# Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical

The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical was an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in theatre across collective Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City. The award was one of eight new acting awards first presented in 1975, when Drama Desk retired an earlier award that had made no distinction between work in plays and musicals, nor between actors and actresses, nor between lead performers and featured performers.
After the 2022 ceremony, all eight acting categories introduced in 1975 were retired. The award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical, along with Outstanding Actress in a Musical, were replaced in 2023 with the gender neutral category of Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical.

## Winners and nominees
### 1970s

| Year | Actor | Musical | Character |
| 1975 |
| 1975 | John Cullum | Shenandoah | Charlie Anderson |
| 1975 | Tim Curry | The Rocky Horror Show | Dr. Frank N. Furter |
| 1975 | Joel Grey | Goodtime Charley | Charley |
| 1975 | Raúl Juliá | Where's Charley? | Charley Wykeham |
| 1976 |
| 1976 | Ian Richardson | My Fair Lady | Henry Higgins |
| 1976 | Raúl Juliá | The Threepenny Opera | Macheath |
| 1976 | Jerry Orbach | Chicago | Billy Flynn |
| 1976 | Nicol Williamson | Rex | Henry VIII, King of England |
| 1977 |
| 1977 | Lenny Baker | I Love My Wife | Alvin |
| 1977 | Barry Bostwick | The Robber Bridegroom | Jamie Lockhart |
| 1977 | Yul Brynner | The King and I | The King of Siam |
| 1977 | Robert Guillaume | Guys and Dolls | Nathan Detroit |
| 1977 | Reid Shelton | Annie | Oliver Warbucks |
| 1978 |
| 1978 | Ken Page | Ain't Misbehavin' | Performer |
| 1978 | Gary Bayer | A History of the American Film | Jimmy |
| 1978 | Henderson Forsythe | The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas | Sheriff Ed Earl Dodd |
| 1978 | Richard Kiley | Man of La Mancha | Don Quixote / Cervantes |
| 1979 |
| 1979 | Len Cariou | Sweeney Todd | Sweeney Todd |
| 1979 | Joel Grey | The Grand Tour | S. L. Jacobowsky |
| 1979 | Charles Repole | Whoopee! | Henry Williams |
| 1979 | Peter Walker | My Old Friends | Peter Schermann |

### 1980s

| Year | Actor | Musical | Character |
| 1980 |
| 1980 | Jim Dale | Barnum | P. T. Barnum |
| 1980 | Christopher Durang | Das Lusitania Spongspiel | Performer |
| 1980 | Mandy Patinkin | Evita | Che |
| 1980 | Mickey Rooney | Sugar Babies | Mickey |
| 1980 | Giorgio Tozzi | The Most Happy Fella | Tony |
| 1980 | Jerry Zaks | Tintypes | Performer |
| 1981 |
| 1981 | Kevin Kline | The Pirates of Penzance | The Pirate King |
| 1981 | George Rose | The Pirates of Penzance | Major-General |
| 1981 | Martin Vidnovic | Brigadoon | Tommy Albright |
| 1982–83 |
| 1982–83 | — | — | — |
| 1984 |
| 1984 | George Hearn | La Cage aux Folles | Albin |
| 1984 | Gene Barry | La Cage aux Folles | Georges |
| 1984 | Mandy Patinkin | Sunday in the Park with George | George |
| 1985 |
| 1985 | Ron Richardson | Big River | Jim |
| 1985 | David Carroll | La bohème | Rodolfo |
| 1985 | Harry Groener | Harrigan 'N Hart | Edward Harrigan |
| 1985 | Mark Hamill | Harrigan 'N Hart | Tony Hart |
| 1985 | Daniel H. Jenkins | Big River | Huckleberry Finn |
| 1985 | Gary Morris | La bohème | Rodolfo |
| 1986 |
| 1986 | George Rose | The Mystery of Edwin Drood | Mayor Thomas Sapsea / William Cartwright |
| 1986 | Cleavant Derricks | Big Deal | Charley |
| 1986 | Howard McGillin | The Mystery of Edwin Drood | John Jasper / Mr. Clive Paget |
| 1987 |
| 1987 | Robert Lindsay | Me and My Girl | Bill Snibson |
| 1987 | Ed Dixon | Shylock | Shylock |
| 1987 | Mandy Patinkin | The Knife | Peter |
| 1987 | Colm Wilkinson | Les Misérables | Jean Valjean |
| 1988 |
| 1988 | Michael Crawford | The Phantom of the Opera | The Phantom of the Opera |
| 1988 | David Carroll | Chess | Anatoly |
| 1988 | Howard McGillin | Anything Goes | Billy Crocker |
| 1988 | George Merritt | Lost in the Stars | Stephen Kumalo |
| 1989 |
| 1989 | Jason Alexander | Jerome Robbins' Broadway | Various Characters |
| 1989 | Bob Gunton | Sweeney Todd | Sweeney Todd |
| 1989 | Richard Muenz | The Pajama Game | Sid Sorokin |
| 1989 | Scott Wise | Jerome Robbins' Broadway | Various Characters |

