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List of Asian Tony Award winners and nominees
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This is a list of Tony Award winners and nominees who are of Asian descent or native to an Asian country. As of the 75th Tony Awards, which were presented on June 12, 2022, there are 14 individual Asian Tony Award winners, including 13 competitive award winners. The first Asian to win a Tony Award was Willa Kim in 1981 when she won the Tony Award for Best Costume Design in a Musical for Sophisticated Ladies.
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Best Musical
More information Best Musical, Year ...
| Best Musical | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Recipient | Show | Status | Milestone / Notes | Ref(s) |
| 2011 | Yasuhiro Kawana | Catch Me If You Can | Nominated | (Shared with Margo Lion, Hal Luftig, Stacey Mindich, Scott & Brian Zeilinger, The Rialto Group, The Araca Group, Michael Watt, Barbara & Buddy Freitag, Jay & Cindy Gutterman/Pittsburgh CLO, Elizabeth Williams, Johnny Roscoe Productions/Van Dean, Fakston Productions/Solshay Productions, Patty Baker/Richard Winkler, Nederlander Presentations, Inc., Warren Trepp, Remmel T. Dickinson, Paula Herold/Kate Lear, Stephanie P. McClelland, Jamie deRoy, Barry Feirstein, Rainerio J. Reyes, Rodney Rigby, Loraine Boyle, Amuse Inc., Joseph & Matthew Deitch/Cathy Chernoff, Joan Stein/Jon Murray, and The 5th Avenue Theatre.) | |
| 2013 | Kinky Boots | Won | First Asian to win for Best Musical.
(Shared with Daryl Roth, Hal Luftig, James L. Nederlander, Terry Allen Kramer, Independent Presenters Network, CJ E&M, Jayne Baron Sherman, Just for Laughs Theatricals/Judith Ann Abrams, Jane Bergère, Allan S. Gordon & Adam S. Gordon, Ken Davenport, Hunter Arnold, Lucy & Phil Suarez, Bryan Bantry, Ron Fierstein & Dorsey Regal, Jim Kierstead/Gregory Rae, BB Group/Christina Papagjika, Michael DeSantis/Patrick Baugh, Brian Smith/Tom & Connie Walsh, Warren Trepp, and Jujamcyn Theaters.) |
[1] | |
| 2014 | Jhett Tolentino | A Gentlemen’s Guide to Love and Murder | Won | Second Asian to win for Best Musical.
(Shared with Joey Parnes, S.D. Wagner, John Johnson, 50 Church Street Productions, Joan Raffe, Jay Alix & Una Jackman, Catherine & Fred Adler, Rhoda Herrick, Kathleen K. Johnson, Megan Savage, ShadowCatcher Entertainment, Ron Simons, True Love Productions, Jamie deRoy, Four Ladies & One Gent, John Arthur Pinckard, Greg Nobile, Stewart Lane & Bonnie Comley, Exeter Capital/Ted Snowdon, Ryan Hugh Mackey, Cricket-CTM Media/Mano-Horn Productions, Dennis Grimaldi/Margot Astrachan, Hello Entertainment/Jamie Bendell, Michael T. Cohen/Joe Sirola, Joseph & Carson Gleberman/William Megevick, Green State Productions, The Hartford Stage, and The Old Globe.) |
[2] |
| 2017 | Raymond Poliquit | Dear Evan Hansen | Won | Third Asian to win for Best Musical. | [3] |
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Best Revival of a Musical
More information Best Revival of a Musical, Year ...
| Best Revival of a Musical | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Recipient | Show | Status | Milestone / Notes | Ref(s) |
| 2012 | Yasuhiro Kawana | Evita | Nominated | (Shared with Hal Luftig, Scott Sanders Productions, Roy Furman, Allan S. Gordon/Adam S. Gordon, James L. Nederlander, Terry Allen Kramer, Gutterman Fuld Chernoff/Pittsburgh CLO, Thousand Stars Productions, Adam Blanshay, Adam Zotovich, Robert Ahrens, Stephanie P. McClelland, Carole L. Haber, Richardo Hornos, Carol Fineman, Brian Smith, and Warren & Jâlé Trepp.) | |
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Best Direction of a Musical
More information Best Direction of a Musical, Year ...
| Best Direction of a Musical | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Recipient | Show | Status | Milestone / Notes | Ref(s) |
| 2009 | Diane Paulus | Hair | Nominated | — | |
| 2012 | The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess | Nominated | |||
| 2013 | Pippin | Won | First Asian to win for Best Direction of a Musical | ||
| 2020 | Jagged Little Pill | Nominated | |||
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Best Book of a Musical
More information Best Book of a Musical, Year ...
| Best Book of a Musical | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Recipient | Show | Status | Milestone / Notes | Ref(s) |
| 2003 | David Henry Hwang | Flower Drum Song | Nominated | — | |
| 2011 | Robert Lopez | The Book of Mormon | Won | First Asian to win for Best Book of a Musical.
