 1960, she graduated from Martin Van Buren High School[6] in Queens, New York, and then earned a drama scholarship to Hofstra University on Long Island. At Hofstra, she studied drama, music, and speech therapy. Kahn graduated from Hofstra in 1964 with a degree in speech therapy.[5] She was a member of a local sorority on campus, Delta Chi Delta. [citation needed] She later studied singing in New York City with Beverley Peck Johnson.[7]

## Career

[edit]

When asked on television by Kitty Carlisle and Charles Nelson Reilly how she began the opera aspect of her career, Kahn said:

> It's so hard to determine exactly when I began or why, singing. The Muse was definitely not in attendance. I'll tell you exactly.[8]

To earn money while a college student, Kahn was a singing waitress at a Bavarian restaurant named Bavarian Manor, a Hofbräuhaus in New York's Hudson Valley. She sang musical comedy numbers during shows.[9]

> There was a really important customer there, a big Italian man, who shouted out to me 'Sing Madame Butterfly', and of course he didn't mean the whole opera. He meant that one very popular aria, "Un Bel Di". So, if I was to come back the next summer to earn more money during the next year, I'd better know that aria. You know, and I didn't know anything about it; I just learned that one aria and a few others and then one thing led to another and I studied that, and I discovered that I could sing that, sort of, that way. But my first actual thing that I did was Candide for Leonard Bernstein's 50th birthday at Philharmonic Hall[10]--at the time that's what it was called.[11] And I don't know if that was an opera, but it was very hard to sing. I actually have done Musetta in La Bohème a long time ago in Washington, DC. I mean, utterly terrifying. I mean, basically I feel as though I was asked to do it and I did it.[9]

### 1960s

[edit]

Kahn began auditioning for professional acting roles shortly after her graduation from Hofstra; on the side, she briefly taught public school.[5] Just before adopting the professional name Madeline Kahn (Kahn was her stepfather's surname), she made her stage debut as a chorus girl in a revival of Kiss Me, Kate,[12] which led her to join Actors' Equity. Her part in the musical How Now, Dow Jones was written out before the 1967 show reached Broadway.[13]

In 1968, Kahn performed her first professional lead in a special concert performance of the operetta Candide in honor of Leonard Bernstein's 50th birthday.[5] She made her Broadway debut in 1968 with Leonard Sillman's New Faces of 1968[14] and also appeared off-Broadway in the musical Promenade.[15]

### 1970s and 1980s

[edit]

Kahn appeared in two Broadway musicals in the 1970s: a featured role in Richard Rodgers' 1970 Noah's Ark–themed show Two by Two[12] (singing a high C)[5] and a lead turn as Lily Garland in 1978's On the Twentieth Century.[12] She left (or, reportedly, was fired from) the latter show early in its run, yielding the role to understudy Judy Kaye.[16][17] She starred in a 1977 Town Hall semi-staged concert version of She Loves Me (opposite Barry Bostwick and original London cast member Rita Moreno).[5][18]

Kahn's film debut was in the 1968 short De Düva (The Dove). Her feature debut was as Ryan O'Neal's character's hysterical fiancée in Peter Bogdanovich's screwball comedy What's Up, Doc? (1972) starring Barbra Streisand.[19] Her film career continued with Bogdanovich's Paper Moon (1973), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.[12]

Kahn was cast in the role of Agnes Gooch in the 1974 film Mame, but star Lucille Ball fired Kahn due to artistic differences. (Several of Ball's biographies say Kahn was eager to be released from the role so that she could join the cast of Blazing Saddles, a film about to go into production. Kahn stated in a 1996 interview with Charlie Rose that she was fired.[20])

A close succession of comedies—Blazing Saddles (1974), Young Frankenstein (1974), and High Anxiety (1977)—were all directed by Mel Brooks,[12] who was able to bring out the best of Kahn's comic talents.[21] Their last collaboration was 1981's History of the World, Part I. For Blazing Saddles, she was again nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.[12] In the April 2006 issue of Premiere, her performance in Blazing Saddles as Lili von Shtupp was selected as number 74 on its list of the 100 greatest performances of all time.[22]

