- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
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The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play was first awarded at the 1974-1975 Drama Desk Awards and has been awarded every year since. Before the 21st Drama Desk Awards, acting awards were given without making distinctions between roles in straight dramas as opposed to musicals, nor were there separate categories for actors and actresses.
Contents
Award winners and nominations
1970s
- 1975: Frances Sternhagen – Equus as Dora Strang
- Polly Adams – London Assurance
- Maureen Anderman – Seascape
- Caroline Lagerfelt – The Constant Wife
- Carole Shelley – Absurd Person Singular
- Elizabeth Spriggs – London Assurance
- Marie Wallace – Avon Lady
- 1976: Rachel Roberts – Habeas Corpus as Mrs. Wicksteed
- Lynn Ann Leveridge – Yentl
- Toni Darnay – The Heiress
- Alice Drummond – A Memory of Two Mondays
- June Havoc – Habeas Corpus
- Kaiulani Lee – Kennedy's Children
- 1977: Rosemary De Angelis – The Transfiguration of Benno Blimpie as Mother
- Joyce Ebert – The Shadow Box
- Rose Gregorio – The Shadow Box
- Cecilia Hart – The Dirty Linen
- Patricia Roe – The Oldest Living Graduate
- Meryl Streep – The Cherry Orchard
- Gretchen Wyler – Sly Fox
- 1978: Eileen Atkins – The Night of the Tribades as Marie Caroline David
- Martha Gaylord – The Elusive Angel
- Carol Kane – Marigolds
- Swoosie Kurtz – Uncommon Women
- Pamela Reed – The Curse of the Starving Class
- 1979: Pamela Reed – Getting Out as Arlie
- Dixie Carter – Fathers and Sons
- Frances Foster – Nevis Mt. Dew
- Joan Hickson – Bedroom Farce
- Laurie Kennedy – Man and Superman
- Susan Littler – Bedroom Farce
1980s
1990s
- 1990: Frances Conroy – The Secret Rapture as Marion French
- Jayne Atkinson – The Art of Success
- Kate Burton – Some Americans Abroad
- Marcia Jean Kurtz – When She Danced
- Stephanie Roth – Artist Descending a Staircase
- 1991: Irene Worth – Lost in Yonkers as Grandma Kurnitz
- Jane Adams – I Hate Hamlet
- Tracey Ellis - Our Country's Good
- Julie Halston – Red Scare on Sunset
- Deirdre O'Connell – Love and Anger
- 1992:Christine Baranski - Lips Together, Teeth Apart as Chloe Haddock
- Lisa Emery - Marvin's Room
- Harriet Harris - Bella, Bell of Byelorussia
- Laura Linney - Sight Unseen
- Nancy Marchand - The End of the Day
- 1993: Madeline Kahn - The Sisters Rosensweig as Gorgeous Teitlebaum
- Harriet Harris - Jeffrey
- Kathryn Meisle - As You Like It
- Kathleen Chalfant- Angels in America: Millennium Approaches
- Marcia Gay Harden - Angels in America: Millennium Approaches
- 1994: Jane Adams - An Inspector Calls as Sheila Biring
- Hope Davis - Pterodactyls
- Kristen Johnston - The Lights
- Marcia Gay Harden - Angels in America: Perestroika
- Frances Conroy - In the Summer House
- 1995: Tara FitzGerald - Hamlet as Ophelia
- J. Smith-Cameron - The Naked Truth
- Hallie Foote - The Horton Foote Plays
- Penny Fuller - Three Viewings
- Camryn Manheim - Missing Persons
- Sheila Tousey - Iphigenia and Other Daughters
- 1996: Elaine Stritch - A Delicate Balance as Claire
- Viola Davis - Seven Guitars
- Eileen Heckart - Northeast Local
- Donna Murphy - Twelve Dreams
- Roberta Wallach - The Model Apartment
- Amy Wright - Mrs. Klein
- 1997: Dana Ivey - Sex and Longing/The Last Night of Ballyhoo as Bridget McCrea/Boo Levy
- Kathleen Chalfant - Nine Armenians
- Linda Emond - Nine Armenians
- Melissa Errico - The Importance of Being Earnest
- Allison Janney - Present Laughter
- Celia Weston - The Last Night of Ballyhoo
- 1998: Allison Janney - A View From the Bridge as Beatrice Carbone
- Patricia Clarkson - The Maiden's Prayer
- Caroline Seymour - Goose-Pimples
- Marian Seldes - Ivanov
- Linda Lavin - The Diary of Anne Frnak
- Patti LuPone - The Old Neighborhood
- 1999: Anna Friel - Closer as Alice Ayers
- Viola Davis - Everybody's Ruby
- Kristine Nielsen - Betty's Summer Vacation
- Mary Louise Wilson - Bosoms and Neglect
- Natasha Richardson - Closer
- Marian Seldes - Ring Round the Moon
2000s
- 2000: Marylouise Burke – Fuddy Meers as Gertie
- Jillian Armenante - The Cider House Rules, Part One
- Seana Kofoed - An Experiment with an Air Pump
- Phyllis Newman - The Moment When
- Cigdem Onat - The Time of the Cuckoo
