Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play

The Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play was an annual award given to the best featured actor in a non-musical play on Broadway or Off-Broadway, as determined by Outer Critics Circle. The award was established in 1997 as "Best Featured Actor in a Musical," before formally changing to "Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play" in 1999.

The award was retired in 2022 and replaced by Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Play and Outstanding Featured Performer in an Off-Broadway Play in gender-neutral performance categories.

James Earl Jones is the only performer to win the award twice, from two nominations. Other performers who received two nominations include Daniel Gerroll, Larry Bryggman, David Pittu, Jim Norton, John Benjamin Hickey, Alessandro Nivola and Nathan Lane.

Awards winners

Key

1990s

Year	Actor	Work	Role
1997
	Terry Beaver	*The Last Night of Ballyhoo*	Adolph Freitag
	Edward Herrmann	Psychopathia Sexualis	Dr. Block
	Brian Kerwin	The Little Foxes	Oscar Hubbard
	Brian Murray	The Little Foxes	Benjamin Hubbard
1998
	Robert Hogan	*Never the Sinner*	Darrow
	Adam Alexi-Malle	Goose Pimples	Muhammad
	Tom Murphy	The Beauty Queen of Leenane	Ray Dooley
	Harris Yulin	The Diary of Anne Frank	Mr. Van Daan
1999
	Kevin Anderson	*Death of a Salesman*	Biff Loman
	Tate Donovan	Amy's View	Dominic Tyghe
	Michael Emerson	The Iceman Cometh	Willie Oban
	Tim Pigott-Smith	The Iceman Cometh	Larry Slade

2000s

Year	Actor	Work	Role
2000
	Roy Dotrice	*A Moon for the Misbegotten*	Phil Hogan
	Bob Dishy	The Price	Gregory Solomon
	Daniel Gerroll	An Experiment with an Air Pump	Joseph Fenwick
	Simon Jones	Waiting in the Wings	Perry Lascoe
2001
	Robert Sean Leonard	*The Invention of Love*	Freddy Malins
	Larry Bryggman	Proof	Younger Housman
	Charles Durning	The Best Man	Art Hockstader
	Justin Kirk	Ten Unknowns	Judd Sturgess
2002
	Frank Langella	*Fortune's Fool*	Roger De Bris
	Joseph McKenna	The Golem	The Golem
	Stephen Tobolowsky	Morning's at Seven	Homer Bolton
	David Warner	Major Barbara	Andrew Undershaft
2003
	Denis O'Hare	*Take Me Out*	Mason Marzac
	Walter Bobbie	Polish Joke	Multiple Roles
	Michael Cumpsty	Enchanted April	Mellersh Wilton
	Daniel Gerroll	Enchanted April	Frederick Arnott
	B.D. Wong	Shanghai Moon	General Gong Fe
2004
	Ned Beatty	*Cat on a Hot Tin Roof*	Big Daddy
	Rene Auberjonois	Sly Fox	Jethro Crouch
	Teagle F. Bougere	A Raisin in the Sun	Joseph Asagai
	Aidan Gillen	The Caretaker	Mick
	Omar Metwally	Sixteen Wounded	Mahmoud
2005
	Jeff Goldblum	*The Pillowman*	Tupolski
	Chris Bauer	A Streetcar Named Desire	"Mitch" Mitchell
	Philip Bosco	Twelve Angry Men	Juror No. 3
	Larry Bryggman	Romance	The Judge
	David Harbour	Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?	Nick
2006
	Richard Griffiths	*The History Boys*	Hector
	Richard Easton	Entertaining Mr. Sloane	Kemp
	Peter Gerety	The Lieutenant of Inishmore	Donny
	Mark Ruffalo	Awake and Sing!	Moe Axelrod
2007
	Boyd Gaines	*Journey's End*	Lieutenant Osborne
	Billy Crudup	The Pillowman	Katurian
	David Greenspan	Some Men	Various
	Stephen Kunken	Frost/Nixon	James Reston Jr.
2008
	James Earl Jones	*Cat on a Hot Tin Roof*	Big Daddy
	David Pittu	Is He Dead?	Various
	Jim Norton	The Seafarer	Richard
	Raúl Esparza	The Homecoming	Lenny
2009
	David Pearse	*The Cripple of Inishmaan*	Johnnypateenmike
	John Benjamin Hickey	Mary Stuart	Earl of Leicester
	Patrick Page	A Man For All Seasons	Henry VIII
	Russell Jones	Ruined	Christian
	Zach Grenier	33 Variations	Ludwig van Beethoven

