The Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role is an annual award presented by the Society of London Theatre in recognition of the "world-class status of London theatre." The Oliviers were established as the Society of West End Theatre Awards in 1976, and renamed in 1984 in honour of English actor and director Laurence Olivier.
This award was first given in 1977, then was replaced in 1985 by the commingled actor/actress Best Performance in a Supporting Role, which replaced the 1977 to 1984 pair of Best Actress in a Supporting Role and Best Actor in a Supporting Role awards.
From 1991 to 2012, the general supporting category vacillated at random between the commingled singular award (presented for 12 different seasons) and the pair of awards (presented for the other 11 seasons); the commingled award was last given in 2012, and the split pair of Best Actor and Best Actress awards have been presented every year since.
Angela Lansbury is the oldest recipient of this award when she won at the age of 89 for her role as Madame Arcati in the revival of Noël Coward's comedy play Blithe Spirit in 2015. The following year Judi Dench won at the age of the age of 81 for her role as Paulina in the William Shakespeare revival The Winter's Tale in 2016. Romola Garai was nominated twice the same year in the same category for her roles as Annie in The Years and Jessica Stone in Giant winning for the former at the 2025 Laurence Olivier Awards.
Winners and nominees
1970s Year Actress Play Character 1977 Mona Washbourne Stevie Aunt Constance Chapman Just Between Ourselves Marjorie Anna Manahan The Plough and the Stars Bessie Elizabeth Spriggs Volpone Lady Would-Be 1978 Elizabeth Spriggs Love Letters on Blue Paper Sonia Marsden Brenda Bruce The Lady's Not for Burning Alizon Eliot Susan Fleetwood The Woman Ismene Patricia Hayes Filumena Rosalia 1979 Doreen Mantle Death of a Salesman Linda Carmen du Sautoy Once in a Lifetime Miss Leighton Alison Fiske For Services Rendered Evie Patricia Routledge And a Nightingale Sang Peggy Stott
1980s Year Actress Play Character 1980 Suzanne Bertish The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby Fanny Squeers Lynn Dearth The Greeks Electra Prunella Scales Make and Break Mrs. Rogers Susan Tracy Three Sisters Natalya Ivanova 1981 Gwen Watford Present Laughter Monica Reed Brenda Bruce Romeo and Juliet Nurse Sinéad Cusack As You Like It Celia Gwen Taylor Hamlet Gertrude 1982 Anna Massey The Importance of Being Earnest Miss Prism Nicola Blackman Destry Rides Again Clara Sheila Hancock The Winter's Tale Paulina Carole Hayman Top Girls Dull Gret 1983 Abigail McKern As You Like It Celia Kate Buffery Daisy Pulls It Off Clare Beaumont Sylvia Coleridge Clay Em Barbara Leigh-Hunt Pack of Lies Helen Kroger 1984 Marcia Warren Stepping Out Vera Clare Higgins A Streetcar Named Desire Stella Kowalski Sophie MgCina Poppie Nongena Poppie's Mother Zoë Wanamaker The Time of Your Life Kitty Duval
1990s
Year Actress Play Character 1991 Sara Crowe Private Lives Sybil Maria Miles The Wild Duck Hedvig Anita Reeves Dancing at Lughnasa Maggie Zoë Wanamaker The Crucible Elizabeth Proctor 1992 Frances de la Tour When She Danced Miss Belzer Eileen Atkins The Night of the Iguana Hannah Clare Higgins Amalia Jovine Lesley Sharp Uncle Vanya Sonya 1993 Barbara Leigh-Hunt An Inspector Calls Sybil Birling Annette Badland The Rise and Fall of Little Voice Sadie Elizabeth Bradley Billy Liar Florence Boothroyd Rosemary Harris Lost in Yonkers Grandma Kurnitz 1994 Helen Burns The Last Yankee Karen Frick Rosemary Leach Separate Tables Mrs Railton-Bell Sandy McDade The Life of Stuff Janice Sophie Thompson Wildest Dreams Marcie Banks 1995 Dora Bryan The Birthday Party Meg Samantha Bond Le Cid Infanta Brid Brennan Rutherford and Son Janet Kathryn Hunter Pericles, Prince of Tyre Master of Play 1997 Deborah Findlay Stanley Hilda Frances Barber Uncle Vanya Sonya Anna Chancellor Stanley Patricia Clare Holman Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Honey
2000s Year Actress Play Character 2000 Patricia Hodge Money Lady Franklin Anne-Marie Duff Collected Stories Lisa Estelle Kohler The Winter's Tale Paulina Kika Markham A Song at Twilight Hilde 2001 Pauline Flanagan Dolly West's Kitchen Rima West Gillian Barge Passion Play Agnes Catherine McCormack All My Sons Ann Marcia Warren In Flame Annie / Gramma 2002 Marcia Warren Humble Boy Mercy Lott Brid Brennan The Little Foxes Birdie Emma Fielding Private Lives Sibyl Lyndsey Marshal Boston Marriage Catherine