In 1975, Kahn again teamed with Bogdanovich to co-star with Burt Reynolds and Cybill Shepherd in the musical At Long Last Love. The film was a critical and financial disaster, but Kahn largely escaped blame for the failure. At Long Last Love was one of three films in which Kahn worked alongside the character actress Eileen Brennan, the other two being The Cheap Detective and Clue. In that same year, she again teamed with Gene Wilder, this time for his comedy The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother. In 1978, Kahn's comic screen persona reached another peak with her portrayal of Mrs. Montenegro in Neil Simon's The Cheap Detective (1978),[12] a spoof of both Casablanca and The Maltese Falcon, directed by Robert Moore. That role was followed by a cameo in 1979's The Muppet Movie.[23]

Kahn's roles were primarily comedic rather than dramatic, although the 1970s found her originating roles in two plays that had elements of both: 1973's In the Boom Boom Room on Broadway[24] and 1977's Marco Polo Sings a Solo off-Broadway.[25]

After her success in Brooks' films, Kahn appeared in a number of films in the 1980s. She played Mrs. White in 1985's Clue,[26] First Lady Constance Link in the 1980 spoof First Family, a twin from outer space in the Jerry Lewis sci-fi comedy Slapstick of Another Kind (1982), the love interest of Burt Reynolds in the crime comedy City Heat (1984), and Draggle in the animated film My Little Pony: The Movie (1986). She voiced the character Gussie Mausheimer in the animated film An American Tail. According to animator Don Bluth, she was cast because he was "hoping she would use a voice similar to the one she used as a character in Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles."[27]

In 1983, Kahn starred in her own short-lived TV sitcom, Oh Madeline,[5] which ended after one season due to poor ratings. In 1986, she starred in ABC Comedy Factory's pilot of Chameleon, which never aired on the fall schedule.[28] In 1987, Kahn won a Daytime Emmy award for her performance in the ABC Afterschool Special Wanted: The Perfect Guy.[5]

Kahn returned to the stage as Billie Dawn in the 1989 Broadway revival of Born Yesterday, for which she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play.[29]

### 1990s

[edit]

Kahn played the mother of Molly Ringwald's character in the 1990 film Betsy's Wedding,[30] and shortly after she recorded a voice for the animated movie The Magic 7, which, as of 2024, has still not been released.[31] In 1994, she portrayed suicide hotline worker Blanche Munchnik in the holiday farce Mixed Nuts. Kahn played the corrupt mayor in a benefit concert performance of Anyone Can Whistle in 1995.[32] She appeared in Nixon as Martha Beall Mitchell (1995).[33]

On stage, Kahn played Dr. Gorgeous in Wendy Wasserstein's 1993 Broadway play The Sisters Rosensweig, a role for which she earned a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play.[34] She was a member of the cast of Cosby (1996–1999) as Pauline, the eccentric friend and neighbor.[5]

Kahn participated in a workshop reading of Dear World at the Roundabout Theatre Company in June 1998, reading the part of Gabrielle.[35] She also voiced Gypsy the moth in A Bug's Life (1998).[36]

Kahn received good reviews for her Chekhovian turn in the 1999 independent movie Judy Berlin, her final film.[37] Before her death, she also voiced Mrs. Shapiro on the first two episodes of Little Bill, the second of which ("Just a Baby" / "The Camp Out") was dedicated to her memory. Kathy Najimy succeeded her in the role following Kahn's death.

## Illness and death

[edit]

Kahn was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1998. She underwent treatment, continued to work on Cosby, and married John Hansbury in summer 1999.[38] However, the disease spread rapidly, and she died on December 3, 1999, at age 57.[39]

She was cremated on December 6, at Garden State Crematory in North Bergen, New Jersey.[40] A bench dedicated to her memory was erected in Central Park by her husband John and her brother Jeffrey.[40] The bench is located near the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir on West 87th Street.[40]

## Filmography

[edit]

### Film

[edit]

