Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress

The Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress, also known as the Natasha Richardson Award for Best Actress since 2009, is an annual award presented by the Evening Standard in recognition of achievement in British theatre.

Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress
Awarded for	Best Actress
Location	United Kingdom
Presented by	Evening Standard
Currently held by	Patsy Ferran and Anjana Vasan for A Streetcar Named Desire (2023)

Winners and nominees

1950s

Year	Actor	Work	Character
1955
	Siobhán McKenna	Saint Joan	Joan of Arc
1956
	Peggy Ashcroft	The Chalk Garden	Miss Madrigal
1957
	Brenda de Banzie	The Entertainer	Phoebe Rice
1958
	Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies	Long Day's Journey into Night	Mary Tyrone
1959
	Flora Robson	The Aspern Papers	Miss Tina

1960s

Year	Actor	Work	Character
1960
	Dorothy Tutin	Twelfth Night	Viola
1961
	Vanessa Redgrave	As You Like It	Rosalind
1962
	Maggie Smith	The Private Ear and The Public Eye	Doreen / Belinda
1963
	Joan Plowright	Saint Joan	Joan of Arc
1964
	Peggy Ashcroft	The Wars of the Roses	Margaret of Anjou
1965
	Eileen Atkins	The Killing of Sister George	Alice "Childie" McNaught
1966
	Irene Worth	A Song at Twilight	Hilde Latymer
1967
	Lila Kedrova	The Cherry Orchard	Madame Ranevskaya
1968
	Jill Bennett	Time Present	Pamela
1969
	Rosemary Harris	Plaza Suite	Karen Nash / Muriel Tate / Norma Hubley

1970s

Year	Actor	Work	Character
1970
	Maggie Smith	Hedda Gabler	Hedda Tesman
1971
	Peggy Ashcroft	The Loves of Viorne	Claire Lannes
1972
	Rachel Roberts	Alpha Beta	Nora Elliot
1973
	Janet Suzman	Hello and Goodbye	Hester
1974
	Claire Bloom	A Streetcar Named Desire	Blanche DuBois
1975
	Dorothy Tutin	A Month in the Country	Natalya Petrovna
1976
	Janet Suzman	Three Sisters	Masha
1977
	Alison Steadman	Abigail's Party	Beverly Moss
1978
	Kate Nelligan	Plenty	Susan
1979
	Vanessa Redgrave	The Lady from the Sea	Bolette

1980s

Year	Actor	Work	Character
1980
	Judi Dench	Juno and the Paycock	Juno Boyle
	Frances de la Tour	Duet for One	Stephanie
1981
	Maggie Smith	Virginia	Virginia Woolf
1982
	Judi Dench	The Importance of Being Earnest and A Kind of Alaska	Lady Bracknell / Deborah
1983
	Geraldine McEwan	The Rivals	Mrs Malaprop
1984
	Maggie Smith	The Way of the World	Millamant
1985
	Vanessa Redgrave	The Seagull	Arkadina
1986
	Julia McKenzie	Woman in Mind	Susan
1987
	Judi Dench	Antony and Cleopatra	Cleopatra
1988
	Lindsay Duncan	Cat on a Hot Tin Roof	Margaret
1989
	Felicity Kendal	Ivanov and Much Ado About Nothing	Anna / Beatrice

1990s

Year	Actor	Work	Character
1990
	Josette Simon	After the Fall	Maggie
1991
	Vanessa Redgrave	When She Danced	Isadora Duncan
1992
	Diana Rigg	Medea	Medea
1993
	Fiona Shaw	Machinal	Young Woman
1994
	Maggie Smith	Three Tall Women	A
1995
	Geraldine McEwan	The Way of the World	Lady Wishfort
1996
	Diana Rigg	Mother Courage and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?	Mother Courage / Martha
1997
	Eileen Atkins	A Delicate Balance	Agnes
1998
	Sinéad Cusack	Our Lady of Sligo	Mai O'Hara
1999
	Janie Dee	Comic Potential	Jacie Triplethree

2000s

Year	Actor	Work	Character
2000
	Paola Dionisotti	Further than the Furthest Thing	Mill Lavarello
2001 [1]
	Fiona Shaw	Medea	Medea
	Lindsay Duncan	Mouth To Mouth and Private Lives	Laura / Amanda Prynne
	Penelope Wilton	The Little Foxes	Regina
2002 [2]
	Clare Higgins	Vincent In Brixton	Ursula Loyer
	Helen McCrory	Uncle Vanya	Yelena
	Gwyneth Paltrow	Proof	Catherine
2003 [3]
	Sandy McDade	Iron	Fay
	Eileen Atkins	Honour	Honor
	Anne Mitchell	Through the Leaves	Martha
2004 [4][5]
	Victoria Hamilton	Suddenly Last Summer	Catharine
	Pam Ferris	Notes on Falling Leaves	Woman
	Kelly Reilly	After Miss Julie	Miss Julie
2005 [6][7]
	Harriet Walter	Mary Stuart	Elizabeth I
	Eve Best	Hedda Gabler	Hedda Tesman
	Clare Higgins	Death Of A Salesman	Linda Loman
	Kristin Scott Thomas	As You Desire Me	Elma
2006 [8][9]
	Kathleen Turner	Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?	Martha
	Sinéad Cusack	Rock ‘n’ Roll	Eleanor / Esme
	Frances O'Connor	Tom & Viv	Vivienne Haigh-Wood
2007 [10][11]
	Anne-Marie Duff	Saint Joan	Joan of Arc
	Billie Piper	Treats	Ann
	Portia	The Member Of The Wedding	Berenice Sadie Brown
	Penelope Wilton	John Gabriel Borkman	Ella Rentheim
2008 [12][13]
	Margaret Tyzack	The Chalk Garden	Mrs St Maugham
	Penelope Wilton		Miss Madrigal
	Lesley Sharp	Harper Regan	Harper Regan
2009 [14][15]
	Rachel Weisz	A Streetcar Named Desire	Blanche DuBois
	Deanna Dunagan	August: Osage County	Violet Weston
	Penny Downie	Helen	Helen
	Juliet Stevenson	Duet for One	Stephanie Abrahams

