Richard Kiley

American actor (1922-1999)

Richard Kiley

Kiley in 1960

Born|

Richard Paul Kiley

(1922-03-31)March 31, 1922

Chicago, Illinois, U.S.

Died| March 5, 1999(1999-03-05) (aged 76)

Middletown, Orange County, New York, U.S.

Occupation(s)| Actor, singer
Years active| 1950–1999
Spouses|

Mary Bell Wood

(m. 1948; div. 1967)​

Patricia Ferrier

(m. 1968)​

Children| 6

Richard Paul Kiley (March 31, 1922 – March 5, 1999) was an American stage, film and television actor and singer. He is best known for his distinguished theatrical career in which he twice won the Tony Award for Best Actor In A Musical.[1] Kiley created the role of Don Quixote in the original 1965 production of the Broadway musical Man of La Mancha and was the first to sing and record "The Impossible Dream", the hit song from the show. In the 1953 hit musical Kismet, he played the Caliph in the original Broadway cast and, as such, was one of the quartet who sang "And This Is My Beloved". Additionally, he won four Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards during his 50-year career[2] and his "sonorous baritone"[3] was also featured in the narration of a number of documentaries and other films. At the time of his death, Kiley was described as "one of theater's most distinguished and versatile actors" and as "an indispensable actor, the kind of performer who could be called on to play kings and commoners and a diversity of characters in between."[2]

## Early life[edit]

Kiley was born on March 31, 1922, in Chicago, Illinois, and raised Roman Catholic. He graduated from Mt. Carmel High School in 1939, and after a year at Loyola University Chicago he left to study acting at Chicago's Barnum Dramatic School.[1] In the late 1940s, he performed in Chicago-area summer stock theaters with actors such as Alan Furlan.[4] Following his service in the United States Navy in World War II, he returned to Chicago working as an actor and announcer on radio before moving to New York City. In New York he studied singing with Ray Smolover.[5]

## Career[edit]

Kiley's work on stage included Kismet, No Strings (which was Richard Rodgers's first stage musical after the death of Oscar Hammerstein II, in which Rodgers wrote both music and lyrics), the Buddy Hackett vehicle I Had a Ball, and the lead roles in Redhead, Man of La Mancha, and the play The Incomparable Max.

Kiley later starred in the television play Patterns, which aired live on January 12, 1955. It caused a sensation and won an Emmy for its writer, Rod Serling. He played the role of John Malcolm Patterson, future Attorney General of Alabama (and later Governor of Alabama), in the 1955 film The Phenix City Story. Kiley also portrayed math teacher Joshua Edwards, whose phonograph records were smashed by delinquents in Blackboard Jungle in 1955.

Kiley won Tony Awards for Best Actor in a Musical for Redhead in 1959 and Man of La Mancha in 1966. The dual role of middle-aged author Cervantes and his fictional creation Quixote is one of the few musical roles that requires the talents of both leading man and character actor.[6] Kiley said while La Mancha was on Broadway that despite the fact he had grown tired of playing leading men, he would always be grateful for having been given the chance to perform in La Mancha.[citation needed] He performed in the original production for over five years and returned for Broadway revivals in 1972 and 1977 saying he had become "very possessive" of the role.[7]

## Later years[edit]

Kiley won three Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards for his work in television. He won both an Emmy and Golden Globe awards for The Thorn Birds (as Paddy, Rachel Ward's father) (1983) and A Year in the Life (1986, 1987–1988). His third Emmy win was for Guest Actor in a Drama Series, for an episode of Picket Fences, in which he had a recurring role as the father of main character Jill Brock (Kathy Baker). Kiley also received an Emmy nomination for portraying Chief Justice Earl Warren in the 1991 miniseries Separate but Equal dramatizing Brown vs. Board of Education.

Kiley with Peter Falk in Columbo, 1974.

Other television work included as the murderous police commissioner on Columbo (1974, the episode "A Friend In Deed"), his appearance as Gideon Seyetik in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Second Sight", as well as guest roles on Ally McBeal, Hawaii Five-O and Gunsmoke. He narrated the award-winning seven-part 1986 PBS documentary Planet Earth.