Year | Title | Roles | Notes

|
|
|

1968 | De Düva (The Dove) | Sigrid | Short
1972 | What's Up, Doc? | Eunice Burns |
1973 | Paper Moon | Trixie Delight |
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler | Schoolteacher |
1974 | Blazing Saddles | Lili Von Shtupp |
Young Frankenstein | Elizabeth Benning |
1975 | At Long Last Love | Kitty O'Kelly |
The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother | Jenny Hill |
1976 | Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood | Estie Del Ruth |
1977 | High Anxiety | Victoria Brisbane |
1978 | The Cheap Detective | Mrs. Montenegro |
1979 | The Muppet Movie | El Sleezo Patron |
1980 | Simon | Dr. Cynthia Mallory |
Happy Birthday, Gemini | Bunny Weinberger |
Wholly Moses! | The Witch |
First Family | Mrs. Constance Link |
1981 | History of the World, Part I | Empress Nympho |
1982 | Slapstick of Another Kind | Eliza Swain / Lutetia Swain |
1983 | Yellowbeard | Betty |
Scrambled Feet | Madeline |
1984 | City Heat | Caroline Howley |
1985 | Clue | Mrs. White |
1986 | My Little Pony: The Movie | Draggle | Voice
An American Tail | Gussie Mausheimer
1990 | Betsy's Wedding | Lola Hopper |
1994 | Mixed Nuts | Mrs. Munchnik |
1995 | Nixon | Martha Mitchell |
1998 | A Bug's Life | Gypsy | Voice
1999 | Judy Berlin | Alice Gold | Final film role

### Television

[edit]

Year | Show | Role | Notes

|
|
|

1972 | Harvey | Nurse Ruth Kelly | TV movie
1973 | Adam's Rib | Doris | 2 episodes
1975 | The Carol Burnett Show | Mavis Danton | Episode: #10.4
1976–1995 | Saturday Night Live | Host | 3 episodes
1977 | The Muppet Show | Special Guest Star | Episode 209[41]
1978–1997 | Sesame Street | Herself / various | 12 episodes
1981 | Fridays | Host | Episode 35
1983–1984 | Oh Madeline | Madeline Wayne | 19 episodes
1986 | Comedy Factory CTV | Violet Kinsey | Episode 6: "Chameleon"
1987–1988 | Mr. President | Lois Gullickson | 14 episodes
1988 | Sesame Street, Special | Herself | TV special
1991 | Road to Avonlea | Pigeon Plumtree | Episode: "It's Just a Stage"
1992 | Lucky Luke | Esperanza | Season 1, episode 1[42]
For Richer, for Poorer | Billie | TV movie
1993 | Monkey House | Grace Anderson | Episode: "More Stately Mansions"[43][44]
Dr. Seuss Video Classics: Dr. Seuss's Sleep Book | Narrator | VHS special
1995 | New York News | Nan Chase | 13 episodes
1996 | Ivana Trump's For Love Alone | Sabrina | TV movie
London Suite | Sharon Semple | TV movie[45]
1996–1999 | Cosby | Pauline Fox | 84 episodes
1999 | Little Bill | Mrs. Shapiro (voice) | Ep: "Just a Baby/The Campout"

## Theater

[edit]

Year | Production | Role | Venue

|
|
|

1965 | Kiss Me, Kate | Chorister | Concert, Off-Broadway
Just for Openers | Performer | Upstairs at the Downstairs, Off-Broadway[46]
1966 | Mixed Doubles
Below the Belt
1967 | How Now, Dow Jones | Performer (replacement) | Lunt-Fontaine Theatre, Broadway
1968 | Candide | Cunegonde | New York Concert, Off-Broadway
New Faces of 1968 | Performer | Booth Theatre, Broadway
1969 | Promenade | Servant | Promenade Theatre, Off-Broadway
1970 | Two by Two | Goldie | Imperial Theatre, Broadway
1973 | In the Boom Boom Room | Chrissy | Vivian Beaumont Theatre, Broadway
1977 | She Loves Me | Amalia Balash | Town Hall Concert
1978 | Marco Polo Sings a Solo | Dianna McBride | The Public Theatre, Off-Broadway
On the Twentieth Century | Lily Garland | St. James Theatre, Broadway
1983 | Blithe Spirit | Madame Arcati | Santa Fe Festival Theater[47]
1985 | What's Wrong with this Picture? | Shirley | Manhattan Theatre Club, Broadway
1989 | Born Yesterday | Billie Dawn | 46th Street Theatre, Broadway
1992 | Hello, Dolly! | Dolly | Limited Tour[48]
Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall | Performer | Concert at Carnegie Hall[49]
1993 | The Sisters Rosensweig | Gorgeous Teitelbaum | Ethel Barrymore Theatre, Broadway
1995 | Anyone Can Whistle | Cora | Concert at Carnegie Hall
1998 | Dear World | Gabrielle | Roundabout Theatre Company Workshop[50]

