35th Tony Awards


The 35th Annual Tony Awards was broadcast by CBS television on June 7, 1981, from the Mark Hellinger Theatre. The hosts were Ellen Burstyn and Richard Chamberlain. The theme was "Women's Achievements in the Theatre."

The ceremony

Presenters: Jane Alexander, Lucie Arnaz, Beatrice Arthur, Lauren Bacall, Zoe Caldwell, Diahann Carroll, Nell Carter, Colleen Dewhurst, José Ferrer, Phyllis Frelich, Julie Harris, Helen Hayes, Celeste Holm, Lena Horne, Judith Jamison, Marjorie Bradley Kellogg, Angela Lansbury, Jane Lapotaire, Michael Learned, Priscilla Lopez, Patti LuPone, Andrea McArdle, Carolyn Mignini, Ann Miller, Tharon Musser, Patricia Neal, Carole Bayer Sager, Ntozake Shange, Meryl Streep, Elizabeth Taylor, Lynne Thigpen, Mary Catherine Wright, Patricia Zipprodt.
Performers: Richard Chamberlain, José Ferrer, Robert Goulet, Robert Klein, Jack Klugman, Peter Nero, Tony Randall, Christopher Reeve, Jason Robards, Tony Roberts, Richard Thomas, Ben Vereen, Billy Dee Williams.
Musicals represented:
Winners are in bold
Best PlayBest Musical

  • 42nd Street
  • * Sophisticated Ladies
  • * Tintypes
  • * Woman of the Year
    • Best RevivalBest Book of a Musical
  • The Pirates of Penzance
  • * Brigadoon
  • * Camelot
  • * The Little Foxes
  • Peter Stone – Woman of the Year
  • * Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble – 42nd Street
  • * Monty Norman and Julian More – The Moony Shapiro Songbook
  • * Mary Kyte – Tintypes
    • Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a PlayBest Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
  • Ian McKellen – Amadeus as Antonio Salieri
  • * Tim Curry – Amadeus as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
  • * Roy Dotrice – A Life as Drumm
  • * Jack Weston – The Floating Light Bulb as Jerry Wexler
  • Jane Lapotaire – Piaf as Edith Piaf
  • * Glenda Jackson – Rose as Rose
  • * Eva Le Gallienne – To Grandmother's House We Go as Grandie
  • * Elizabeth Taylor – The Little Foxes as Regina Giddens
    • Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a MusicalBest Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
  • Kevin Kline – The Pirates of Penzance as The Pirate King
  • * Gregory Hines – Sophisticated Ladies as Performer
  • * George Rose – The Pirates of Penzance as Major-General
  • * Martin Vidnovic – Brigadoon as Tommy Albright
  • Lauren Bacall – Woman of the Year as Tess Harding
  • * Meg Bussert – Brigadoon as Fiona MacLaren
  • * Chita Rivera – Bring Back Birdie as Rosie Alvarez
  • * Linda Ronstadt – The Pirates of Penzance as Mabel
    • Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a PlayBest Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
  • Brian Backer – The Floating Light Bulb as Paul Pollack
  • * Tom Aldredge – The Little Foxes as Horace Giddens
  • * Adam Redfield – A Life as Desmond
  • * Shepperd Strudwick – To Grandmother's House We Go as Jared
  • Swoosie Kurtz – Fifth of July as Gwen Landis
  • * Maureen Stapleton – The Little Foxes as Birdie Hubbard
  • * Jessica Tandy – Rose as Mother
  • * Zoë Wanamaker – Piaf as Toine
    • Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a MusicalBest Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
  • Hinton Battle – Sophisticated Ladies as Various Characters
  • * Tony Azito – The Pirates of Penzance as Sergeant of Police
  • * Lee Roy Reams – 42nd Street as Billy Lawlor
  • * Paxton Whitehead – Camelot as King Pellinore
  • Marilyn Cooper – Woman of the Year as Jan Donovan
  • * Phyllis Hyman – Sophisticated Ladies as Various Characters
  • * Wanda Richert – 42nd Street as Peggy Sawyer
  • * Lynne Thigpen – Tintypes as Sussanah
    • Best Original Score Written for the TheatreBest Choreography
  • Woman of the Year – John Kander and Fred Ebb
  • * Charlie and Algernon – Charles Strouse and David Rogers
  • * Copperfield – Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn
  • * Shakespeare's Cabaret – Lance Mulcahy
  • Gower Champion – 42nd Street
  • * Graciela Daniele – The Pirates of Penzance
  • * Henry LeTang, Donald McKayle, and Michael Smuin – Sophisticated Ladies
  • * Roland Petit – Can-Can
    • Best Direction of a PlayBest Direction of a Musical
  • Peter Hall – Amadeus
  • * Peter Coe – A Life
  • * Marshall W. Mason – Fifth of July
  • * Austin Pendleton – The Little Foxes
  • Wilford Leach – The Pirates of Penzance
  • * Gower Champion – 42nd Street
  • * Robert Moore – Woman of the Year
  • * Michael Smuin – Sophisticated Ladies
    • Best Scenic DesignBest Costume Design
  • John Bury – Amadeus
  • * John Lee Beatty – Fifth of July
  • * Santo Loquasto – The Suicide
  • * David Mitchell – Can-Can
  • Willa Kim – Sophisticated Ladies
  • * Theoni V. Aldredge – 42nd Street
  • * John Bury – Amadeus
  • * Franca Squarciapino – Can-Can
    • Best Lighting Design-
  • John Bury – Amadeus
  • * Tharon Musser – 42nd Street
  • * Dennis Parichy – Fifth of July
  • * Jennifer Tipton – Sophisticated Ladies
    		• -

    Special awards

  • Lena Horne for
  • Regional Theatre Award: Trinity Square Repertory Company, Providence, Rhode Island

    Multiple nominations and awards

    • These productions had multiple nominations:
    The following productions received multiple awards.