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Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play

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Drama Desk Award
for Outstanding Featured Actor
Awarded forOutstanding Featured Actor in a Play
LocationNew York City
CountryUnited States
Presented byDrama Desk
First awarded1975
Last awarded2022
Websitedramadesk.org (defunct)

The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play was an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in the theatre across collective Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City. The award was one of eight new acting awards first presented in 1975, when Drama Desk retired an earlier award that had made no distinction between work in plays and musicals, nor between actors and actresses, nor between lead performers and featured performers.

After the 2022 ceremony, all eight acting categories introduced in 1975 were retired. The award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play, along with Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play, were replaced in 2023 with the gender neutral category of Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play.

Winners and nominees

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1970s

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Year Actor Play Character
1975
Frank Langella Seascape Leslie
Louis Beachner The National Health Flagg
Larry Blyden Absurd Person Singular Sidney
David Dukes Love for Love Scandal
Rules of the Game Guido Venanzi
Philip Locke Sherlock Holmes Professor Moriarty
Dick Anthony Williams Black Picture Show Alexander
1976
Judd Hirsch Knock Knock Various Characters
Leonard Cimino A Memory of Two Mondays Jim
Edward Herrmann Mrs. Warren's Profession Frank Gardner
Roy Poole A Memory of Two Mondays Gus
1977
Bob Dishy Sly Fox Abner Truckle
Anthony Call The Trip Back Down Super Joe Weller
Héctor Elizondo Sly Fox Simon Able
Michael Lombard Otherwise Engaged Artemy Zemlyanik
Everett McGill Lu Ann Hampton Laverly Oberlander Dale Laverty
Ralph Roberts The Oldest Living Graduate Mike Tremaine
1978
Morgan Freeman The Mighty Gents Zeke
Jeffrey DeMunn A Prayer for My Daughter Jack Delasante
Visili Bogazianos P.S. Your Cat Is Dead Vrro
Jerome Dempsey Dracula Abraham Van Helsing
George Dzundza A Prayer for My Daughter Kelly
Michael Higgins Molly Teddy
Lester Rawlins Da Drumm
1979
George Rose The Kingfisher Hawkins
Michael Gough Bedroom Farce Ernest
I.M. Hobson The Elephant Man Various Characters
Nicholas Woodeson Man and Superman Henry Straker

1980s

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Year Actor Play Character
1980
David Rounds Morning's at Seven Homer Bolton
David Dukes Bent Horst
Michael Gross Bent Greta
Doug McClure The Roast Charles Browning
Hansford Rowe Nuts Arthur Kirk
Fritz Weaver The Price Walter Franz
1981
Brian Backer The Floating Light Bulb Paul Pollack
Ralph Clanton The Winslow Boy Arthur Winslow
Roderick Cook The Man Who Came to Dinner Beverly Carlton
Jeff Daniels Fifth of July Jed Jenkins
Nicholas Kepros Amadeus Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor
John Shea American Days Don Sherman
1982
Adolph Caesar A Soldier's Play Sergeant Waters
Željko Ivanek Cloud Nine Betty / Gerry
Matthew Broderick Torch Song Trilogy David
Bill Moor Potsdam Quartet John Healey
Mandy Patinkin Henry IV Hotspur
Larry Riley A Soldier's Play Private C.J. Memphis
1983
Alan Feinstein A View from the Bridge Marco
Stephen Joyce The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial Captain Blakely
Nathan Lane Present Laughter Roland Maule
Frank Maraden The Workroom First Presser
Stephen Moore All's Well that Ends Well Captain Parolles
Michael Moriarty The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial Lt. Com. Philip Francis Queeg
Stephen D. Newman The Misanthrope Philinte
1984
John Malkovich Death of a Salesman Biff Loman
David Huddleston Death of a Salesman Charley
Stephen Keep A Private View Vanek
Calvin Levels Open Admissions Calvin Jefferson
Chip Zien Isn't It Romantic Marty Sterling
1985
Charles S. Dutton Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Levee
Barry Miller Biloxi Blues Arnold Epstein
Ken Kliban As Is Barney / Brother
Edward Petherbridge Strange Interlude Charles Marsden
David Proval Requiem for a Heavyweight Army Hakes
Bill Sadler Biloxi Blues Sgt. Merwin J. Toomey
1986
Joseph Maher Loot Truscott
James Gammon A Lie of the Mind Baylor
Donald Moffat The Iceman Cometh Larry Slade
Anthony Rapp Precious Sons Freddy
1987
John Randolph Broadway Bound Ben
Michael Countryman The Common Pursuit Martin Musgrove
Frankie R. Faison Fences Gabriel
Peter Friedman The Common Pursuit Humphry Taylor
Ray Gill Driving Miss Daisy Boolie Werthan
Tony Jay The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby Mr. Vincent Crummles / Walter Bray
1988
BD Wong M. Butterfly Song Liling
Athol Fugard The Road to Mecca Rev. Marius Byleveld
Michael Gough Breaking the Code Dillwyn Knox
Joe Grifasi The Boys Next Door Arnold Wiggins
Ed Hall Joe Turner's Come and Gone Bynum Walker
Lou Liberatore Burn This Larry
1989
Peter Frechette Eastern Standard Drew
Fyvush Finkel Café Crown Sam
Bill Irwin Waiting for Godot Lucky
Edmund Lewis Without Apologies Willie Jukes
Matt McGrath Dalton's Back Dalty Possil
Eric Stoltz Our Town George Gibbs
Gordon Joseph Weiss Ghetto The Dummy