## Awards and nominations

[edit]

* Year given is year of ceremony

Year  | Award  | Category  | Work  | Result  | Ref

|
|
|
|
|

1973  | Golden Globe Award | New Star Actress of the Year  | What's Up, Doc? | Nominated  | [51]
1974  | Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture | Paper Moon | Nominated  | [51]
Academy Award | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated  | [52]
Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Performance  | In the Boom Boom Room | Won  |
Tony Award | Best Actress in a Play | Nominated  |
1975  | Golden Globe Award | Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture | Young Frankenstein | Nominated  | [51]
Academy Award | Best Supporting Actress | Blazing Saddles | Nominated  | [52]
1978  | Tony Award | Best Actress in a Musical | On the Twentieth Century | Nominated  |
1984  | Golden Globe Award | Best Actress - Television Musical or Comedy | Oh Madeline | Nominated  | [51]
People's Choice Award | Favorite Female Performer in a New TV Series  | Won  |
1987  | Daytime Emmy Award | Outstanding Performer in Children's Programming | ABC Afterschool Special: Wanted: The Perfect Guy | Won  |
1989  | Tony Award | Best Actress in a Play | Born Yesterday | Nominated  |
1993  | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play | The Sisters Rosensweig | Won  |
Tony Award | Best Actress in a Play | Won  |
Honorary awards
2003  |  | American Theatre Hall of Fame | —  | Inductee  | [53]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Madeline Kahn". Jwa.org. Archived from the original on March 25, 2013. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
2. ^ a b William V. Madison (June 13, 2012). "Billevesées: Progress Report 14: When Hiller Met Paula". Retrieved April 26, 2013.
3. ^ Specter, Michael (April 8, 1993). "AT HOME WITH: Madeline Kahn; Funny? Yes, but Someone's Got to Be". The New York Times. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
4. ^ Biography tvguide.com, accessed February 16, 2015.
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Kahn Biography" masterworksbroadway.com, accessed February 13, 2015.
6. ^ "1960 Martin Van Buren Yearbook". classmates.com. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
7. ^ Anthony Tommasini (January 22, 2001). "Beverley Peck Johnson, 96, Voice Teacher". The New York Times.
8. ^ "Madeleine Kahn". Placenote. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
9. ^ a b Madeline Kahn on her opera career on YouTube (video clip).
10. ^ Online programme Candide November 10, 1968 [1] retrieved 2013-10-17.
11. ^ audio clip Philharmonic Hall performance, Nov 1968 Video on YouTube retrieved 2013-10-17.
12. ^ a b c d e f g "Kahn Milestones" tcm.com, accessed February 13, 2015.
13. ^ Mandelbaum, Ken. Not Since Carrie August 15, 1992, Macmillan,ISBN 1466843276, p. 201.
14. ^ New Faces Production playbillvault.com, accessed February 13, 2015.
15. ^ Promenade Production Archived February 13, 2015, at the Wayback Machine lortel.org, accessed February 13, 2015.
16. ^ The New York Times, April 25, 1978, p. 46.
17. ^ Corry, John. "Broadway; Terrence McNally has a comedy about stage due in fall", The New York Times, May 5, 1978, p. C2.
18. ^ Madison, William V. She Loves Me Madeline Kahn: Being the Music, A Life, (books.google.com), Univ. Press of Mississippi, 2015, ISBN 1617037621
19. ^ " What's Up, Doc? Production" tcm.com, accessed February 14, 2015.