Kiley's baritone made him a favorite to narrate documentaries for television. Starting with ‘Land of the Tiger’ in 1985, Richard Kiley provided narration for multiple National Geographic Video television specials. Kiley also voiced two 1975 episodes of CBS Radio Mystery Theater.

In Jurassic Park, Kiley's voice narrates the park's vehicle tour. Kiley was introduced as the narrator for the tour first in the novel by Michael Crichton and later in the film adaptation by Steven Spielberg where the owner of the park said he "spared no expense" hiring Kiley.[6] Visitors to Universal's Islands of Adventure theme park in Orlando, Florida, and the former attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood hear Kiley as the narrator of the Jurassic Park River Adventure ride - making him the only person to appear in the book, the film, and the ride.

Kiley also narrated the A&E documentary television series Mysteries of the Bible, from 1994 to 1998. His final acting role was in the 1999 TV movie Blue Moon, which debuted the month after his death.[8][9]

## Death[edit]

Kiley died of an unspecified bone marrow disease at Horton Hospital in Middletown, New York, on March 5, 1999, less than a month before his 77th birthday. He was survived by his wife, dancer Patricia Ferrier,[10] and six children from his first marriage:[11] sons David and Michael Kiley and daughters Kathleen, Dorothea, Erin and Deirdre. His remains were interred in Warwick. Broadway's lights went dark in his honor.

## Filmography[edit]

### Film[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

1951  | The Mob | Thomas Clancy  |
1952  | The Sniper | Dr. James G. Kent  |
Eight Iron Men | Private Coke  |
1953  | Pickup on South Street | Joey  |
1955  | Blackboard Jungle | Joshua Y. Edwards  |
The Phenix City Story | John Patterson  |
1957  | Spanish Affair | Merritt Blake  |
1958  | The Power of the Resurrection | Peter  |
1969  | Pendulum | Woodrow Wilson King  |
1970  | A.k.a. Cassius Clay | Narrator  |
1974  | The Little Prince | The Pilot  |
1977  | Looking for Mr. Goodbar | Mr. Dunn  |
1981  | Endless Love | Arthur Axelrod  |
1986  | Howard the Duck | The Cosmos  | Voice
1989  | To the Limit | Narrator  |
Miami Cops |  |
The Final Days | J. Fred Buzhardt  |
1993  | Jurassic Park | Jurassic Park Tour Voice  | Voice
The Gospel According to St. Matthew | Old Matthew  |
1996  | Phenomenon | Dr. Wellin  |
1997  | Time to Say Goodbye? | Dr. Gerald Klooster  |
1998  | Patch Adams | Dr. Titan  |
2002  | Jesus the Christ | Matthew  | Final role

