John Lithgow, aged 80, has become the oldest male actor ever to win a Tony Award, collecting the prize for his portrayal of Roald Dahl in Giant – more than five decades after his first Tony in 1972.
“Two Tony bookends with 53 years between them,” Lithgow noted in his acceptance speech at Sunday’s ceremony. “In those years, I have worked with hundreds of just fantastic theatre artists. I’ve had dozens and dozens of ecstatic moments on the stage, but I have to tell you right now, this moment has got to be one of the best.”
“John Lithgow, 80, becomes oldest male Tony winner; Death of a Salesman revival wins six awards.”
British actress Lesley Manville won the first Tony of her career for playing Jocasta in the Greek tragedy Oedipus. “I’m a bit overwhelmed, it was my first time on Broadway so this is such a big deal,” she said, before adding: “Would someone like to write a play for five women? We are quite bankable.”
Both Lithgow’s and Manville’s productions played in the UK before transferring to Broadway, echoing last year’s Olivier Awards.
The night’s biggest winner, however, was a revival of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, which took six awards including best revival of a play and the lead actress prize for Laurie Metcalf. The Bafta and Oscar-nominated actress, known for Roseanne and Lady Bird, used her speech to namecheck six fellow students from her college theatre department: Gary Sinise, Moira Harris, Al Wilder, Jeff Perry, Terry Kinney, and John Malkovich.
The production’s success also marked the first Tony for controversial producer Scott Rudin since he stepped back from Broadway in 2021 following allegations of bullying and abusive behaviour. Rudin had acknowledged his “history of troubling interactions with colleagues” and said he was “profoundly sorry for the pain my behaviour caused”. He was not present at the ceremony; actor Nathan Lane accepted the award for best play revival, praising “the genius of Arthur Miller, who created this monumental masterpiece”.
Other winners included Ragtime, about three families pursuing the American dream at the dawn of the 20th century.