| Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical | |
| Awarded For: | Best Actress in a Musical |
| Presenter: | Society of London Theatre |
| Location: | England |
| Year: | 1979 |
| Holder: | Nicole Scherzinger for Sunset Boulevard (2024) |
The Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical 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 1979, along with the award for Best Actor in a Musical. In 1977 and 1978, there had been a commingled actor/actress award for Best Performance in a Musical, won both times by an actress.
| Year | Actress | Musical | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | |||
| Virginia McKenna | The King and I | Anna Leonowens | |
| Carol Channing | Hello, Dolly! | Dolly Gallagher Levi | |
| Antonia Ellis | Chicago | Velma Kelly | |
| Liz Robertson | My Fair Lady | Eliza Doolittle |
| Year | Actress | Musical | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Miriam-Teak Lee | & Juliet | Juliet Capulet |
| Audrey Brisson | Amélie | Amélie Poulain | |
| Judy Kuhn | Fiddler on the Roof | Golde | |
| Zizi Strallen | Mary Poppins | Mary Poppins | |
| 2021 | Not presented due to extended closing of theatre productions during COVID-19 pandemic | ||
| 2022 | Jessie Buckley | Cabaret | Sally Bowles |
| Sutton Foster | Anything Goes | Reno Sweeney | |
| Beverley Knight | The Drifters Girl | Faye Treadwell | |
| Stephanie McKeon | Frozen | Anna | |
| 2023 | Katie Brayben | Tammy Faye | Tammy Faye Messner |
| Anoushka Lucas | Oklahoma! | Laurey Williams | |
| Miri Mesika | The Band's Visit | Dina | |
| Faith Omole | Standing at the Sky's Edge | Joy | |
| 2024 | |||
| Nicole Scherzinger | Sunset Boulevard | Norma Desmond | |
| Natasha Hodgson | Operation Mincemeat | Ewen Montagu & Others | |
| Caissie Levy | Next to Normal | Diana Goodman | |
| Marisha Wallace | Guys and Dolls | Miss Adelaide |