### Television[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

1953  | The United States Steel Hour | Sgt. Lucky Dover  | Episode: "P.O.W."
1954  | Justice | Unknown  | 2 episodes
1955  | Kraft Television Theatre | Fred Staples  | Episode: "Patterns"
1956  | Studio One | Mr. Dean  | Episode: "The Landlady's Daughter"
1958  | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Harry Adams  | Episode: "Crooked Road"
1963  | Alfred Hitchcock Hour | Jim Derry  | Episode: "Blood Bargain"
1969  | Night Gallery | Joseph Strobe  | Television film ("The Escape Route" segment)
1970–73  | Gunsmoke | Lewis Stark
Tom Lynott
Bohannon
Will Stambridge  | Episodes: "Stark"
"Lynott"
"Bohannon"
"Kitty's Love Affair"
1970  | Bonanza | Gideon Yates  | Episode: "Gideon the Good"
The Ceremony of Innocence | King Ethelred II  | Television film
1971  | Murder Once Removed | Frank Manning  | Television film
1974  | Columbo: A Friend in Deed | Mark Halperin  |
1975  | Friendly Persuasion | Jess Birdwell  | Television film
1976  | How the West Was Won | Timothy Macahan  |
1980  | Angel on My Shoulder | Nick  | Television film
1981  | Isabel's Choice | Lyman Jones  | Television film
Golden Gate | Thomas J. Kingsley  | Television film
1983  | The Thorn Birds | Paddy Cleary  | 2 episodes
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
1984  | George Washington | George Mason  | Television film
1985  | A.D. | Claudius  | Television film
The Canterville Ghost | Sir Simon de Canterville  | Television film
Do You Remember Love | George Hollis  | Television film
1986  | Planet Earth | Narrator  | 7 episodes
The Twilight Zone | Lancelot  | Episode: "The Last Defender of Camelot (The Twilight Zone)"
If Tomorrow Comes | Gunther Hartog  | 3 episodes
1986–1988  | A Year in the Life | Joe Gardner  | 22 episodes
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
1988  | My First Love | Sam Morrissey  | Television film
1990  | Aladdin | The Magician  | Television film
1991  | Absolute Strangers | Dr. R.J. Cannon  | Television film
Separate but Equal | Chief Justice Earl Warren  | Television film
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film
Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
The Ray Bradbury Theater | Douglas Spaulding  | Episode: "The Utterly Perfect Murder"
1992–1994  | Picket Fences | Hayden Langston  | 2 episodes
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
1993  | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Dr. Gideon Seyetik  | Episode: "Second Sight" (Season 2 Episode 9)
1994–1998  | Mysteries of the Bible | Narrator  |
1995  | The Great Defender | Joe Dewitt  | 8 episodes
1996  | Mary & Tim | Ron Melville  | Television film
1997  | Time to Say Goodbye? | Dr. Gerald Klooster  | Television film
Tigers of the Show | Narrator  |
1998  | Ally McBeal | Seymore Little  | Episode: "Once in a Lifetime"
Blue Moon | Jimmy Keating  | Television film

### Stage[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

1953  | Misalliance | Joey Percival  |
1953–55  | Kismet | The Caliph  |
1956  | Time Limit | Major Harry Cargill  |
1959–60  | Redhead | Tom Baxter  | Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical
1960–61  | Advise and Consent | Brig Anderson  |
1962–63  | No Strings | David Jordan  | Nominated—Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical
1963–64  | Here's Love | Fred Gaily  |
1964–65  | I Had a Ball | Stan the Shpieler  |
1965–71  | Man of La Mancha | Miguel de Cervantes/Don Quixote  | Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical
1968  | Her First Roman | Caesar  |
1971  | The Incomparable Max | Enoch Soames  |
1972  | Voices | Robert  |
Man of La Mancha | Miguel de Cervantes/Don Quixote  |
1974–76  | Absurd Person Singular | Ronald  |
1975  | "Ah, Wilderness!"  | Nat Miller  | Academy Festival Theatre, Drake Theatre at Barat College, Lake Forest, Illinois
1976  | The Heiress | Dr. Austin Sloper  | Nominated—Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play
1977  | Man of La Mancha | Don Quixote  | Nominated—Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical
1987  | All My Sons | Joe Keller  | Nominated—Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b Vallance, Tom (March 11, 1999). "Obituary: Richard Kiley". The Independent. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
2. ^ a b Gussow, Mel (March 6, 1999). "Richard Kiley, the Man of La Mancha, Is Dead at 76". The New York Times. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
3. ^ "Overview for Richard Kiley". TCM. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
4. ^ "The Milwaukee Journal". July 30, 1985.[dead link]
5. ^ Wilson, Earl (September 22, 1977). "Off the Grapevine". The Blade. Toledo, Ohio.
6. ^ a b Thurber, Jon (March 6, 1999). "Richard Kiley; Epitomized 'Man of La Mancha'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 4, 2020. "Kiley won over the critics with his deft ability to bounce between the demanding roles of the knight errant and the author."
7. ^ Geller, Andy (March 6, 1999). "'Man of La Mancha' Star Kiley Dies at 76". New York Post. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
8. ^ "Blue Moon". April 11, 1999 - via IMDb.
9. ^ "Richard Kiley biography - Yahoo TV". December 16, 2013. Archived from the original on December 16, 2013.
10. ^ "Washington Post". The Washington Post.
11. ^ "Obituary: Richard Kiley". The Independent. March 11, 1999. Retrieved October 7, 2020.