### 1990s

| Year | Actor | Musical | Character |
| 1990 |
| 1990 | James Naughton | City of Angels | Stone |
| 1990 | Mike Burstyn | The Rothschilds | Mayer |
| 1990 | David Carroll | Grand Hotel | Felix Von Gaigern |
| 1991 |
| 1991 | Jonathan Pryce | Miss Saigon | The Engineer |
| 1991 | Keith Carradine | The Will Rogers Follies | Will Rogers |
| 1991 | Paul Hipp | Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story | Buddy Holly |
| 1991 | Mandy Patinkin | The Secret Garden | Archibald Craven |
| 1992 |
| 1992 | Gregory Hines | Jelly's Last Jam | Jelly Roll Morton |
| 1992 | Nathan Lane | Guys and Dolls | Nathan Detroit |
| 1992 | Peter Gallagher | Guys and Dolls | Sky |
| 1992 | Spiro Malas | The Most Happy Fella | Tony |
| 1993 |
| 1993 | Brent Carver | Kiss of the Spider Woman | Luis Molina |
| 1993 | Jason Graae | Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah! | Barry Brockman |
| 1993 | Con O'Neill | Blood Brothers | Mickey |
| 1993 | Martin Short | The Goodbye Girl | Elliot Garfield |
| 1994 |
| 1994 | Boyd Gaines | She Loves Me | Georg Nowack |
| 1994 | Michael Hayden | Carousel | Billy Bigelow |
| 1994 | Terrence Mann | Beauty and the Beast | The Beast |
| 1994 | Jere Shea | Passion | Giorgio |
| 1995 |
| 1995 | Vernel Bagneris | Jelly Roll | Jelly Roll Morton |
| 1995 | Matthew Broderick | How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying | J. Pierrepont Finch |
| 1995 | Malcolm Gets | Merrily We Roll Along | Franklin Shepard |
| 1995 | George Hearn | Sunset Boulevard | Max |
| 1995 | J. K. Simmons | Das Barbecü | Various Characters |
| 1996 |
| 1996 | Nathan Lane | A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum | Pseudolus |
| 1996 | David Garrison | I Do! I Do! | Michael |
| 1996 | Savion Glover | Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk | 'da Beat / Lil' Dahlin' |
| 1996 | Daniel H. Jenkins | Big: the musical | Josh Baskin |
| 1996 | Adam Pascal | Rent | Roger Davis |
| 1996 | Lou Diamond Phillips | The King and I | The King of Siam |
| 1997 |
| 1997 | Robert Cuccioli | Jekyll & Hyde | Dr. Henry Jekyll / Edward Hyde |
| 1997 | Jim Dale | Candide | Dr. Pangloss |
| 1997 | Jason Danieley | Candide | Candide |
| 1997 | Daniel McDonald | Steel Pier | Bill Kelly |
| 1997 | James Naughton | Chicago | Billy Flynn |
| 1998 |
| 1998 | Alan Cumming | Cabaret | The Master of Ceremonies |
| 1998 | Peter Friedman | Ragtime | Tateh |
| 1998 | John Cameron Mitchell | Hedwig and the Angry Inch | Hedwig |
| 1998 | Douglas Sills | The Scarlet Pimpernel | Percy Blakeney |
| 1998 | Brent Spiner | 1776 | Adams |
| 1998 | Brian Stokes Mitchell | Ragtime | Coalhouse Walker, Jr. |
| 1999 |
| 1999 | Brent Carver | Parade | Leo Frank |
| 1999 | Martin Short | Little Me | Various Characters |
| 1999 | Patrick Wilson | Bright Lights, Big City | Jamie |
| 1999 | Tom Wopat | Annie Get Your Gun | Frank Butler |