1990s

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Year Actor Play Character
1990
Charles Durning Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Big Daddy
Rocky Carroll The Piano Lesson Lymon
Simon Jones Privates on Parade Giles Flack
Francis Guinan The Grapes of Wrath Various Characters
Dustin Hoffman The Merchant of Venice Shylock
1991
Kevin Spacey Lost in Yonkers "Uncle" Louie
Dylan Baker La Bête Prince Conty
Marcus Chong Stand-Up Tragedy Lee Cortez
Leland Gantt Let Me Live Dupree
Josef Sommer Hamlet Polonius
1992
Laurence Fishburne Two Trains Running Sterling
Giancarlo Esposito Distant Fires Performer
Željko Ivanek Two Shakespearean Actors John Ryder
Mark Rosenthal Marvin's Room Hank
1993
Joe Mantello Angels in America: Millennium Approaches Louis Ironson
Stephen Spinella Prior Walter
David Marshall Grant Angels in America: Millennium Approaches Joe Pitt / Prior 1 / The Eskimo
Robert Klein The Sisters Rosensweig Mervyn Kant
Eli Wallach The Price Gregory Solomon
1994
Jeffrey Wright Angels in America: Perestroika Mr. Lies / Belize
Marcus D'Amico An Inspector Calls Eric Birling
Gregory Itzin The Kentucky Cycle Various Characters
Ron Leibman Angels in America: Perestroika Roy Cohn
Christopher McCann The Lights Erenhart
1995
Nathan Lane Love! Valour! Compassion! Buzz Hauser
Simon Coates As You Like It Celia
John Glover Love! Valour! Compassion! John and James Jeckyll
Kevin Kilner The Glass Menagerie Jim O'Connor
Anthony LaPaglia The Rose Tattoo Alvaro Mangiacavallo
Alessandro Nivola A Month in the Country Beliaev
1996
Martin Shaw An Ideal Husband Lord Arthur Goring
Heavy D Riff Raff Tony
James Gammon Buried Child Dodge
Alfred Molina Molly Sweeney Lord Goring
Reg Rogers Holiday Ned Seton
Ruben Santiago-Hudson Seven Guitars Canewell
1997
Brian Murray The Little Foxes Benjamin
Kirk Acevedo Tooth of Crime (Second Dance) Crow
Billy Crudup Three Sisters Solyony
David Greenspan The Boys in the Band Harold
Edward Herrmann Psychopathia Sexualis Dr. Block
Christopher Evan Welch Scapin Silvestre
1998
Alfred Molina 'Art' Yvan
Adam Alexi-Malle Goose-Pimples Muhammad
Ruaidhri Conroy The Cripple of Inishmaan Billy Claven
Ron Leibman A Dybbuk, or Between Two Worlds Rabbi Azriel
Max Wright Ivanov Pavel Lebedev
Harris Yulin The Diary of Anne Frank Mr. Van Daan
1999
Kevin Anderson Death of a Salesman Biff
Peter Bartlett The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told Various Characters
James Black Not About Nightingales Butch O'Fallon
Paul Giamatti The Iceman Cometh James Cameron
Ciarán Hinds Closer Larry
Howard Witt Death of a Salesman Charley

