| Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress | |
|---|---|
 The 2022 recipient Jodie Comer | |
| Awarded for | Best Actress |
| Location | United Kingdom |
| Presented by | Evening Standard |
| Currently held by | Jodie Comer for Prima Facie(2022) |
The Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress, also known as the Natasha Richardson Award for Best Actress since 2009, is an annual award presented by the Evening Standard in recognition of achievement in British theatre.
| Year | Actor | Work | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | |||
| Siobhán McKenna | Saint Joan | Joan of Arc | |
| 1956 | |||
| Peggy Ashcroft | The Chalk Garden | Miss Madrigal | |
| 1957 | |||
| Brenda de Banzie | The Entertainer | Phoebe Rice | |
| 1958 | |||
| Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies | Long Day's Journey into Night | Mary Tyrone | |
| 1959 | |||
| Flora Robson | The Aspern Papers | Miss Tina |
| Year | Actor | Work | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | |||
| Dorothy Tutin | Twelfth Night | Viola | |
| 1961 | |||
| Vanessa Redgrave | As You Like It | Rosalind | |
| 1962 | |||
| Maggie Smith | The Private Ear and The Public Eye | Doreen / Belinda | |
| 1963 | |||
| Joan Plowright | Saint Joan | Joan of Arc | |
| 1964 | |||
| Peggy Ashcroft | The Wars of the Roses | Margaret of Anjou | |
| 1965 | |||
| Eileen Atkins | The Killing of Sister George | Alice "Childie" McNaught | |
| 1966 | |||
| Irene Worth | A Song at Twilight | Hilde Latymer | |
| 1967 | |||
| Lila Kedrova | The Cherry Orchard | Madame Ranevskaya | |
| 1968 | |||
| Jill Bennett | Time Present | Pamela | |
| 1969 | |||
| Rosemary Harris | Plaza Suite | Karen Nash / Muriel Tate / Norma Hubley |
| Year | Actor | Work | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | |||
| Maggie Smith | Hedda Gabler | Hedda Tesman | |
| 1971 | |||
| Peggy Ashcroft | The Loves of Viorne | Claire Lannes | |
| 1972 | |||
| Rachel Roberts | Alpha Beta | Nora Elliot | |
| 1973 | |||
| Janet Suzman | Hello and Goodbye | Hester | |
| 1974 | |||
| Claire Bloom | A Streetcar Named Desire | Blanche DuBois | |
| 1975 | |||
| Dorothy Tutin | A Month in the Country | Natalya Petrovna | |
| 1976 | |||
| Janet Suzman | Three Sisters | Masha | |
| 1977 | |||
| Alison Steadman | Abigail's Party | Beverly Moss | |
| 1978 | |||
| Kate Nelligan | Plenty | Susan | |
| 1979 | |||
| Vanessa Redgrave | The Lady from the Sea | Bolette |
| Year | Actor | Work | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | |||
| Judi Dench | Juno and the Paycock | Juno Boyle | |
| Frances de la Tour | Duet for One | Stephanie | |
| 1981 | |||
| Maggie Smith | Virginia | Virginia Woolf | |
| 1982 | |||
| Judi Dench | The Importance of Being Earnest and A Kind of Alaska | Lady Bracknell / Deborah | |
| 1983 | |||
| Geraldine McEwan | The Rivals | Mrs Malaprop | |
| 1984 | |||
| Maggie Smith | The Way of the World | Millamant | |
| 1985 | |||
| Vanessa Redgrave | The Seagull | Arkadina | |
| 1986 | |||
| Julia McKenzie | Woman in Mind | Susan | |
| 1987 | |||
| Judi Dench | Antony and Cleopatra | Cleopatra | |
| 1988 | |||
| Lindsay Duncan | Cat on a Hot Tin Roof | Margaret | |
| 1989 | |||
| Felicity Kendal | Ivanov and Much Ado About Nothing | Anna / Beatrice |
| Year | Actor | Work | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | |||
| Josette Simon | After the Fall | Maggie | |
| 1991 | |||
| Vanessa Redgrave | When She Danced | Isadora Duncan | |
| 1992 | |||
| Diana Rigg | Medea | Medea | |
| 1993 | |||
| Fiona Shaw | Machinal | Young Woman | |
| 1994 | |||
| Maggie Smith | Three Tall Women | A | |
| 1995 | |||
| Geraldine McEwan | The Way of the World | Lady Wishfort | |
| 1996 | |||
| Diana Rigg | Mother Courage and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? | Mother Courage / Martha | |
| 1997 | |||
| Eileen Atkins | A Delicate Balance | Agnes | |
| 1998 | |||
| Sinéad Cusack | Our Lady of Sligo | Mai O'Hara | |
| 1999 | |||
| Janie Dee | Comic Potential | Jacie Triplethree |
| Year | Actor | Work | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | |||
| Jodie Comer | Prima Facie | Tessa Ensler | |
| Samira Wiley | Blues for an Alabama Sky | Angel | |
| Indira Varma | The Seagull | Irina Arkadina | |
| Ronke Adekoluejo | Blues for an Alabama Sky | Delia | |
| Sheila Atim | Constellations | Marianne |
Six awards
Four awards
Three awards
Two awards
Four nominations
Three nominations
Two nominations
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