### 2000s

| Year | Actor | Musical | Character |
| 2000 |
| 2000 | Brian Stokes Mitchell | Kiss Me, Kate | Fred Graham / Petruchio |
| 2000 | Craig Bierko | The Music Man | Harold Hill |
| 2000 | Brian d'Arcy James | The Wild Party | Burrs |
| 2000 | Boyd Gaines | Contact | Michael Wiley |
| 2000 | Mandy Patinkin | The Wild Party | Burrs |
| 2001 |
| 2001 | Nathan Lane | The Producers | Max Bialystock |
| 2001 | Matthew Broderick | The Producers | Leo Bloom |
| 2001 | Kevin Chamberlin | Seussical | Horton the Elephant |
| 2001 | Tom Hewitt | The Rocky Horror Show | Dr. Frank N. Furter |
| 2001 | Deven May | Bat Boy: The Musical | Bat Boy |
| 2001 | Patrick Wilson | The Full Monty | Jerry Lukowski |
| 2002 |
| 2002 | John Lithgow | Sweet Smell of Success | J.J. Hunsecker |
| 2002 | Norbert Leo Butz | The Last Five Years | Jamie |
| 2002 | Brian d'Arcy James | Sweet Smell of Success | Sidney |
| 2002 | Raúl Esparza | Tick, Tick... Boom! | Jon |
| 2002 | Peter Gallagher | Guys and Dolls | Sky |
| 2002 | Patrick Wilson | Oklahoma! | Curly |
| 2003 |
| 2003 | Antonio Banderas | Nine | Guido Contini |
| 2003 | Harvey Fierstein | Hairspray | Edna Turnblad |
| 2003 | Malcolm Gets | Amour | Dusoleil |
| 2003 | Jason Petty | Hank Williams: Lost Highway | Hank Williams |
| 2003 | John Selya | Movin' Out | Eddie |
| 2003 | Brian Stokes Mitchell | Man of La Mancha | Don Quixote / Cervantes |
| 2004 |
| 2004 | Hugh Jackman | The Boy from Oz | Peter Allen |
| 2004 | Hunter Foster | Little Shop of Horrors | Seymour |
| 2004 | Tyrone Giordano | Big River | Huckleberry Finn |
| 2004 | Michael McElroy | Big River | Jim |
| 2004 | Alfred Molina | Fiddler on the Roof | Tevye |
| 2004 | Euan Morton | Taboo | George |
| 2005 |
| 2005 | Norbert Leo Butz | Dirty Rotten Scoundrels | Freddy Benson |
| 2005 | Hank Azaria | Monty Python's Spamalot | Various Characters |
| 2005 | Mike Burstyn | On Second Avenue | Performer |
| 2005 | Matthew Morrison | The Light in the Piazza | Fabrizio Naccarelli |
| 2005 | David Hyde Pierce | Monty Python's Spamalot | Sir Robin |
| 2005 | Bill Thompson | God Hates the Irish | Johnny Kavanaugh |
| 2006 |
| 2006 | John Lloyd Young | Jersey Boys | Frankie Valli |
| 2006 | Michael Cerveris | Sweeney Todd | Sweeney Todd |
| 2006 | Harry Connick Jr. | The Pajama Game | Sid Sorokin |
| 2006 | Marc Kudisch | See What I Wanna See | Morito / Husband / CPA |
| 2006 | Stephen Lynch | The Wedding Singer | Robbie Hart |
| 2006 | Bob Martin | The Drowsy Chaperone | Man in Chair |
| 2007 |
| 2007 | Raúl Esparza | Company | Robert |
| 2007 | Michael Cerveris | LoveMusik | Kurt Weill |
| 2007 | John Gallagher Jr. | Spring Awakening | Moritz |
| 2007 | Jonathan Groff | Spring Awakening | Melchior |
| 2007 | David Hyde Pierce | Curtains | Lieutenant Frank Cioffi |
| 2007 | Martin Short | Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me | Himself |
| 2008 |
| 2008 | Paulo Szot | South Pacific | Emile de Becque |
| 2008 | Daniel Breaker | Passing Strange | Youth |
| 2008 | André De Shields | Black Nativity | Preacher / Narrator |
| 2008 | Daniel Evans | Sunday in the Park with George | George |
| 2008 | Cheyenne Jackson | Xanadu | Sonny Malone |
| 2008 | Matthew Morrison | 10 Million Miles | Duane |
| 2009 |
| 2009 | Brian d'Arcy James | Shrek the Musical | Shrek |
| 2009 | James Barbour | A Tale of Two Cities | Sydney Carton |
| 2009 | Daniel Breaker | Shrek the Musical | Donkey |
| 2009 | Josh Grisetti | Enter Laughing | David Kolowitz |
| 2009 | Sahr Ngaujah | Fela! | Fela Kuti |
| 2009 | Will Swenson | Hair | Berger |