First Asian to win a third Tony Award. Second Asian to win a second Tony Award. (Shared with Trey Parker and Matt Stone.) |
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| 2025 | Hue Park | Maybe Happy Ending | Won | (Shared with Will Aronson.) | |
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Best Original Score
More information Best Original Score, Year ...
| Best Original Score | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Recipient | Show | Status | Milestone / Notes | Ref(s) |
| 2004 | Robert Lopez | Avenue Q | Won | First Asian to win for Best Original Score.
(Shared with Jeff Marx.) |
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| 2011 | The Book of Mormon | Won | First Asian to win a third Tony Award.
Second Asian to win a second Tony Award. (Shared with Trey Parker and Matt Stone.) |
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| 2018 | Frozen | Nominated | (Shared with Kristen Anderson-Lopez.) | ||
| 2025 | Hue Park | Maybe Happy Ending | Won | (Shared with Will Aronson.) | |
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Best Orchestrations
More information Best Orchestrations, Year ...
| Best Orchestrations | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Recipient | Show | Status | Milestone / Notes | Ref(s) |
| 2018 | Jamshied Sharifi | The Band's Visit | Won | ||
| 2025 | Marco Paguia | Buena Vista Social Club | Won | — | |
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Best Choreography
More information Best Choreography, Year ...
| Best Choreography | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Recipient | Show | Status | Milestone / Notes | Ref(s) |
| 1989 | Kimi Okada | Largely New York | Nominated | (Shared with Bill Irwin.) | |
| 2004 | Farah Khan | Bombay Dreams | Nominated | (Shared with Anthony Van Laast.) | |
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Best Scenic Design in a Musical
More information Best Scenic Design in a Musical, Year ...
| Best Scenic Design in a Musical | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Recipient | Show | Status | Milestone / Notes | Ref(s) |
| 1970 | Ming Cho Lee | Billy | Nominated | — | |
| 2017 | Mimi Lien | Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet Of 1812 | Won | First Asian to win Best Scenic Design in a Musical. | |
| 2023 | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street | Nominated | |||
| 2024 | Takeshi Kata | Water for Elephants | Nominated | ||
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Best Costume Design in a Musical
More information Best Costume Design in a Musical, Year ...
| Best Costume Design in a Musical | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Recipient | Show | Status | Milestone / Notes | Ref(s) |
| 1975 | Willa Kim | Goodtime Charley | Nominated | — | [4] |
| 1978 | Dancin' | Nominated | — | ||
| 1981 | Sophisticated Ladies | Won | First Asian to win a Tony Award.
First Asian to win for Best Costume Design in a Musical. | ||
| 1986 | Song & Dance | Nominated | — | ||
| 1989 | Legs Diamond | Nominated | — | ||
| 1991 | The Will Rogers Follies | Won | First Asian to win a second Tony Award. | ||
| 2005 | Junko Kushino | Pacific Overtures | Nominated | ||
| 2012 | Eiko Ishioka | Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark | Nominated | ||
| 2014 | Linda Cho | A Gentlemen's Guide to Love and Murder | Won | Second Asian to win for Best Costume Design in a Musical. | |
| 2017 | Anastasia | Nominated | — | ||
| 2018 | Clint Ramos | Once on This Island | Nominated | ||
| 2023 | KPOP | Nominated | |||
| Sophia Choi | Nominated | ||||
| 2024 | Linda Cho | The Great Gatsby | Won | ||
| 2025 | Clint Ramos | Maybe Happy Ending | Nominated | ||
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Best Lighting Design in a Musical
More information Best Lighting Design in a Musical, Year ...
| Best Lighting Design in a Musical | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Recipient | Show | Status | Milestone / Notes | Ref(s) |
| 2023 | Lap Chi Chu | Lerner & Loewe's Camelot | Nominated | ||
| 2024 | Hana S. Kim | The Outsiders | Won | First Asian to win for Best Lighting Design of a Musical. | |
| David Bengali | Water for Elephants | Nominated | |||
| 2025 | Ruey Horng Sun | Floyd Collins | Nominated | ||
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Best Sound Design of a Musical
More information Best Sound Design of a Musical, Year ...
| Best Sound Design of a Musical | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Recipient | Show | Status | Milestone / Notes | Ref(s) |
| 2012 | Kai Harada | Follies | Nominated | ||
| 2018 | The Band's Visit | Won | First Asian to win for Best Sound Design of a Musical. | ||
| 2023 | New York, New York | Nominated | |||
| 2024 | Merrily We Roll Along | Nominated | |||
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Best Play
More information Best Play, Year ...
| Best Play | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Recipient | Show | Status | Milestone / Notes | Ref(s) |
| 1988 | David Henry Hwang | M. Butterfly | Won | First Asian to win for Best Play.