## Sources[edit]

* Man of La Mancha – original theatrical program, for Kiley's personal comments on playing Don Quixote

## External links[edit]

* Biography portal

* Richard Kiley at Find a Grave
* Richard Kiley at IMDb
* Richard Kiley at the Internet Broadway Database
* Richard Kiley at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
* Richard Kiley at Memory Alpha
* Richard Kiley papers, 1939-1999, held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts

Awards for Richard Kiley

* v
* t
* e

Drama League's Distinguished Performance Award

* Katharine Cornell (1935)
* Helen Hayes (1936)
* Maurice Evans (1937)
* Cedric Hardwicke (1938)
* Raymond Massey (1939)
* Paul Muni (1940)
* Paul Lukas (1941)
* Judith Evelyn (1942)
* Alfred Lunt (1943)
* Lynn Fontanne (1944)
* Mady Christians (1945)
* Louis Calhern (1946)
* Ingrid Bergman (1947)
* Judith Anderson (1948)
* Robert Morley (1949)
* Grace George (1950)
* Claude Rains (1951)
* Julie Harris (1952)
* Shirley Booth (1953)
* Josephine Hull (1954)
* Viveca Lindfors (1955)
* David Wayne (1956)
* Eli Wallach (1957)
* Ralph Bellamy (1958)
* Cyril Ritchard (1959)
* Jessica Tandy (1960)
* Hume Cronyn (1961)
* Paul Scofield (1962)
* Charles Boyer (1963)
* Alec Guinness (1964)
* John Gielgud (1965)
* Richard Kiley (1966)
* Rosemary Harris (1967)
* Zoe Caldwell (1968)
* Alec McCowen (1969)
* James Stewart (1970)
* Anthony Quayle (1971)
* Eileen Atkins / Claire Bloom (1972)
* Alan Bates (1973)
* Christopher Plummer (1974)
* John Wood (1975)
* Eva Le Gallienne (1976)
* Tom Courtenay (1977)
* Frank Langella (1978)
* Frances Sternhagen (1979)
* Roy Scheider (1980)
* Ian McKellen (1981)
* Milo O'Shea (1982)
* Edward Herrmann / Kate Nelligan (1983)
* Jeremy Irons (1984)
* Derek Jacobi (1985)
* Bernadette Peters (1986)
* James Earl Jones (1987)
* John Lithgow (1988)
* Pauline Collins (1989)
* Robert Morse (1990)
* Stockard Channing (1991)
* Glenn Close (1992)
* Stephen Rea (1993)
* Sam Waterston (1994)
* Cherry Jones (1995)
* Uta Hagen (1996)
* Charles Durning / Bebe Neuwirth (1997)
* Brian Stokes Mitchell (1998)
* Kathleen Chalfant (1999)
* Eileen Heckart (2000)
* Mary-Louise Parker / Gary Sinise (2001)
* Liam Neeson (2002)
* Harvey Fierstein (2003)
* Hugh Jackman (2004)
* Norbert Leo Butz (2005)
* Christine Ebersole (2006)
* Liev Schreiber (2007)
* Patti LuPone (2008)
* Geoffrey Rush (2009)
* Alfred Molina (2010)
* Mark Rylance (2011)
* Audra McDonald (2012)
* Nathan Lane (2013)
* Neil Patrick Harris (2014)
* Chita Rivera (2015)
* Lin-Manuel Miranda (2016)
* Ben Platt (2017)
* Glenda Jackson (2018)
* Bryan Cranston (2019)
* Danny Burstein (2020)
* Sutton Foster (2022)
* Annaleigh Ashford (2023)