### 2010s

| Year | Actor | Musical | Character |
| 2010 |
| 2010 | Douglas Hodge | La Cage aux Folles | Albin |
| 2010 | Brandon Victor Dixon | The Scottsboro Boys | Haywood Patterson |
| 2010 | Cheyenne Jackson | Finian's Rainbow | Woody |
| 2010 | Chad Kimball | Memphis | Huey Calhoun |
| 2010 | Nathan Lane | The Addams Family | Gomez |
| 2010 | Bobby Steggert | Yank! | Stu |
| 2011 |
| 2011 | Norbert Leo Butz | Catch Me If You Can | Carl Hanratty |
| 2011 | Colin Donnell | Anything Goes | Billy Crocker |
| 2011 | Daniel Radcliffe | How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying | J. Pierrepont Finch |
| 2011 | Andrew Rannells | The Book of Mormon | Elder Price |
| 2011 | Tony Sheldon | Priscilla, Queen of the Desert | Bernadette |
| 2011 | Christopher Sieber | The Kid | Dan |
| 2012 |
| 2012 | Danny Burstein | Follies | Buddy Plummer |
| 2012 | Kevin Earley | Death Takes a Holiday | Death / Sirki |
| 2012 | Raúl Esparza | Leap of Faith | Jonas Nightengale |
| 2012 | Jeremy Jordan | Newsies | Jack Kelly |
| 2012 | Norm Lewis | Porgy and Bess | Porgy |
| 2012 | Ricky Martin | Evita | Che |
| 2013 |
| 2013 | Billy Porter | Kinky Boots | Lola |
| 2013 | Eric Anderson | Soul Doctor | Shlomo Carlebach |
| 2013 | Brian d'Arcy James | Giant | Bick |
| 2013 | Jim Norton | The Mystery of Edwin Drood | Mayor Thomas Sapsea / William Cartwright |
| 2013 | Steve Rosen | The Other Josh Cohen | Josh Cohen |
| 2013 | Ryan Silverman | Passion | Giorgio |
| 2013 | Anthony Warlow | Annie | Oliver Warbucks |
| 2014 |
| 2014 | Neil Patrick Harris | Hedwig and the Angry Inch | Hedwig |
| 2014 | Jefferson Mays | A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder | The D'Ysquith Family |
| 2014 | Adam Jacobs | Aladdin | Aladdin |
| 2014 | Andy Karl | Rocky the Musical | Rocky Balboa |
| 2014 | Steven Pasquale | The Bridges of Madison County | Robert Kincaid |
| 2014 | Bryce Pinkham | A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder | Monty Navarro |
| 2015 |
| 2015 | Robert Fairchild | An American in Paris | Jerry Mulligan |
| 2015 | Brian d'Arcy James | Something Rotten! | Nick Bottom |
| 2015 | Jeremy Kushnier | Atomic | Leo Szilard |
| 2015 | Lin-Manuel Miranda | Hamilton | Alexander Hamilton |
| 2015 | Matthew Morrison | Finding Neverland | J. M. Barrie |