(Shared with Stuart Ostrow and David Geffen.) |
|
| 1998 | Golden Child | Nominated | (Shared with Benjamin Mordecai, Dori Berinstein, John Kao, Talia Shire, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, South coast Repertory, The Joseph Papp Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival, American Conservatory Theater.) | ||
| 2013 | Jhett Tolentino | Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike | Won | Second Asian to win for Best Play.
(Shared with Christopher Durang, Joey Parnes, Larry Hirschhorn, Joan Raffe, Martin Platt & David Elliott, Pat Flicker Addiss, Catherine Adler, John O'Boyle, Joshua Goodman, Jamie deRoy/Richard Winkler, Cricket Hooper Jiranek/Michael Palitz, Mark S. Golub & David S. Golub, Radio Mouse Entertainment, ShadowCatcher Entertainment, Mary Cossette/Barbara Manocherian, Megan Savage/Meredith Lynsey Schade, Hugh Hysell/Richard Jordan, Cheryl Wiesenfeld/Ron Simons, S.D. Wagner, John Johnson, McCarter Theatre Center, and Lincoln Center Theater.) |
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| 2015 | Hand to God | Nominated | (Shared with Robert Askins, Kevin McCollum, Broadway Global Ventures, CMC, Morris Berchard, Mariano V. Tolentino Jr., Stephanie Kramer, LAMS Productions, DeSimone/Winkler, Joan Raffe, Timothy Laczynski, Lily Fan, Ayal Miodovnik, Jam Theatricals, Ensemble Studio Theatre, and MCC Theater.) | ||
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Best Revival of a Play
More information Best Revival of a Play, Year ...
| Best Revival of a Play | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Recipient | Show | Status | Milestone / Notes | Ref(s) |
| 2014 | Jhett Tolentino | A Raisin in the Sun | Won | First Asian to win for Best Revival of a Play.
(Shared with Scott Rudin, Roger Berlind, Eli Bush, Jon B. Platt, Scott M. Delman, Roy Furman, Stephanie P. McClelland, Ruth Hendel, Sonia Friedman/Tulchin Bartner, The Araca Group, Heni Koenigsberg, Daryl Roth, Joan Raffe, Joey Parnes, S.D. Wagner, and John Johnson.) |
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| 2015 | This Is Our Youth | Nominated | (Shared with Scott Rudin, Eli Bush, Roger Berlind, William Berlind, Jon B. Platt, Roy Furman, The Shubert Organization, Ruth Hendel, Scott M. Delman, Stephanie P. McClelland, Sonia Friedman, Tulchin Bartner, The Araca Group, Heni Koenigsberg, Daryl Roth, Joan Raffe, Catherine & Fred Adler, Joey Parnes, Sue Wagner, John Johnson, and Steppenwolf Theatre Company.) | ||
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Best Direction of a Play
More information Best Direction of a Play, Year ...
| Best Direction of a Play | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Recipient | Show | Status | Milestone / Notes | Ref(s) |
| — | — | — | — | — | |
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Best Scenic Design in a Play
More information Best Scenic Design in a Play, Year ...
| Best Scenic Design in a Play | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Recipient | Show | Status | Milestone / Notes | Ref(s) |
| 1983 | Ming Cho Lee | K2 | Won | First Asian to win for Best Scenic Design in a Play. | |
| 2020 | Clint Ramos | Slave Play | Nominated | ||
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Best Costume Design in a Play
More information Best Costume Design in a Play, Year ...
| Best Costume Design in a Play | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Recipient | Show | Status | Milestone / Notes | Ref(s) |
| 2016 | Clint Ramos | Eclipsed | Won | First Asian to win for Best Costume Design of a Play. | |
| 2019 | Torch Song | Nominated | |||
| 2020 | The Rose Tattoo | Nominated | |||
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Best Lighting Design in a Play
More information Best Lighting Design in a Play, Year ...
