Who Are the Biggest Tony Award Winners in History?

Who holds the record for the most Tony wins? Which productions have swept the awards in a single night? And which performers have become perennial favorites on Broadway’s biggest stage? Below, a roundup of the people and shows that have made Tony history—racking up accolades and leaving an indelible mark on American theater.

The person boasting the most Tony wins hardly qualifies as a household name. But his astounding 100-plus Broadway producing credits—including “Book of Mormon,” “City of Angels” and “Amadeus”—help explain why the late Roger Berlind holds the record for most Tony Award wins with 25, all for producing. Not far behind in the statuette count, the late Harold Prince earned the most Tony wins in multiple categories, with 21 during his illustrious six-decade career as a director and producer of iconic musicals including “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Cabaret,” and “Sweeney Todd.” Eighteen of his 21 wins came in competitive categories, with three Special Tony Awards making up the rest.

Starting with his 1955 Best Musical win for “Pajama Game,” Prince went on to snag seven more for Best Musical, eight for Best Direction of a Musical, two for Best Producer of a Musical and three special Tony Awards. He was honored with his last Tony, the Lifetime Achievement Award, in 2006. 

Actor-director-choreographer Tommy Tune has the next-most Tony Award wins with 10. Lighting designer Jules Fisher and choreographer Bob Fosse have each racked up nine, while composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim, costume designer Catherine Zuber and scenic designer Oliver Smith all have snagged eight. 

Actress Audra McDonald has the most Tony Award nominations for performing with 11, starting in 1994 with her Best Featured Actress in a Musical win for “Carousel” and earning her record-breaking 11th in 2025 for “Gypsy.” Her six wins, in both the musical and play categories, give her the additional record of most Tony Awards for acting. 

McDonald surpassed Chita Rivera and Julie Harris, who each earned 10 nominations. Just the fifth performer to be nominated in all four acting categories, McDonald stands as the first to win them all. 

Outside the performing categories, Harold Prince earned 35 nominations in multiple categories, lighting designer Jules Fisher grabbed 25 nominations and Santo Loquasto amassed 24 nominations for costume and scenic design. Jane Greenwood, who has earned a record 22 nominations for costume design, didn’t win one for 52 years, until her 21st nomination, giving her a record-breaking streak of nominations without wins.

The show racking up the most Tony Award nominations is “Hamilton” (2016) with 16 nominations, including three for lead actor, writer and composer Lin-Manuel Miranda. The musical walked away with 11 Tony Awards, coming one short from tying the record for most wins with “The Producers, the new Mel Brooks musical” (2001).

Outside of musicals, “Stereophonic” (2024) holds the record for most Tony Award nominations for a play (with 13), while Tom Stoppard’s trilogy “The Coast of Utopia” (2007) owns the record for most Tony Award wins for a play, with seven. 

The youngest Tony Award winner was crowned at just 11 years old when Frankie Michaels took the award home for his role in “Mame” in 1966. 

His record stands as the youngest competitive winner, while Sophia Gennusa is the youngest person to receive a Tony at nine years old when she and the three actresses who alternated in the lead role of “Matilda” received a Tony Honors for Excellence in 2013. 

Yes! Since the Tony Awards ceremony began, there have been 10 ties. The first one came in 1958, when Gwen Verdon and Thelma Ritter went head-to-head for the Best Actress in a Musical nod—both for the same show: “New Girl in Town.”