| 2015 | Ryan Silverman | Side Show | Terry Connor |
| 2016 |
| 2016 | Danny Burstein | Fiddler on the Roof | Tevye |
| 2016 | Robert Creighton | Cagney | James Cagney |
| 2016 | Michael C. Hall | Lazarus | Thomas Newton |
| 2016 | Zachary Levi | She Loves Me | Georg Nowack |
| 2016 | Benjamin Walker | American Psycho | Patrick Bateman |
| 2017 |
| 2017 | Andy Karl | Groundhog Day | Phil Connors |
| 2017 | Nick Blaemire | Tick, Tick... Boom! | Jonathan |
| 2017 | Jon Jon Briones | Miss Saigon | The Engineer |
| 2017 | Nick Cordero | A Bronx Tale | Sonny |
| 2017 | Jeremy Secomb | Sweeney Todd | Sweeney Todd |
| 2018 |
| 2018 | Ethan Slater | SpongeBob SquarePants | SpongeBob SquarePants |
| 2018 | Jelani Alladin | Frozen | Kristoff Bjorgman |
| 2018 | Harry Hadden-Paton | My Fair Lady | Henry Higgins |
| 2018 | Joshua Henry | Carousel | Billy Bigelow |
| 2018 | Evan Ruggiero | Bastard Jones | Performer |
| 2019 |
| 2019 | Santino Fontana | Tootsie | Michael Dorsey/Dorothy Michaels |
| 2019 | Brooks Ashmanskas | The Prom | Barry Glickman |
| 2019 | Andrew R. Butler | Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future | Rags Parkland |
| 2019 | Damon Daunno | Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma! | Curly McLain |
| 2019 | Steven Skybell | Fidler Afn Dakh | Tevye |

### 2020s

| Year | Actor | Musical | Character |
| 2020 |
| 2020 | Larry Owens | A Strange Loop | Usher |
| 2020 | David Aron Damane | The Unsinkable Molly Brown | JJ |
| 2020 | Chris Dwan | Enter Laughing | David Kolowitz |
| 2020 | Joshua Henry | The Wrong Man | Duran |
| 2020 | Francis Jue | Soft Power | DHH |
| 2021 | No awards: New York theatres shuttered, March 2020 to September 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City | No awards: New York theatres shuttered, March 2020 to September 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City | No awards: New York theatres shuttered, March 2020 to September 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City |
| 2022 |
| 2022 | Jaquel Spivey | A Strange Loop | Usher |
| 2022 | Billy Crystal | Mr. Saturday Night | Buddy Young, Jr. |
| 2022 | Myles Frost | MJ | MJ |
| 2022 | Rob McClure | Mrs. Doubtfire | Daniel Hillard |
| 2022 | Chip Zien | Harmony: A New Musical | Elder Rabbi |