20. ^ "An interview with Madeline Kahn". Charlie Rose. Archived from the original on May 24, 2012. Retrieved May 4, 2012.
21. ^ "Kahn Biography" tcm.com, accessed February 13, 2015.
22. ^ "The 100 Greatest Performances of All Time". Premiere Magazine. March 27, 2006.
23. ^ "The Muppet Movie (1979)". Henson.com. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
24. ^ In the Boom Boom Room Production playbillvault.com, accessed February 13, 2015.
25. ^ Marco Polo Sings a Solo Production Archived February 13, 2015, at the Wayback Machine lortel.org, accessed February 13, 2015.
26. ^ Maslin, Janet. "Review, 'Clue' " The New York Times, December 13, 1985.
27. ^ "Don Bluth American Tail". Cataroo.com. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
28. ^ Terrace, Vincent. Chamelon Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010, 2d ed., McFarland, 2008, ISBN 0786486414, p. 175.
29. ^ Born Yesterday Production playbillvault.com, accessed February 13, 2015.
30. ^ "Betsy's Wedding Cast and Crew" tcm.com, accessed March 28, 2015.
31. ^ " The Magic 7 Cast and Crew" tcm.com, accessed March 28, 2015.
32. ^ " "Anyone Can Whistle' Concert, 1995" sondheimguide.com, accessed February 13, 2015.
33. ^ Nixon Cast nytimes.com, accessed February 13, 2015.
34. ^ "Madeline Kahn, Credits and Awards" playbillvault.com, accessed February 13, 2015.
35. ^ " Dear World Reading" roundabouttheatre.org, accessed February 14, 2015.
36. ^ A Bug's Life Cast nytimes.com, accessed February 13, 2015.
37. ^ Holden, Stephen. Judy Berlin Overview nytimes.com, accessed February 13, 2015.
38. ^ Variety, p. 7, December 6, 1999.
39. ^ Honan, William H. (December 4, 1999). "Madeline Kahn, Comedian Of Film Fame, Dies at 57". The New York Times. Retrieved May 14, 2010.
40. ^ a b c Scott Wilson (August 19, 2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. p. 390\. ISBN 978-1-4766-2599-7.
41. ^ Garlen, Jennifer C.; Graham, Anissa M. (2009). Kermit Culture: Critical Perspectives on Jim Henson's Muppets. McFarland & Company. p. 218. ISBN 978-0786442591.
42. ^ " Lucky Luke Cast" imdb.com, accessed February 14, 2015.
43. ^ Goudas, John N. A Look Inside Vonnegut's 'Monkey House'" LA Times, February 21, 1993.
44. ^ Monkey House Cast and Episodes" imdb.com, accessed February 14, 2015.
45. ^ Koehler, Robert. "NBC Puts 'London Suite' Through a 'Seinfeld' Filter" LA Times, September 14, 1996.
46. ^ "Lortel Archives-The Internet Off-Broadway Database". Lortel.org. Archived from the original on July 13, 2015. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
47. ^ "Madeline Kahn of Manhattan Is Now on a Santa Fe High and That Town's Blithest Spirit" People Magazine, accessed May 17, 2020.
48. ^ "Hello, Dolly!, Tour" ovrtur.com, accessed February 14, 2015.
49. ^ "Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall" Archived November 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine sondheimguide.com, accessed February 14, 2015.
50. ^ " Dear World 1998 Workshop Cast" broadwayworld.com, accessed February 14, 2015.
51. ^ a b c d Kahn list hfpa.org, accessed February 15, 2015.
52. ^ a b Kahn listing[permanent dead link‍] awardsdatabase.oscars.org, accessed February 15, 2015.
53. ^ "Theater honors put women in the spotlight". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 12, 2014.

## External links

[edit]

Wikiquote has quotations related to Madeline Kahn.