2010s

Year	Actor	Work	Role
2010
	Jon Michael Hill	*Superior Donuts*	Franco
	David Pittu	Equivocation	Sir Robert Cecil
	James DeMarse	The Orphans' Home Cycle	Mr. Vaughn
	Noah Robbins	Brighton Beach Memoirs	Eugene Jerome
	Reg Rogers	The Royal Family	Tony Cavendish
2011
	Brian Bedford	*The Importance of Being Earnest*	Lady Bracknell
	Evan Jonigkeit	High	Cody Randall
	Seth Numrich	War Horse	Albert
	Stacy Keach	Other Desert Cities	Lyman Wyeth
	Yul Vazquez	The Motherfucker with the Hat	Cousin Julio
2012
	James Earl Jones	*The Best Man*	Art Hockstader
	Andrew Garfield	Death of a Salesman	Biff Loman
	Jefferson Mays	Blood and Gifts	Simon Craig
	Tom Edden	One Man, Two Guvnors	Alfie
	Will Brill	Tribes	Daniel
2013
	Tom Sturridge	*Orphans*	Phillip
	Danny Burstein	Golden Boy	Tokio
	Tony Shalhoub	Golden Boy	Mr. Bonaparte
	Jonny Orsini	The Nance	Ned
	Richard Kind	The Big Knife	Marcus Hoff
2014
	Brian J. Smith	*The Glass Menagerie*	Jim O'Connor
	Paul Chahidi	Twelfth Night	Maria
	Michael Cyril Creighton	Stage Kiss	Kevin
	John McMartin	All the Way	Richard Russell
	Alessandro Nivola	The Winslow Boy	Sir Robert Morton
2015
	Richard McCabe	*The Audience*	Harold Wilson
	Paul Jesson	Wolf Hall	Sir John Seymour/Thomas Wolsey/Archbishop Warham/Sir William Kingston
	Nathaniel Parker	Wolf Hall	King Henry VIII
	Alessandro Nivola	The Elephant Man	Dr. Frederick Treves
	Bryce Pinkham	The Heidi Chronicles	Peter Patrone
2016
	Michael Shannon	*Long Day’s Journey Into Night*	Jamie Tyrone Jr.
	Sanjit De Silva	Dry Powder	Jeff Schrader
	Matt McGrath	The Legend of Georgia McBride	Miss Tracy Mills
	Jim Norton	The Crucible	Giles Corey
	Robert Sella	Sylvia	Tom/Phyllis/Leslie
2017
	Danny DeVito	*The Price*	Gregory Solomon
	Michael Aronov	Oslo	Uri Savir
	Nathan Lane	The Front Page	Walter Burns
	Richard Thomas	The Little Foxes	Horace Giddens
	Richard Topol	Indecent	Lemml
2018
	Nathan Lane	*Angels in America*	Roy Cohn
	Anthony Boyle	Harry Potter and the Cursed Child	Scorpius Malfoy
	Johnny Flynn	Hangmen	Mooney
	David Morse	The Iceman Cometh	Larry Slade
	Paul Sparks	At Home at the Zoo	Peter
2019
	Benjamin Walker	*All My Sons*	Chris Keller
	Bertie Carvel	Ink	Rupert Murdoch
	John Clay III	Choir Boy	Anthony Justin 'AJ' James
	Hugh Dancy	Apologia	Peter and Simon
	John Procaccino	Downstairs	Gerry

2020s

Year	Actor	Work	Role
2020 (Hon.)	David Alan Grier	A Soldier’s Play	Sergeant Waters
	John Benjamin Hickey	The Inheritance	Henry Wilcox
	Paul Hilton		Walter / Morgan
	Samuel H. Levine		Adam / Leo
	John-Andrew Morrison	Blues for an Alabama Sky	Guy
	Chris Perfetti	Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow	Masha
2021	No award given due to COVID-19 pandemic.
2022
	Jesse Tyler Ferguson	*Take Me Out*	Mason Marzac
	Brandon J. Dirden	Skeleton Crew	Reggie
	Michael Oberholtzer	Take Me Out	Shane Mungitt
	Austin Pendleton	The Minutes	Mr. Oldfield
	Chuck Cooper	Trouble in Mind	Sheldon Forrester

Multiple wins

2 wins

James Earl Jones

Multiple nominations

2 nominations

Daniel Gerroll
Larry Bryggman
James Earl Jones
David Pittu
Jim Norton
John Benjamin Hickey
Alessandro Nivola
Nathan Lane