* v
* t
* e

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

1956–1975|

* Robert Young (1956)
* Robert Young (1957)
* Raymond Burr (1959)
* Robert Stack (1960)
* Raymond Burr (1961)
* E. G. Marshall (1962)
* E. G. Marshall (1963)
* Bill Cosby (1966)
* Bill Cosby (1967)
* Bill Cosby (1968)
* Carl Betz (1969)
* Robert Young (1970)
* Hal Holbrook (1971)
* Peter Falk (1972)
* Richard Thomas (1973)
* Telly Savalas (1974)
* Robert Blake (1975)

1976–2000|

* Peter Falk (1976)
* James Garner (1977)
* Ed Asner (1978)
* Ron Leibman (1979)
* Ed Asner (1980)
* Daniel J. Travanti (1981)
* Daniel J. Travanti (1982)
* Ed Flanders (1983)
* Tom Selleck (1984)
* William Daniels (1985)
* William Daniels (1986)
* Bruce Willis (1987)
* Richard Kiley (1988)
* Carroll O'Connor (1989)
* Peter Falk (1990)
* James Earl Jones (1991)
* Christopher Lloyd (1992)
* Tom Skerritt (1993)
* Dennis Franz (1994)
* Mandy Patinkin (1995)
* Dennis Franz (1996)
* Dennis Franz (1997)
* Andre Braugher (1998)
* Dennis Franz (1999)
* James Gandolfini (2000)

2001–present|

* James Gandolfini (2001)
* Michael Chiklis (2002)
* James Gandolfini (2003)
* James Spader (2004)
* James Spader (2005)
* Kiefer Sutherland (2006)
* James Spader (2007)
* Bryan Cranston (2008)
* Bryan Cranston (2009)
* Bryan Cranston (2010)
* Kyle Chandler (2011)
* Damian Lewis (2012)
* Jeff Daniels (2013)
* Bryan Cranston (2014)
* Jon Hamm (2015)
* Rami Malek (2016)
* Sterling K. Brown (2017)
* Matthew Rhys (2018)
* Billy Porter (2019)
* Jeremy Strong (2020)
* Josh O'Connor (2021)
* Lee Jung-jae (2022)

* v
* t
* e

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

1975–2000|

* Anthony Quayle (1975)
* Ed Flanders (1976)
* Burgess Meredith (1977)
* Howard da Silva (1978)
* Marlon Brando (1979)
* George Grizzard (1980)
* David Warner (1981)
* Laurence Olivier (1982)
* Richard Kiley (1983)
* Art Carney (1984)
* Karl Malden (1985)
* John Malkovich (1986)
* Dabney Coleman (1987)
* John Shea (1988)
* Derek Jacobi (1989)
* Vincent Gardenia (1990)
* James Earl Jones (1991)
* Hume Cronyn (1992)
* Beau Bridges (1993)
* Michael A. Goorjian (1994)
* Donald Sutherland (1995)
* Tom Hulce (1996)
* Beau Bridges (1997)
* George C. Scott (1998)
* Peter O'Toole (1999)
* Hank Azaria (2000)

2001–present|

* Brian Cox (2001)
* Michael Moriarty (2002)
* Ben Gazzara (2003)
* Jeffrey Wright (2004)
* Paul Newman (2005)
* Jeremy Irons (2006)
* Thomas Haden Church (2007)
* Tom Wilkinson (2008)
* Ken Howard (2009)
* David Strathairn (2010)
* Guy Pearce (2011)
* Tom Berenger (2012)
* James Cromwell (2013)
* Martin Freeman (2014)
* Bill Murray (2015)
* Sterling K. Brown (2016)
* Alexander Skarsgård (2017)
* Jeff Daniels (2018)
* Ben Whishaw (2019)
* Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (2020)
* Evan Peters (2021)
* Murray Bartlett (2022)

* v
* t
* e

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series

1975–1986|

* Patrick McGoohan (1975)
* Ed Asner / Gordon Jackson (1976)
* Ed Asner / Louis Gossett Jr. (1977)
* Barnard Hughes / Ricardo Montalbán (1978)
* John Lithgow (1986)