| Best Lighting Design in a Play | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Recipient | Show | Status | Milestone / Notes | Ref(s) |
| 2020 | Jiyoun Chang | Slave Play | Nominated | ||
| 2022 | for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf | Nominated | — | ||
| Yi Zhao | The Skin of Our Teeth | Nominated | — | ||
| 2024 | Amith Chandrashaker | Prayer for the French Republic | Nominated | ||
| Jiyoun Chang | Stereophonic | Nominated | |||
| 2025 | David Bengali | Good Night, and Good Luck | Nominated | ||
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Best Sound Design of a Play
More information Best Sound Design of a Play, Year ...
| Best Sound Design of a Play | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Recipient | Show | Status | Milestone / Notes | Ref(s) |
| — | — | — | — | — | |
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Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play
More information Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play, Year ...
| Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Recipient | Show | Role | Status | Milestone / Notes | Ref(s) |
| 2025 | Daniel Dae Kim | Yellow Face | DHH | Nominated | First Asian to be nominated for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play | |
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Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
More information Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play, Year ...
| Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Recipient | Show | Role | Status | Milestone / Notes | Ref(s) |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | |
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Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
More information Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play, Year ...
| Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Recipient | Show | Role | Status | Milestone / Notes | Ref(s) |
| 1988 | BD Wong | M. Butterfly | Song Liling | Won | First Asian to win for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play. | |
| 2025 | Francis Jue | Yellow Face | HYH/Others | Won | ||
| 2025 | Conrad Ricamora | Oh, Mary! | Mary's Husband | Nominated | ||
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Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
More information Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play, Year ...
| Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Recipient | Show | Role | Status | Milestone / Notes | Ref(s) |
| 1998 | Julyana Soelistyo | Golden Child | Ma/Eng Ahn | Nominated | ||
| 2025 | Tala Ashe | English | Elham | Nominated | ||
| Marjan Neshat | Marjan | Nominated | ||||
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Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
More information Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical, Year ...
| Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Recipient | Show | Role | Status | Milestone / Notes | Ref(s) |
| 1996 | Lou Diamond Phillips | The King and I | King Mongkut of Siam | Nominated | — | [5] |
| 2015 | Ken Watanabe | The King and I | King Mongkut of Siam | Nominated | First Japanese actor to be nominated in this category. | [6] |
| 2025 | Darren Criss | Maybe Happy Ending | Oliver | Won | First Asian actor to win in this category | |
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Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
More information Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical, Year ...
| Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Recipient | Show | Role | Status | Milestone / Notes | Ref(s) |
| 1991 | Lea Salonga | Miss Saigon | Kim | Won | First Asian actress to win a Tony Award.
First Asian to win for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical. |
[7] |
| June Angela | Shōgun: The Musical | Lady Mariko | Nominated | — | ||
| 2016 | Phillipa Soo | Hamilton | Eliza Hamilton | Nominated | — | |
| 2017 | Eva Noblezada | Miss Saigon | Kim | Nominated | — | |
| 2019 | Hadestown | Eurydice | Nominated | — | ||
| 2025 | Nicole Scherzinger | Sunset Boulevard | Norma Desmond | Won | ||
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Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
More information Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical, Year ...
| Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Recipient | Show | Role | Status | Milestone / Notes | Ref(s) |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | |
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Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
More information Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical, Year ...
| Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Recipient | Show | Role | Status | Milestone / Notes | Ref(s) |
| 1996 | Joohee Choi | The King and I | Tuptim | Nominated | ||
| 2008 | Loretta Ables Sayre | South Pacific | Bloody Mary | Nominated | ||
| 2015 | Ruthie Ann Miles | The King and I | Lady Thiang | Won | First Asian to win for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical.
Second Asian actress to win a Tony Award. |
[8] |
| 2018 | Ashley Park | Mean Girls | Gretchen Wieners | Nominated | ||
| 2023 | Ruthie Ann Miles | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street | The Beggar Woman | Nominated | ||
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Special awards
Special Tony Award / Lifetime Achievement Award
More information Special Tony Award / Lifetime Achievement Award, Year ...
| Special Tony Award / Lifetime Achievement Award | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Recipient | Status | Ref(s) |
| 2013 | Ming Cho Lee | Honoree | |
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Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre
More information Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre, Year ...
| Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Recipient | Status | Ref(s) |
| 2022 | Asian American Performers Action Coalition | Honoree | |
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Isabelle Stevenson Award
More information Isabelle Stevenson Award, Year ...
| Isabelle Stevenson Award | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Recipient | Status | Ref(s) |
| 2017 | Baayork Lee | Honoree | |
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References
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