2000s

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Year Actor Play Character
2000
Roy Dotrice A Moon for the Misbegotten Phil Hogan
Matthew Arkin Dinner with Friends Gabe
Joel Grey Give Me Your Answer, Do! Jack Donovan
Philip Seymour Hoffman The Author's Voice Gene
Brian Murray Uncle Vanya Alexander Vladimirovich Serebryakov
Harris Yulin The Price Walter Franz
2001
Charles Brown King Hedley II Elmore
Oliver Ford Davies Richard II Duke of York
Aaron Himelstein The Dead Eye Boy Soren
Justin Kirk Ten Unknowns Judd Burgess
Maximilian Schell Judgment at Nuremberg Dr. Ernst Janning
Lewis J. Stadlen The Man Who Came to Dinner Banjo
2002
Frank Langella Fortune's Fool Flegont Alexandrovitch Tropatchov
Will LeBow Nocturne Father
Brian Murray The Crucible Deputy Governor Thomas Danforth
Keith Nobbs Four June
Sam Robards The Man Who Had All the Luck Gustav Eberson
David Warner Major Barbara Andrew Undershaft
2003
Denis O'Hare Take Me Out Mason Marzak
Simon Russell Beale Twelfth Night Malvolio
Walter Bobbie Polish Joke Various Characters
Philip Seymour Hoffman Long Day's Journey into Night James "Jamie", Jr.
T. R. Knight Scattergood Brendan Hillard
Frederick Weller Take Me Out Shane Mungitt
2004
Ned Beatty Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Big Daddy
Michael Berry Moby Dick Starbuck
André De Shields Prymate Graham
Aidan Gillen The Caretaker Mick
John Lithgow Mrs. Farnsworth Mr. Farnsworth
Corey Stoll Intimate Apparel Mr. Marks
2005
Michael Stuhlbarg The Pillowman Michal
Philip Bosco Twelve Angry Men Juror 3
Larry Bryggman Romance The Judge
Jeff Goldblum The Pillowman Tupolski
Josh Hamilton Hurlyburly Mickey
Paul Sparks Orange Flower Water Brad
2006
Samuel Barnett The History Boys David Posner
Devon Abner The Trip to Bountiful Ludie Watts
Dominic Cooper The History Boys Dakin
Jason Butler Harner The Paris Letter Young Anton / Burt Sarris
Stephen Campbell Moore The History Boys Irwin
David Pittu Celebration and The Room Mr. Sands / Waiter
2007
Boyd Gaines Journey's End Lieut. Osborne
Anthony Chisholm Radio Golf Elder Joseph Barlow
Billy Crudup The Coast of Utopia Vissarion Belinsky
John Ortiz Jack Goes Boating Clyde
Andrew Polk The Accomplices Samuel Merlin / John Pehle / Emanuel Celler
Fred Weller Some Men Various Characters
2008
Conleth Hill The Seafarer Ivan Curry
John Cullum The Conscientious Objector Lyndon B. Johnson
Francis Jue Yellow Face Various Characters
Arian Moayed Masked Na'im
Jeff Perry August: Osage County Bill Fordham
Michael T. Weiss Scarcity Herb
2009
Pablo Schreiber reasons to be pretty Kent
Brian d'Arcy James Port Authority Dermot
Jeremy Davidson Back Back Back Kent
Peter Friedman Body Awareness Frank
Ethan Hawke The Winter's Tale Autolycus
Jeremy Shamos Animals Out of Paper Andy