1989–present|

* Joe Spano (1989)
* Patrick McGoohan (1990)
* David Opatoshu (1991)
* No Award (1992)
* Laurence Fishburne (1993)
* Richard Kiley (1994)
* Paul Winfield (1995)
* Peter Boyle (1996)
* Pruitt Taylor Vince (1997)
* John Larroquette (1998)
* Edward Herrmann (1999)
* James Whitmore (2000)
* Michael Emerson (2001)
* Charles S. Dutton (2002)
* Charles S. Dutton (2003)
* William Shatner (2004)
* Ray Liotta (2005)
* Christian Clemenson (2006)
* John Goodman (2007)
* Glynn Turman (2008)
* Michael J. Fox (2009)
* John Lithgow (2010)
* Paul McCrane (2011)
* Jeremy Davies (2012)
* Dan Bucatinsky (2013)
* Joe Morton (2014)
* Reg E. Cathey (2015)
* Hank Azaria (2016)
* Gerald McRaney (2017)
* Ron Cephas Jones (2018)
* Bradley Whitford (2019)
* Ron Cephas Jones (2020)
* Courtney B. Vance (2021)
* Colman Domingo (2022)

* v
* t
* e

Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Series – Drama

1961–1980|

* John Charles Daly (1961)
* Richard Chamberlain (1962)
* Gene Barry (1964)
* David Janssen (1965)
* Martin Landau (1967)
* Carl Betz (1968)
* Mike Connors (1969)
* Peter Graves (1970)
* Robert Young (1971)
* Peter Falk (1972)
* James Stewart (1973)
* Telly Savalas (1974)
* Robert Blake / Telly Savalas (1975)
* Richard Jordan (1976)
* Ed Asner (1977)
* Michael Moriarty (1978)
* Ed Asner (1979)
* Richard Chamberlain (1980)

1981–2000|

* Daniel J. Travanti (1981)
* John Forsythe (1982)
* John Forsythe (1983)
* Tom Selleck (1984)
* Don Johnson (1985)
* Edward Woodward (1986)
* Richard Kiley (1987)
* Ron Perlman (1988)
* Ken Wahl (1989)
* Kyle MacLachlan (1990)
* Scott Bakula (1991)
* Sam Waterston (1992)
* David Caruso (1993)
* Dennis Franz (1994)
* Jimmy Smits (1995)
* David Duchovny (1996)
* Anthony Edwards (1997)
* Dylan McDermott (1998)
* James Gandolfini (1999)
* Martin Sheen (2000)

2001–2020|

* Kiefer Sutherland (2001)
* Michael Chiklis (2002)
* Anthony LaPaglia (2003)
* Ian McShane (2004)
* Hugh Laurie (2005)
* Hugh Laurie (2006)
* Jon Hamm (2007)
* Gabriel Byrne (2008)
* Michael C. Hall (2009)
* Steve Buscemi (2010)
* Kelsey Grammer (2011)
* Damian Lewis (2012)
* Bryan Cranston (2013)
* Kevin Spacey (2014)
* Jon Hamm (2015)
* Billy Bob Thornton (2016)
* Sterling K. Brown (2017)
* Richard Madden (2018)
* Brian Cox (2019)
* Josh O'Connor (2020)

2021–present|

* Jeremy Strong (2021)
* Kevin Costner (2022)

* v
* t
* e

Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Television

Television Series
1970–1979|

* James Brolin (1970)
* Ed Asner (1971)
* James Brolin (1972)
* McLean Stevenson (1973)
* Harvey Korman (1974)
* Ed Asner / Tim Conway (1975)
* Ed Asner (1976)
* No Award (1977)
* Norman Fell (1978)
* Danny DeVito / Vic Tayback (1979)