33 VariationsA Man for All Seasons (play)A Moon for the MisbegottenA Raisin in the SunA Soldier’s PlayA Streetcar Named DesireAdam Alexi-MalleAidan GillenAlessandro NivolaAll My SonsAll the Way (play)Amy's ViewAndrew GarfieldAngels in AmericaAnthony BoyleArchbishop WarhamAustin PendletonAwake and Sing!B.D. WongBenjamin Walker (actor)Bertie CarvelBilly CrudupBlood and GiftsBob DishyBoyd GainesBrandon J. DirdenBrian BedfordBrian J. SmithBrian KerwinBrian Murray (actor)Brighton Beach MemoirsBroadway theatreBryce PinkhamCat on a Hot Tin RoofCharles DurningChoir BoyChris BauerChris PerfettiChuck Cooper (actor)COVID-19 pandemicDaniel GerrollDanny BursteinDanny DeVitoDavid Alan GrierDavid GreenspanDavid HarbourDavid MorseDavid PittuDavid Warner (actor)Death of a SalesmanDenis O'HareDrama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a PlayEdward HerrmannEnchanted April (play)Entertaining Mr. SloaneEquivocation (play)Evan JonigkeitFortune's Fool (1848 play)Frank LangellaFrost/Nixon (play)Golden Boy (play)Hangmen (play)Harold WilsonHarris YulinHarry Potter and the Cursed ChildHenry VIIIHigh (play)Hugh DancyIndecent (play)Ink (play)Is He Dead?James Earl JonesJames Reston Jr.Jeff GoldblumJefferson MaysJesse Tyler FergusonJim Norton (Irish actor)John Benjamin HickeyJohn McMartinJohn Seymour (1474–1536)Johnny FlynnJon Michael HillJoseph McKennaJourney's EndJustin KirkKevin Anderson (actor)King Henry VIIILarry BryggmanLong Day’s Journey Into NightLucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a PlayLudwig van BeethovenMajor BarbaraMark RuffaloMary Stuart (Schiller play)Matt McGrathMichael AronovMichael CumpstyMichael Cyril CreightonMichael EmersonMichael ShannonMorning's at SevenMusical playNathan LaneNathaniel ParkerNed BeattyNever the SinnerNew York CityNoah RobbinsOff-BroadwayOmar MetwallyOne Man, Two GuvnorsOrphans (Lyle Kessler play)Oslo (play)Other Desert CitiesOuter Critics CircleOuter Critics Circle AwardOuter Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway PlayOuter Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Performer in an Off-Broadway PlayPatrick PagePaul ChahidiPaul Hilton (actor)Paul JessonPaul SparksPeter GeretyPhilip BoscoProof (play)Psychopathia SexualisRaúl EsparzaReg RogersRene AuberjonoisRichard EastonRichard GriffithsRichard KindRichard McCabeRichard Russell Jr.Richard Thomas (actor)Robert Hogan (actor)Robert Sean LeonardRomance (Mamet play)Roy CohnRoy DotriceRuined (play)Rupert MurdochRussell G. JonesSanjit De SilvaSeth NumrichSimon Jones (actor)Sir William KingstonSkeleton Crew (play)Sly FoxSome MenStacy KeachStephen KunkenSuperior DonutsSylvia (play)Take Me Out (play)Tate DonovanThe Audience (play)The Beauty Queen of LeenaneThe Best Man (play)The Caretaker (play)The Cripple of InishmaanThe CrucibleThe Diary of Anne Frank (play)The Elephant Man (play)The Front PageThe Glass MenagerieThe Heidi ChroniclesThe History BoysThe HomecomingThe Iceman ComethThe Importance of Being EarnestThe Inheritance (play)The Invention of LoveThe Last Night of BallyhooThe Legend of Georgia McBrideThe Lieutenant of InishmoreThe Little FoxesThe Minutes (play)The Motherfucker with the HatThe NanceThe Orphans' Home CycleThe PillowmanThe Price (play)The Royal Family (play)The Seafarer (play)The Winslow BoyThe Zoo StoryThomas WolseyTim Pigott-SmithTom Murphy (actor)Tom SturridgeTony Award for Best Featured Actor in a PlayTony ShalhoubTribes (play)Trouble in Mind (play)Twelfth NightTwelve Angry Men (story)Uri SavirWaiting in the Wings (play)Walter BobbieWar Horse (play)Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?Will BrillWolf Hall (play)Yul VazquezZach Grenier

Backlinks (31)

2008 Outer Critics Circle Awards2009 Outer Critics Circle Awards2010 Outer Critics Circle Awards2011 Outer Critics Circle Awards2012 Outer Critics Circle Awards2013 Outer Critics Circle Awards2014 Outer Critics Circle Awards2015 Outer Critics Circle Awards2016 Outer Critics Circle Awards2017 Outer Critics Circle Awards2018 Outer Critics Circle Awards2019 Outer Critics Circle Awards2020 Outer Critics Circle Awards2022 Outer Critics Circle AwardsAll the Way (play)Angels in AmericaBrandon J. DirdenBryce PinkhamInk (play)Jon Michael HillList of awards and nominations received by Nathan LaneOrphans (Lyle Kessler play)Outer Critics Circle AwardsPatrick PageRichard Thomas (actor)Robert Sean LeonardSkeleton Crew (play)Superior DonutsThe Inheritance (play)The Minutes (play)Zach Grenier

External links (58)

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Subject Facts

QID: Q136360846

Label: Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play

Description: American theatre award for Broadway actors

Wikidata Archive Data

Wikidata type ID: Q618779

Captured: August 8, 2026 4:26 PM

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Main Menu

Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play

Awards winners

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Multiple wins

Multiple nominations

See also

Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play

Awards winners

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Multiple wins

Multiple nominations

See also

See Also

Harold and Mimi Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award

Chita Rivera Award for Outstanding Male Dancer in an Off-Broadway Show

Chita Rivera Award for Outstanding Male Dancer in a Broadway Show

Chita Rivera Award for Outstanding Female Dancer in an Off-Broadway Show

Chita Rivera Award for Outstanding Female Dancer in a Broadway Show