Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role

The Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role was an annual award presented by the Society of London Theatre in recognition of achievements in commercial London theatre. The awards 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.

Laurence Olivier Award
for Best Performance in a Supporting Role
Awarded forBest Performance in a Supporting Role
LocationEngland
Presented bySociety of London Theatre
First awarded1985
Last awarded2012
Websiteofficiallondontheatre.com/olivier-awards/ Edit this at Wikidata

This commingled actor/actress award was introduced in 1985, merging the preceding awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and Best Actress in a Supporting Role. However, this comingled award was suspended after its presentation in 1990; from 1991 to 2012, the supporting category vacillated at random between the commingled award (presented for 12 different seasons) and the original split pair of awards (presented for the other 11 seasons). The comingled Best Performance in a Supporting Role was last presented in 2012, and fully retired thereafter.

On the 16 occasions that this commingled award was given, it was presented six times to an actress and ten times to an actor.

Winners and nominees

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1980s

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Year Actor Play Character
1985
Imelda Staunton A Chorus of Disapproval and The Corn is Green Hannah Llewellyn / Bessie Watty
Maria Aitken Waste Frances Trebell
Patricia Routledge Richard III Queen Margaret
Zoë Wanamaker Mother Courage and Her Children Mother Courage
1986
Paul Jesson The Normal Heart Felix
Janet Dale The Merry Wives of Windsor and Othello Mistress Page / Emilia
Nicky Henson As You Like It and The Merry Wives of Windsor Touchstone / Ford
Fiona Shaw As You Like It and Mephisto Celia / Erika Bruckner
1987
Michael Bryant King Lear and Antony and Cleopatra The Fool / Enobarbus
Robin Bailey Fathers and Sons Vassily Ivanyich Bazarov
Diane Bull Tons of Money Louise Allington
Sheila Reid When I was a Girl I Used to Scream and Shout Morag
1988
Eileen Atkins Cymbeline, The Winter's Tale and Mountain Language Queen / Paulina / Elderly Woman
Rudi Davies A Touch of the Poet Sara Melody
Serena Evans Henceforward... Zoe
Tony Haygarth The Tempest Trinculo
1989/90
Michael Bryant Hamlet, The Voysey Inheritance and Racing Demon Polonius / Peacey / Rev. Harry Henderson
Linda Kerr Scott Ghetto Djigan
Simon Russell Beale The Man of Mode, Restoration, Playing with Trains and Some Americans Abroad Sir Fopling Flutter / Lord Are / Danny / Henry McNeil
Zoë Wanamaker Othello Emilia

1990s

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Year Actor Play Character
1996
Simon Russell Beale Volpone Mosca
Ben Chaplin The Glass Menagerie Tom Wingfield
Geraldine McEwan The Way of the World Lady Wishfort
Claire Skinner The Glass Menagerie Laura Wingfield
1998
Sarah Woodward Tom & Clem Kitty
Michael Bryant King Lear Lear's Fool
Ronald Pickup Amy's View Frank Oddie
Paul Rhys King Lear Edgar
1999
Brendan Coyle The Weir Brendan
Emma Fielding The School for Scandal Lady Teazle
Adam Godley Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle and Dick Kenneth
Michael Sheen Amadeus Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

2000s

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Year Actor Play Character
2003
Essie Davis A Streetcar Named Desire Stella Kowalski
Jessica Hynes The Night Heron Bolla
Mark Strong Twelfth Night Orsino
Sian Thomas Up for Grabs Dawn
2004
Warren Mitchell The Price Gregory Solomon
Joe Dixon The Roman Actor Paris
Oliver Ford Davies Absolutely! (Perhaps) Laudisi
Paul Hilton Mourning Becomes Electra Orin
2005
Amanda Harris Othello Emilia
Samuel Barnett The History Boys Posner
Judi Dench All's Well that Ends Well Countess Rossillion
Eddie Redmayne The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? Billy
2006
Noma Dumezweni A Raisin in the Sun Ruth Younger
David Bradley Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2 Henry IV of England
Benedict Cumberbatch Hedda Gabler George Tesman
Anne Reid Epitaph for George Dillon Kate Elliot
Paul Ritter Coram Boy Otis Gardiner
2007
Jim Norton The Seafarer Richard Harkin
Samantha Bond Donkeys' Years Rosemary
Deborah Findlay The Cut Susan
Mark Hadfield Thérèse Raquin Grivet
Colm Meaney A Moon for the Misbegotten Phil
2008
Rory Kinnear The Man of Mode Fopling Fluter
Michelle Fairley Othello Emilia
Pam Ferris The Entertainer Phoebe Rice
Conleth Hill Philistines Teterev
2009
Patrick Stewart Hamlet Claudius / Ghost
Oliver Ford Davies Hamlet Polonius
Kevin McNally Ivanov Lebedev
Paul Ritter The Norman Conquests Reg

2010s

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Year Actor Play Character
2012
Sheridan Smith Flare Path Doris, Countess Skriczevinsky
Mark Addy Collaborators Vladimir
Oliver Chris One Man, Two Guvnors Stanley Stubbers
Johnny Flynn Jerusalem Lee
Bryony Hannah The Children's Hour Mary Tilford

See also

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References

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  • London Theatre Guide (2008). "The Laurence Olivier Awards: Full List of Winners, 1976-2008" (.PDF). 1976-2008. The Society of London Theatre. p. 20. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
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