At the 2026 Tony Awards this Sunday on June 8, a few stars might be taking home their first-ever Tonys. Just to name a few, Rose Byrne as Jane Banbury in Fallen Angels, Carrie Coon as Agnes White in Bug, and Stephanie Hsu as Janet Weiss in Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show are among the actors who might be scoring their first-ever Tony win.
But before we get to see who will be adding the title of “Tony winner” to their resume, we’ve decided to look back at Tony history.
After all, there are a number of stars who we totally forgot were Broadway stars. From Scarlett Johansson to James Corden and Denzel Washington, take a look at some surprising past Tony winners below. And who knows, maybe a few more Oscar nominees will be joining their ranks!
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Image Credit: Bennett Raglin Catherine Zeta-Jones won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical in 2010 for her role in A Little Night Music!
Daniel Radcliffe
Image Credit: Kristina Bumphrey/Variety Daniel Radcliffe won the Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical at the 77th Annual Tony Awards in 2024 for his role in Merrily We Roll Along.
Scarlett Johansson
Image Credit: William D. Bird/Everett Collection Marvel superstar Scarlett Johansson has won over viewers on the big screen and on Broadway stages. She won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for A View from the Bridge in 2010.
ADVERTISEMENTBryan Cranston
Image Credit: Andres Otero/Everett Collection Right after Breaking Bad wrapped in 2013, Cranston showed his versatility and took home a Tony. He won Best Actor in a Play for All the Way in 2014.
Neil Patrick Harris
Image Credit: Andres Otero/Everett Collection Fans of Glee now that Neil Patrick Harris has major singing chops, but even they might be surprised by his Tony win. Harris won Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical in 2014 for Hedwig and the Angry Inch.
Viola Davis
Image Credit: William D. Bird/Everett Collection Viola Davis is one of the talented stars to reach the coveted EGOT status, so of course, she has a T on her resume! Davis won her first Tony Award in 2001 for Best Featured Actress in a Play for King Hedley II and her second in 2010 for Best Leading Actress in a Play for Fences.
She later went on to star in the movie Fences, which earned her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 2016.
Denzel Washington
Image Credit: William D. Bird/Everett Collection Speaking of Fences, Denzel Washington also won his Tony Award for the Broadway revival for Best Leading Actor in a Play in 2010. Davis and Washington later starred in the movie together.
Hugh Jackman
Image Credit: Andres Otero/Everett Collection Hugh Jackman has also been a triple threat, and his Tony Awards prove it! He won his first award, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical, for A Boy From Oz in 2004. In 2012, Jackman was also honored with a Special Tony Award.
Alan Cumming
Image Credit: Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection From Broadway to Traitors! Alan Cumming won the Best Actor in a Musical Tony Award in 1998 for Cabaret.
Cynthia Nixon
Image Credit: John Nacion/Everett Collection Sex and the City icon Cynthia Nixon has also made quite a splash on Broadway over the years. She’s been nominated four times and won twice, the Best Actress in a Play Award for Rabbit Hole in 2006 and Best Featured Actress in a Play for The Little Foxes in 2017.
James Corden
Image Credit: Andres Otero/Everett Collection Another surprising one to the list! Former talk show host James Corden won his first Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for One Man, Two Guvnors in 2012.
Martin Short
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection Martin Short is a Hollywood icon, so it’s so that surprising that he’s earned a Tony in his career. He was nominated twice and won his first Best Actor in a Musical Tony in 1999 for Little Me.
Ralph Fiennes
Image Credit: William D. Bird/Everett Collection Ralph Fiennes performing Hamlet is like a Broadway dream come true, right? It seems Tony voters think so! Fiennes won Best Actor in a Play in 1995 for the Shakespeare classic.
Jane Krakowski
Image Credit: Gregorio T. Binuya/Everett Collection We know Jane Krakowski best from 30 Rock, but she’s shown off her singing chops on the Broadway stage, too! She won Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role in Nine in 2003.
Glenn Close
Image Credit: ©CBS/Courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection Glenn Close won an impressive three Tony Awards throughout her career. Her first two were for Best Actress in a Play for The Real Thing in 1984 and Death and the Maiden in 1992. In 1995, she also won Best Actress in a Musical for Sunset Boulevard, a musical that revived on Broadway in 2025.
Sara Ramírez
Image Credit: Rob Rich/Everett Collection If you’re a fan of Grey’s Anatomy, do you remember when Sara Ramírez started singing during their musical episode and we couldn’t believe how angelic they sounded? Well, it turns out they have a Tony Award-winning voice. Ramírez won in 2005 for their role in Spamalot.
Billy Crudup
Image Credit: Rob Rich/Everett Collection The Morning Show star Billy Crudup has made quite a name for himself on Broadway. He’s been nominated for four Tonys over the years and won for the first time for Best Actor in a Featured Role in a Play for The Coast of Utopia in 2007.
John Lithgow
Image Credit: Eli Winston/Everett Collection John Lithgow might be one of the most nominated actors on this list. Lithgow was nominated a total of six times, with two wins for Best Featured Actor in a Play for The Changing Room in 1973 and Best Actor in a Musical for Sweet Smell of Success in 2002.
Jason Alexander
Image Credit: Derek Storm/Everett Collection Seinfeld‘s Jason Alexander has a Tony Award on his mantle, too! He won for Best Actor in a Musical for Jerome Robbins’ Broadway in 1989.
Edward Herrmann & Kelly Bishop
Image Credit: Everett Collection Long before Edward Herrmann and Kelly Bishop became Richard and Emily Gilmore in Gilmore Girls, they were Broadway stars and won their first Tony Awards together in 1976.
Herrmann won the Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play Tony for his role in Mrs. Warren’s Profession, while Bishop won the Best Featured Actress in a Musical Tony for A Chorus Line.
Liev Schreiber
Image Credit: Fernando Leon/Everett Collection Liev Schreiber is so talented, we think he can do just about anything and succeed. In 2005, he scored the Best Featured Actor in a Play Tony for his role in Glengarry Glen Ross.
Courtney B. Vance
Image Credit: Andres Otero/Everett Collection Courtney B. Vance is another star who you might be surprised is a Tony winner. Vance won his first prize for Best Featured Actor in a Play in Nora Ephron’s Lucky Guy.
Jessica Lange
Image Credit: Lev Radin/Everett Collection American Horror Story icon Jessica Lange made her mark on Broadway too! Her first win was in the Best Leading Actress in a Play category for Long Day’s Journey into Night in 2016.
Al Pacino
Image Credit: Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection Al Pacino is a true movie star, but he has two Tonys to put right next to his Oscar. Pacino first won for Best Supporting or Featured Actor in a Play for Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie? in 1969, then for Best Leading Actor in a Play for The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel in 1977.
Matthew Broderick
Image Credit: Gregorio Binuya/Everett Collection Matthew Broderick also has two Tony wins under his belt. He won the Best Featured Actor in a Play Award for Brighton Beach Memoirs in 1983, then the Best Actor in a Musical Award in 1995 for How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.
Judith Light
Image Credit: Andres Otero/Everett Collection Judith Light has won three Tony Awards throughout her career.
She won the Best Featured Actress in a Play Award in 2012 for Other Desert Cities, another Best Featured Actress in a Play Award in 2013 for The Assembled Parties, and, lastly, the Isabelle Stevenson Award in 2019 for her advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights and the fight against HIV/AIDS.
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