2010s
Year Actress Play Character 2010 Ruth Wilson A Streetcar Named Desire Stella Kowalski Hayley Atwell A View from the Bridge Catherine Carbone Michelle Dockery Burnt by the Sun Maroussia Alexandra Gilbreath Twelfth Night Olivia Keira Knightley The Misanthrope Jennifer / Célimène Rachael Stirling The Priory Rebecca 2011 Michelle Terry Tribes Sylvia Sarah Goldberg Clybourne Park Betsy / Lindsey Anastasia Hille The Master Builder Aline Solness Gina McKee King Lear Goneril Rachael Stirling An Ideal Husband Lady Chiltern 2013 Nicola Walker The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Judy Janie Dee NSFW Miranda Anastasia Hille The Effect Dr. Lorna Cush Jumbo Julius Caesar Mark Antony Helen McCrory The Last of the Haussmans Libby 2014 Sharon D. Clarke The Amen Corner Odessa Sarah Greene The Cripple of Inishmaan Slippy Helen Katherine Kingsley A Midsummer Night's Dream Helena Cecilia Noble The Amen Corner Sister Moore 2015 Angela Lansbury Blithe Spirit Madame Arcati Jamie Adler, Zoe Brough, Perdita Hibbins and Isabella Pappas The Nether Iris Phoebe Fox A View from the Bridge Catherine Carbone Lydia Wilson King Charles III Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge 2016 Judi Dench The Winter's Tale Paulina Michele Dotrice Nell Gwynn Nancy Melody Grove Farinelli and the King Isabella Farnese Catherine Steadman Oppenheimer Jean Tatlock 2017 Noma Dumezweni Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Hermione Granger Melissa Allan, Caroline Deyga, Kirsty Findlay, Karen Fishwick, Kirsty MacLaren, Frances Mayli McCann, Joanne McGuinness and Dawn Sievewright Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour Various Characters Clare Foster Travesties Cecily Carruthers Kate O'Flynn The Glass Menagerie Laura Wingfield2018Denise GoughAngels in AmericaHarper PittBríd BrennanThe FerrymanAunt Maggie Far AwayDearbhla MolloyAunt PatImogen PootsWho's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?Honey2019Monica DolanAll About EveKaren RichardsSusan BrownHome, I'm DarlingSylviaCecilia NobleNine NightAunt MaggieVanessa RedgraveThe InheritanceMargaret
2020s
Year Actress Play Character2020 Indira Varma Present Laughter Liz Essendine Michele Austin Cyrano de Bergerac Leila Ragueneau Sophie Thompson Present Laughter Monica Reed Josie Walker The Ocean at the End of the Lane Old Mrs Hempstock 2021 Not presented due to extended closing of theatre productions during COVID-19 pandemic2022Liz CarrThe Normal HeartDr. Emma BrooknerTori BurgessPride and Prejudice* (*sort of)Lydia BennetChristina GordonJane BennetAkiya HenryThe Tragedy of MacbethLady Macduff2023 Anjana Vasan A Streetcar Named Desire Stella Kowalski Rose Ayling-Ellis As You Like It Celia Pamela Nomvete To Kill a Mockingbird Calpurnia Caroline Quentin Jack Absolute Flies Again Mrs Malaprop Sharon Small Good Helen2024 Haydn Gwynne When Winston Went to War with the Wireless Stanley Baldwin Lorraine Ashbourne Till the Stars Come Down Aunty Carol Priyanga Burford An Enemy of the People Aslaksen Gina McKeeDear England Pippa Grange Tanya Reynolds A Mirror Mei 2025 Romola Garai The Years Annie Sharon D. Clarke The Importance of Being Earnest Lady Bracknell Romola Garai Giant Jessie Stone Gina McKee The Years Annie 2026 Julie Hesmondhalgh Punch Joan Isis HainsworthArcadiaThomasina CoverlyLucy KarczewskiStereophonicDianaHayley SquiresAll My SonsAnn DeeverSophie ThompsonWhen We Are MarriedAnnie Parker
Multiple awards and nominations for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Awards 2 Awards Marcia Warren
Nominations 3 Nominations Marcia Warren Bríd Brennan Gina McKee Sophie Thompson
2 Nominations Elizabeth Spriggs Barbara Leigh-Hunt Romola Garai Sharon D. Clarke Brenda Bruce Zoë Wanamaker Clare Higgins Rachael Stirling
See also Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Actress Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress Lists of acting awards List of awards for supporting actor Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play
References
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