The Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role is an annual award presented by the Society of London Theatre in recognition of achievements in commercial London theatre. The Oliviers were established as the Society of West End Theatre Awards in 1976, and renamed in 1984 in honour of English actor and director Laurence Olivier.
| Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role | |
|---|---|
 2024 Recipient: Haydn Gwynne | |
| Awarded for | Best Actress in a Supporting Role |
| Location |  England |
| Presented by | Society of London Theatre |
| First awarded | 1977 |
| Currently held by | Haydn Gwynne for When Winston Went to War with the Wireless (2024) |
| Website | officiallondontheatre |
This award was first given in 1977, then was replaced in 1985 by the commingled actor/actress Best Performance in a Supporting Role, which replaced the 1977 to 1984 pair of Best Actress in a Supporting Role and Best Actor in a Supporting Role awards. From 1991 to 2012, the general supporting category vacillated at random between the commingled singular award (presented for 12 different seasons) and the pair of awards (presented for the other 11 seasons); the commingled award was last given in 2012, and the split pair of Best Actor and Best Actress awards have been presented every year since.
Winners and nominees
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1970s
edit| Year | Actress | Play | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | |||
| Mona Washbourne | Stevie | Aunt | |
| Constance Chapman | Just Between Ourselves | Marjorie | |
| Anna Manahan | The Plough and the Stars | Bessie | |
| Elizabeth Spriggs | Volpone | Lady Would-Be | |
| 1978 | |||
| Elizabeth Spriggs | Love Letters on Blue Paper | Sonia Marsden | |
| Brenda Bruce | The Lady's Not for Burning | Alizon Eliot | |
| Susan Fleetwood | The Woman | Ismene | |
| Patricia Hayes | Filumena | Rosalia | |
| 1979 | |||
| Doreen Mantle | Death of a Salesman | Linda | |
| Carmen du Sautoy | Once in a Lifetime | Miss Leighton | |
| Alison Fiske | For Services Rendered | Evie | |
| Patricia Routledge | And a Nightingale Sang | Peggy Stott |
1980s
edit| Year | Actress | Play | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | |||
| Suzanne Bertish | The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby | Fanny Squeers | |
| Lynn Dearth | The Greeks | Electra | |
| Prunella Scales | Make and Break | Mrs. Rogers | |
| Susan Tracy | Three Sisters | Natalya Ivanova | |
| 1981 | |||
| Gwen Watford | Present Laughter | Monica Reed | |
| Brenda Bruce | Romeo and Juliet | Nurse | |
| Sinéad Cusack | As You Like It | Celia | |
| Gwen Taylor | Hamlet | Gertrude | |
| 1982 | |||
| Anna Massey | The Importance of Being Earnest | Miss Prism | |
| Nicola Blackman | Destry Rides Again | Clara | |
| Sheila Hancock | The Winter's Tale | Paulina | |
| Carole Hayman | Top Girls | Dull Gret | |
| 1983 | |||
| Abigail McKern | As You Like It | Celia | |
| Kate Buffery | Daisy Pulls It Off | Clare Beaumont | |
| Sylvia Coleridge | Clay | Em | |
| Barbara Leigh-Hunt | Pack of Lies | Helen Kroger | |
| 1984 | |||
| Marcia Warren | Stepping Out | Vera | |
| Clare Higgins | A Streetcar Named Desire | Stella Kowalski | |
| Sophie MgCina | Poppie Nongena | Poppie's Mother | |
| Zoë Wanamaker | The Time of Your Life | Kitty Duval |
1990s
edit
2000s
edit| Year | Actress | Play | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | |||
| Patricia Hodge | Money | Lady Franklin | |
| Anne-Marie Duff | Collected Stories | Lisa | |
| Estelle Kohler | The Winter's Tale | Paulina | |
| Kika Markham | A Song at Twilight | Hilde | |
| 2001 | |||
| Pauline Flanagan | Dolly West's Kitchen | Rima West | |
| Gillian Barge | Passion Play | Agnes | |
| Catherine McCormack | All My Sons | Ann | |
| Marcia Warren | In Flame | Annie / Gramma | |
| 2002 | |||
| Marcia Warren | Humble Boy | Mercy Lott | |
| Brid Brennan | The Little Foxes | Birdie | |
| Emma Fielding | Private Lives | Sibyl | |
| Lyndsey Marshal | Boston Marriage | Catherine |
2010s
edit
2020s
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- ^ a b Due to late March 2020[2] to late July 2021[3] closing of London theatre productions during the COVID-19 pandemic in England, the 2022 awards recognise productions that launched anytime from February 2020 to February 2022[4]
- ^ Posthumous nomination
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "1997 Laurence Olivier Awards". westendtheatre.com. 1997. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ Johnson, The Rt Hon Boris, MP (2020-03-23). Prime Minister's statement on coronavirus (COVID-19): 23 March 2020 [transcript] (Speech). Prime Minister's Televised Speech to the United Kingdom. www.gov.uk. London, UK. Archived from the original on 2020-06-09. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
From this evening I must give the British people a very simple instruction — you must stay at home.
{{cite speech}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ McPhee, Ryan (2021-06-14). "U.K. Postpones Reopening Roadmap; West End Theatres Will No Longer Reopen in Full in June". Playbill. Archived from the original on 2021-06-14. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
Step 4 of the roadmap will allow productions to play without capacity restrictions. June 21 was the goal; now, the government is eyeing July 19.
- ^ Thomas, Sophie (2022-03-08). "Everything you need to know about the Olivier Awards". londontheatre.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2022-04-11. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
Any new production that opened between 19 Feb. 2020 to 22 Feb. 2022 are eligible for categories in the 2022 Olivier Awards. With two years worth of shows set for honours in one year's ceremony, the 2022 Olivier Awards will prove tougher competition than before.
- London Theatre Guide (2008). "The Laurence Olivier Awards: Full List of Winners, 1976-2008" (.PDF). 1976-2008. The Society of London Theatre. p. 20. Retrieved 2008-08-30.