* Madeline Kahn at the Internet Broadway Database
* Madeline Kahn at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
* Madeline Kahn at Playbill Vault
* Madeline Kahn at IMDb
* Madeline Kahn at the TCM Movie Database
* Madeline Kahn, a retrospective

Awards for Madeline Kahn

* v
* t
* e

Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play

1975–2000|

* Frances Sternhagen (1975)
* Rachel Roberts (1976)
* Rosemary De Angelis (1977)
* Eileen Atkins (1978)
* Pamela Reed (1979)
* Lois de Banzie (1980)
* Swoosie Kurtz (1981)
* Amanda Plummer (1982)
* Judith Ivey (1983)
* Christine Baranski (1984)
* Judith Ivey (1985)
* Joanna Gleason (1986)
* Mary Alice (1987)
* Christine Estabrook (1988)
* Tovah Feldshuh (1989)
* Frances Conroy (1990)
* Irene Worth (1991)
* Christine Baranski (1992)
* Madeline Kahn (1993)
* Jane Adams (1994)
* Tara Fitzgerald (1995)
* Elaine Stritch (1996)
* Dana Ivey (1997)
* Allison Janney (1998)
* Anna Friel (1999)
* Marylouise Burke (2000)

2001–2022|

* Viola Davis (2001)
* Katie Finneran (2002)
* Lynn Redgrave (2003)
* Audra McDonald (2004)
* Adriane Lenox (2005)
* Frances de la Tour (2006)
* Martha Plimpton (2007)
* Linda Lavin (2008)
* Angela Lansbury (2009)
* Viola Davis (2010)
* Edie Falco (2011)
* Judith Light (2012)
* Judith Light (2013)
* Celia Keenan-Bolger (2014)
* Annaleigh Ashford (2015)
* Saycon Sengbloh (2016)
* Cynthia Nixon (2017)
* Jamie Brewer (2018)
* Celia Keenan-Bolger (2019)
* Lois Smith (2020)
* No Award (2021)
* Francis Benhamou (2022)

* v
* t
* e

Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in Children's Programming

1970s|

* Tom Aldredge (1978)
* Geraldine Fitzgerald / Jack Gilford / Jim Henson, Richard Hunt, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, and Caroll Spinney (1979)

1980s|

* Melissa Sue Anderson / Maia Danziger / Butterfly McQueen / Fred Rogers (1980)
* Danny Aiello / Bill Cosby / Ken Howard / Marlo Thomas (1981)
* Robert Keeshan (1982)
* Cloris Leachman (1983)
* Dick Van Dyke (1984)
* John Carradine (1985)
* Pearl Bailey (1986)
* Madeline Kahn (1987)
* Philip Bosco (1988)
* Dana Barron / Jim Varney (1989)

1990s|

* Kevin Clash / Greg Spottiswood (1990)
* Tim Curry / Joanne Vannicola (1991)
* Josh Hamilton / Shari Lewis (1992)
* Shari Lewis / Dina Spybey (1993)
* Shari Lewis / Justin Whalin (1994)
* Shari Lewis / Hal Linden (1995)
* Kate Burton / Shari Lewis (1996)
* Donna Murphy / Fred Rogers (1997)
* Bill Nye / Robert Ri'chard (1998)
* Jordan Kiziuk / Fred Rogers (1999)

2000s|

* James Earl Jones / Shari Lewis (2000)
* LeVar Burton / Ossie Davis (2001)
* LeVar Burton / Kelsey Keel (2002)
* Ben Foster / Shia LaBeouf (2003)
* Jeff Corwin / Gena Rowlands (2004)
* Stockard Channing / Kevin Clash (2005)
* Kevin Clash / James McDaniel (2006)
* Eion Bailey / Kevin Clash / Caroll Spinney (2007)
* Bindi Irwin (2008)
* Kevin Clash (2009)

2010s|

* Kevin Clash / Joey Mazzarino (2010)
* Kevin Clash (2011)
* Kevin Clash (2012)
* Kevin Clash (2013)
* Jessica Honor Carleton (2014)
* Margot Kidder (2015)
* Jessica Lundy (2016)
* Isaac Kragten (2017)
* Dove Cameron (2018)
* Michela Luci (2019)

* 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)
* Sarah Paulson (2024)

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* FAST
* WorldCat

National|

* Germany
* United States
* France
* BnF data
* Italy
* Australia
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