- Amy Sedaris - The Country Club
- 2001: Viola Davis – King Hedley II as Tonya
- Anita Durst - The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant
- Barbara Jefford - Coriolanus
- Marian Seldes - The Butterfly Collection
- Robin Weigert - Madame Melville
- Marthe Keller - Judgment at Nuremberg
- 2002: Katie Finneran - Noises Off as Brooke Ashton
- Kathleen Doyle - Kilt
- Linda Emond - Homebody/Kabul
- Kathleen Widdoes - Franny's Way
- Elizabeth Franz - Morning's at Seven
- Jennifer Coolidge - The Women
- 2003: Lynn Redgrave - Talking Heads as Miss Fozzard
- Christine Ebersole - Talking Heads
- Jan Maxwell - My Old Lady
- Helen McCrory - Uncle Vanya
- Nancy Opel - Polish Joke
- Jeanine Serralles - Hold Please
- 2004: Audra McDonald - A Raisin in the Sun as Ruth Younger
- Jayne Houdyshell - Well
- Mikel Sarah Lambert - The Daughter-in-Law
- Mary Louise Wilson - The Beard of Avon
- Margo Martindale - Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
- Jan Maxwell - Sixteen Wounded
- 2005: Adriane Lenox - Doubt as Mrs. Miller
- Julie Halston - White Chocolate
- Portia - McReele
- Lee Roy Rogers - Orson's Shadow
- Mary Testa - String of Pearls
- Lily Rabe - Steel Magnolias
- 2006: Frances de la Tour - The History Boys as Mrs. Lintott
- Lisa Emery - Abigail's Party
- Judith Hawking - Soldier's Wife
- Michele Pawk - The Paris Letter
- Marian Seldes - Dedication or The Stuff of Dreams
- Lynn Redgrave - The Constant Wife
- 2007: Martha Plimpton - The Coast of Utopia as Natasha
- Myriam Acharki - Woyzeck
- Sarah Nina Hayon - Rearviewmirror
- Rita Wolf - The American Pilot
- Andrea Riseborough - "The Pride"
- Xanthe Elbrick - Coram Boy
- Jan Maxwell - Coram Boy
- 2008: Linda Lavin - The New Century as Helene Nadler
- Elizabeth Ashley - Dividing the Estate
- Johanna Day - Peter and Jerry
- Zoe Kazan - 100 Saints You Should Know
- Rondi Reed - August: Osage County
- Marisa Tomei - Top Girls
- 2009: Angela Lansbury - Blithe Spirit as Madame Arcati
- Rebecca Hall - The Cherry Orchard
- Andrea Martin - Exit the King
- Carey Mulligan - The Seagull
- Condola Rashad - Ruined
- Zoe Kazan - The Seagull
2010s
- 2010: Viola Davis – Fences as Rose Maxson
- Victoria Clark – When the Rain Stops Falling
- Xanthe Elbrick – Candida
- Mary Beth Hurt – When the Rain Stops Falling
- Scarlett Johansson – A View from the Bridge
- Andrea Riseborough – The Pride
- 2011: Edie Falco - The House of Blue Leaves as Bananas Shaughnessy
- Lisa Emery - The Collection & A Kind of Alaska
- Julie Halston - The Divine Sister
- Sarah Nina Hayon - A Bright New Boise
- Celia Keenan-Bolger - Peter and the Starcatcher
- Linda Lavin - Other Desert Cities
- Judith Light - Lombardi
Facts
- Mary Alice and Viola Davis are the only two women who have won, for playing the same character, Rose Maxson, from Fences
- Christine Baranski, Viola Davis, and Judith Ivey are the only women who have won twice.
References
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play 1975–2000 Frances Sternhagen (1975) · Rachel Roberts (1976) · Rosemary De Angelis (1977) · Eileen Atkins (1978) · Pamela Reed (1979) · Lois de Banzie (1980) · Swoosie Kurtz (1981) · Amanda Plummer (1982) · Judith Ivey (1983) · Christine Baranski (1984) · Judith Ivey (1985) · Joanna Gleason (1986) · Mary Alice (1987) · Christine Estabrook (1988) · Tovah Feldshuh (1989) · Frances Conroy (1990) · Irene Worth (1991) · Christine Baranski (1992) · Madeline Kahn (1993) · Jane Adams (1994) · Tara FitzGerald (1995) · Elaine Stritch (1996) · Dana Ivey (1997) · Allison Janney (1998) · Anna Friel (1999) · Marylouise Burke (2000)
2001–present Viola Davis (2001) · Katie Finneran (2002) · Lynn Redgrave (2003) · Audra McDonald (2004) · Adriane Lenox (2005) · Frances de la Tour (2006) · Martha Plimpton (2007) · Linda Lavin (2008) · Angela Lansbury (2009) · Viola Davis (2010) · Edie Falco (2011)
Complete list · (1975–2000) · (2001–2025) Drama Desk Awards Play Play · Revival of a Play · Actor in a Play · Actress in a Play · Featured Actor in a Play · Featured Actress in a Play · Director of a Play · Music in a Play
Musical Production Categories:- Drama Desk Awards
- 1975: Frances Sternhagen – Equus as Dora Strang
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