Laurence Olivier Award - Award Milestones - Individuals

Individuals

• Three people hold the record for winning seven Olivier Awards for different creative strands: Judi Dench (actress), William Dudley (designer) and Andrew Lloyd Webber (composer/producer).
• Six wins: Ian McKellen, Alan Bennett, Richard Eyre, Stephen Sondheim.
• Five wins: Matthew Bourne, Declan Donnellan, Mark Henderson, Mark Thompson
• Four wins: Michael Bryant, Darcey Bussell, Michael Frayn, Michael Gambon, Tim Goodchild, Clare Higgins, Alex Jennings, Sam Mendes, John Napier, Trevor Nunn, Philip Quast, Willy Russell, Simon Russell Beale, Frances de la Tour.
• Performers who have won Olivier Awards in both the play and musical categories are: Simon Russell Beale, Jonathan Pryce, Henry Goodman, Imelda Staunton, Judi Dench and Janie Dee.
• Judi Dench holds the distinction of being the only actress to win both dramatic and musical Olivier acting awards in the same year (1996) - for her performances in Absolute Hell and A Little Night Music.
• Philip Quast has won the Olivier for Best Actor in a Musical on three occasions, while Michael Crawford, Robert Lindsay, and Daniel Evans have all won the award twice.
• Julia McKenzie, Joanna Riding, Maria Friedman and Samantha Spiro have all won the Olivier for Best Actress in a Musical twice. Maria Friedman holds the record for most Olivier nominations in the Best Actress in a Musical category, with six. Julia McKenzie comes in a close second with five nominations.
• Jenny Galloway and Tracie Bennett have both won the Olivier for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical twice.
• Shows that have won Olivier Awards for Best Actor and Best Actress in a Musical: Barbara Dickson and Con O’Neill in Blood Brothers (1988), Jonathan Pryce and Lea Salonga in Miss Saigon (1990), Alun Armstrong and Julia McKenzie in Sweeney Todd (1993), Daniel Evans and Samantha Spiro in Merrily We Roll Along (2001), Alex Jennings and Joanna Riding in My Fair Lady (2003), Daniel Evans and Jenna Russell in Sunday in the Park with George (2007), Michael Ball and Leanne Jones in Hairspray (2008) and Bertie Carvel and all four Matildas in Matilda the Musical (2012).
• Hairspray holds the distinction of winning all three musical acting awards in 2008: Best Actor and Actress in a Musical for Michael Ball and Leanne Jones and Best Supporting Performance in a Musical for Tracie Bennett.
• Roles that have won awards for actors on more than one occasion include: Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls (1982 and 2006), George in Sunday in the Park with George (1991 and 2007), The Baker’s Wife in Into the Woods (1991 and 1999), Nicely Nicely Johnson in Guys and Dolls (1982 and 1997), Frau Schneider in Cabaret (1994 and 2007) and Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady (2002 and 2003).
• Michael Ball and Bertie Carvel both won Oliviers for playing roles of the opposite sex, in 2008 for Hairspray and 2012 for Matilda the Musical, respectively.
• Shared wins: In 2006, all three actors sharing the role of Billy Elliot received the Olivier for Best Actor in a Musical and in 2012, all four actresses sharing the role of Matilda received the Olivier for Best Actress in a Musical.