2010s

Year	Actor	Work	Character
2010 [16][17]
	Nancy Carroll	After The Dance	Joan
	Elena Roger	Passion	Fosca
	Sheridan Smith	Legally Blonde	Elle Woods
	Sophie Thompson	Clybourne Park	Bev
2011 [18][19]
	Sheridan Smith	Flare Path	Doris, Countess Skriczevinsky
	Samantha Spiro	Chicken Soup with Barley	Sarah
	Kristin Scott Thomas	Betrayal	Emma
2012 [20][21]
	Hattie Morahan	A Doll’s House	Nora Helmer
	Eileen Atkins	All That Fall	Mrs. Rooney
	Cate Blanchett	Big and Small	Lotte Kotte
	Laurie Metcalf	Long Days Journey Into Night	Mary Tyrone
2013 [22]
	Helen Mirren	The Audience	Queen Elizabeth II
	Linda Bassett	Roots	Beatie Bryant
	Lesley Manville	Ghosts	Mrs. Helene Alving
	Billie Piper	The Effect	Connie
	Kristin Scott Thomas	Old Times	Kate / Anna
2014 [23][24]
	Gillian Anderson	A Streetcar Named Desire	Blanche DuBois
	Helen McCrory	Medea	Medea
	Tanya Moodie	Intimate Apparel	Esther
	Billie Piper	Great Britain	Paige Britain
	Kristin Scott Thomas	Electra	Electra
2015 [25][26]
	Nicole Kidman	Photograph 51	Rosalind Franklin
	Denise Gough	People, Places and Things	Emma
	Gugu Mbatha-Raw	Nell Gwynn	Nell Gwyn
	Lia Williams	Oresteia	Clytemnestra
2016 [27][28]
	Billie Piper	Yerma	Yerma
	Noma Dumezweni	Linda	Linda Wilde
	Helen McCrory	The Deep Blue Sea	Hester Collyer
	Sophie Melville	Iphigenia In Splott	Effie
2017 [29][30]
	Glenda Jackson	King Lear	King Lear
	Laura Donnelly	The Ferryman	Caitlin Carney
	Victoria Hamilton	Albion	Audrey
2018 [31][32]
	Sophie Okonedo	Antony and Cleopatra	Cleopatra
	Laura Linney	My Name Is Lucy Barton	Lucy Barton
	Carey Mulligan	Girls and Boys	N/A
	Cecilia Noble	Nine Night	Aunt Maggie
	Lia Williams	The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie	Jean Brodie
2019 [33][34]
	Maggie Smith	A German Life	Brunhilde Pomsel
	Hayley Atwell	Rosmersholm	Rebecca West
	Cecilia Noble	Downstate and Faith, Hope and Charity	Ivy / Hazel
	Juliet Stevenson	The Doctor	The Doctor
	Anjana Vasan	A Doll’s House	Nora Helmer

2020s

Year	Actor	Work	Character
2022 [35]
	Jodie Comer	Prima Facie	Tessa Ensler
	Samira Wiley	Blues for an Alabama Sky	Angel
	Indira Varma	The Seagull	Irina Arkadina
	Ronke Adekoluejo	Blues for an Alabama Sky	Delia
	Sheila Atim	Constellations	Marianne
2023 [36]
	Patsy Ferran	A Streetcar Named Desire	Blanche DuBois
	Anjana Vasan	A Streetcar Named Desire	Stella Kowalski
	Sophie Okonedo	Medea	Medea
	Rachael Stirling	Private Lives	Amanda Prynne

Multiple awards and nominations

Awards

Six awards

• Maggie Smith

Four awards

• Vanessa Redgrave

Three awards

• Peggy Ashcroft
• Judi Dench

Two awards

• Eileen Atkins
• Geraldine McEwan
• Diana Rigg
• Fiona Shaw
• Janet Suzman
• Dorothy Tutin

Nominations

Four nominations

• Billie Piper
• Kristin Scott Thomas

Three nominations

• Helen McCrory
• Penelope Wilton

Two nominations

• Sinéad Cusack
• Victoria Hamilton
• Clare Higgins
• Cecilia Noble
• Sophie Okonedo
• Sheridan Smith
• Juliet Stevenson
• Anjana Vasan
• Lia Williams

See also

• Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress
• Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Actress
• Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play