Series, Miniseries or
Television Film
1980–2021|

* Pat Harrington Jr. / Vic Tayback (1980)
* John Hillerman (1981)
* Lionel Stander (1982)
* Richard Kiley (1983)
* Paul Le Mat (1984)
* Edward James Olmos (1985)
* Jan Niklas (1986)
* Rutger Hauer (1987)
* Barry Bostwick / John Gielgud (1988)
* Dean Stockwell (1989)
* Charles Durning (1990)
* Louis Gossett Jr. (1991)
* Maximilian Schell (1992)
* Beau Bridges (1993)
* Edward James Olmos (1994)
* Donald Sutherland (1995)
* Ian McKellen (1996)
* George C. Scott (1997)
* Don Cheadle / Gregory Peck (1998)
* Peter Fonda (1999)
* Robert Downey Jr. (2000)
* Stanley Tucci (2001)
* Donald Sutherland (2002)
* Jeffrey Wright (2003)
* William Shatner (2004)
* Paul Newman (2005)
* Jeremy Irons (2006)
* Jeremy Piven (2007)
* Tom Wilkinson (2008)
* John Lithgow (2009)
* Chris Colfer (2010)
* Peter Dinklage (2011)
* Ed Harris (2012)
* Jon Voight (2013)
* Matt Bomer (2014)
* Christian Slater (2015)
* Hugh Laurie (2016)
* Alexander Skarsgård (2017)
* Ben Whishaw (2018)
* Stellan Skarsgård (2019)
* John Boyega (2020)
* O Yeong-su (2021)

Musical, Comedy or
Drama Series
2022–present|

* Tyler James Williams (2022)

Limited or
Anthology Series or
Television Film
2022–present|

* Paul Walter Hauser (2022)

* v
* t
* e

Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical

1948–1975|

* Paul Hartman (1948)
* Ray Bolger (1949)
* Ezio Pinza (1950)
* Robert Alda (1951)
* Phil Silvers (1952)
* Thomas Mitchell (1953)
* Alfred Drake (1954)
* Walter Slezak (1955)
* Ray Walston (1956)
* Rex Harrison (1957)
* Robert Preston (1958)
* Richard Kiley (1959)
* Jackie Gleason (1960)
* Richard Burton (1961)
* Robert Morse (1962)
* Zero Mostel (1963)
* Bert Lahr (1964)
* Zero Mostel (1965)
* Richard Kiley (1966)
* Robert Preston (1967)
* Robert Goulet (1968)
* Jerry Orbach (1969)
* Cleavon Little (1970)
* Hal Linden (1971)
* Phil Silvers (1972)
* Ben Vereen (1973)
* Christopher Plummer (1974)
* John Cullum (1975)

1976–2000|

* George Rose (1976)
* Barry Bostwick (1977)
* John Cullum (1978)
* Len Cariou (1979)
* Jim Dale (1980)
* Kevin Kline (1981)
* Ben Harney (1982)
* Tommy Tune (1983)
* George Hearn (1984)
* No Award (1985)
* George Rose (1986)
* Robert Lindsay (1987)
* Michael Crawford (1988)
* Jason Alexander (1989)
* James Naughton (1990)
* Jonathan Pryce (1991)
* Gregory Hines (1992)
* Brent Carver (1993)
* Boyd Gaines (1994)
* Matthew Broderick (1995)
* Nathan Lane (1996)
* James Naughton (1997)
* Alan Cumming (1998)
* Martin Short (1999)
* Brian Stokes Mitchell (2000)

2001–present|

* Nathan Lane (2001)
* John Lithgow (2002)
* Harvey Fierstein (2003)
* Hugh Jackman (2004)
* Norbert Leo Butz (2005)
* John Lloyd Young (2006)
* David Hyde Pierce (2007)
* Paulo Szot (2008)
* David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik and Kiril Kulish (2009)
* Douglas Hodge (2010)
* Norbert Leo Butz (2011)
* Steve Kazee (2012)
* Billy Porter (2013)
* Neil Patrick Harris (2014)
* Michael Cerveris (2015)
* Leslie Odom Jr. (2016)
* Ben Platt (2017)
* Tony Shalhoub (2018)
* Santino Fontana (2019)
* No Ceremony (2020)
* Aaron Tveit (2021)
* Myles Frost (2022)
* J. Harrison Ghee (2023)

Authority control

International|

* FAST
* ISNI
* VIAF

National|

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