2010s

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Year Actor Play Character
2010
Santino Fontana Brighton Beach Memoirs Stanley Jerome
Chris Chalk Fences Corey
Sean Dugan Next Fall Brandon
Adam James The Pride The Man / Peter / The Doctor
Hamish Linklater Twelfth Night Sir Andrew Aguecheek
Nick Westrate The Boys in the Band Donald
2011
Brian Bedford The Importance of Being Earnest Lady Bracknell
Christian Borle Peter and the Starcatcher Black Stache
Boyd Gaines The Grand Manner Guthrie McClintic
Logan Marshall-Green The Hallway Trilogy Lloyd Boyd
Zachary Quinto Angels in America: Millennium Approaches Louis Ironson
Tom Riley Arcadia Septimus Hodge
Yul Vázquez The Motherf**ker with the Hat Cousin Julio
2012
Tom Edden One Man, Two Guvnors Alfie
Bill Camp Death of a Salesman Charley
Jim Dale The Road to Mecca Marius Byleveld
Bill Irwin King Lear Lear's Fool
Jefferson Mays Blood and Gifts Simon Craig
Will Rogers Unnatural Acts Joseph Lumbard
Morgan Spector Russian Transport Boris
2013
Richard Kind The Big Knife Marcus Hoff
Chuck Cooper The Piano Lesson Wining Boy
Peter Friedman The Great God Pan Doug
Aaron Clifton Moten The Flick Avery
Brían F. O'Byrne If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet George
Tony Shalhoub Golden Boy Mr. Bonaparte
2014
Reed Birney Casa Valentina Charlotte
Chuck Cooper Choir Boy Headmaster Marrow
Peter Maloney Outside Mullingar Tony Reilly
Bobby Moreno Year of the Rooster Odysseus Rex
Bill Pullman The Jacksonian Fred
Brian J. Smith The Glass Menagerie Jim O'Connor
2015
K. Todd Freeman Airline Highway Sissy Na Na
F. Murray Abraham It's Only a Play Ira Drew
Reed Birney You Got Older Father
Jonathan Hadary Rocket to the Moon Mr. Prince
Jason Butler Harner The Village Bike John
Jonathan Hogan Pocatello Cole
José Joaquín Pérez My Mañana Comes Jorge
2016
Michael Shannon Long Day's Journey into Night James Tyrone Jr.
Bill Camp The Crucible Reverend John Hale
David Furr Noises Off Gary Lejeune
Matt McGrath The Legend of Georgia McBride Tracy Mills
Richard Thomas Incident At Vichy Von Berg
2017
Danny DeVito The Price Gregory Solomon
Michael Aronov Oslo Uri Savir
Nathan Lane The Front Page Walter Burns
Jeremy Shamos If I Forget Michael Fischer
Justice Smith Yen Bobbie
2018
Nathan Lane Angels in America Roy Cohn
Anthony Boyle Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Scorpius Malfoy
Ben Edelman Admissions Charlie Luther Mason
Brian Tyree Henry Lobby Hero William
David Morse The Iceman Cometh Larry Slade
Gregg Mozgala Cost of Living John
2019
Tom Glynn-Carney The Ferryman Shane Corcoran
Charles Browning Fairview Dayton
Arnie Burton Lewiston/Clarkston Connor
Hampton Fluker Arthur Miller's All My Sons George Deever
Brandon Uranowitz Burn This Larry

2020s

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Year Actor Play Character
2020
Paul Hilton The Inheritance Morgan / Walter Poole
Victor Almanzar Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven Joey Fresco
Esteban Andres Cruz Venus Ramirez
David Alan Grier A Soldier's Play Sergeant Vernon C. Waters
Chris Perfetti Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Masha
2021 No awards: New York theatres shuttered, March 2020 to September 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City[1]
2022
Ron Cephas Jones Clyde's Montrellous
Joshua Boone Skeleton Crew Dez
Chuck Cooper Trouble in Mind Sheldon Forrester
Daniel K. Isaac The Chinese Lady Atung
Billy Eugene Jones On Sugarland Saul

Multiple Wins

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2 wins

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Evans, Greg (2021-05-05). "Broadway To Reopen Sept. 14, Says Gov. Andrew Cuomo; Broadway League "Cautiously Optimistic"". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 2023-06-02. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
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