| Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress | |
| Awarded For: | Best Actress in a Play |
| Presenter: | Society of London Theatre |
| Year: | 1985 |
| Holder: | Sarah Snook for The Picture of Dorian Gray (2024) |
The Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Play is an annual award presented by the Society of London Theatre in recognition of achievements in commercial London theatre. The awards were established as the Society of West End Theatre Awards in 1976, and renamed in 1984 in honour of English actor and director Laurence Olivier.
This award was introduced in 1985, as Actress of the Year, then retitled to its current name for the 1993 ceremony. Prior to this award, from 1976 to 1984 (and again in 1988), there was a pair of awards given each year for this general category, one for Actress of the Year in a New Play and the other for Actress of the Year in a Revival.
| Year | Actor | Play | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | |||
| Yvonne Bryceland | The Road to Mecca | Miss Helen | |
| Wendy Morgan | Martine | Martine | |
| Harriet Walter | The Castle | Skinner | |
| Joanne Whalley | Saved | Pam | |
| 1986 | |||
| Lindsay Duncan | Les Liaisons Dangereuses | Marquise de Merteuil | |
| Julia McKenzie | Woman in Mind | Susan | |
| Juliet Stevenson | As You Like It, Les Liaisons Dangereuses and Troilus and Cressida | Rosalind / Madame de Tourvel / Cressida | |
| Irene Worth | The Bay at Nice | Valentina Nrovka | |
| 1987 | |||
| Judi Dench | Antony and Cleopatra | Cleopatra | |
| Miranda Richardson | A Lie of the Mind | Beth | |
| Maggie Smith | Lettice and Lovage and Coming in to Land | Lettice Douffet / Halina | |
| Juliet Stevenson | Yerma | Yerma | |
| 1989/90 | |||
| Fiona Shaw | Electra, As You Like It and The Good Person of Szechwan | Electra / Celia / Shen Te | |
| Sheila Hancock | Prin | Prin | |
| Jane Lapotaire | Shadowlands | Joy | |
| Prunella Scales | Single Spies | Elizabeth II |
| Year | Actor | Play | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | |||
| Sharon D. Clarke | Death of a Salesman | Linda Loman | |
| Hayley Atwell | Rosmersholm | Rebecca West | |
| Juliet Stevenson | The Doctor | The Doctor | |
| Phoebe Waller-Bridge | Fleabag | Fleabag | |
| 2021 | Not presented due to extended closing of theatre productions during COVID-19 pandemic | ||
| 2022 | |||
| Sheila Atim | Constellations | Marianne | |
| Lily Allen | Jenny | ||
| Emma Corrin | Anna X | Anna | |
| Cush Jumbo | Hamlet | Hamlet | |
| 2023 | |||
| Jodie Comer | Prima Facie | Tessa | |
| Patsy Ferran | A Streetcar Named Desire | Blanche DuBois | |
| Mei Mac | My Neighbour Totoro | Mei | |
| Janet McTeer | Phaedra (new version by Simon Stone) | Helen | |
| Nicola Walker | The Corn Is Green | Miss Moffat | |
| 2024 | |||
| Sarah Snook | The Picture of Dorian Gray | Performer / Various | |
| Laura Donnelly | The Hills of California | Veronica / Joan | |
| Sophie Okonedo | Medea | Medea | |
| Sarah Jessica Parker | Plaza Suite | Karen Nash / Muriel Tate / Norma Hubley | |
| Sheridan Smith | Shirley Valentine | Shirley Valentine | |
Note: The below awards and nominations include individuals awarded and nominated under the now-defunct categories Actress of the Year in a New Play and Actress of the Year in a Revival as well as the current combined Best Actress category.