# Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical

The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured 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 Featured Actor in a Musical, along with Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical, were replaced in 2023 with the gender neutral category of Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical.

## Winners and nominees
### 1970s

| Year | Actor | Musical | Character |
| 1975 |
| 1975 | Ted Ross | The Wiz | The Lion |
| 1975 | Hinton Battle | The Wiz | The Scarecrow |
| 1975 | Pinta DeCola | In Gay Company | Unknown |
| 1975 | Jerry Lanning | Where's Charley? | Jack Chesney |
| 1975 | Gilbert Price | The Night That Made America Famous | Performer |
| 1975 | Richard Schull | Goodtime Charley | Minguet |
| 1976 |
| 1976 | George Rose | My Fair Lady | Alfred P. Doolittle |
| 1976 | Haruki Fujimoto | Pacific Overtures | Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry |
| 1976 | James Harder | Very Good Eddie | Steward / Al Cleveland |
| 1976 | Barry Preston | Bubbling Brown Sugar | Charlie / Count |
| 1977 |
| 1977 | Ken Bichel | I Love My Wife | Norman |
| 1977 | Michael Mark | I Love My Wife | Stanley |
| 1977 | John Miller | I Love My Wife | Harvey |
| 1977 | Joseph Saulter | I Love My Wife | Quenton |
| 1977 | Daniel Benzali | Music Is | Feste |
| 1977 | Jack Cassidy | She Loves Me | Stephen Kodaly |
| 1977 | Christopher Hewett | Music Is | Malvolio |
| 1977 | Larry Marshall | Porgy and Bess | Sportin' Life |
| 1978 |
| 1978 | Kevin Kline | On the Twentieth Century | Bruce Granit |
| 1978 | Joel Higgins | Angel | Ben Gant |
| 1978 | Matt Landers | Working | Various Characters |
| 1978 | Brad Sullivan | Working | Mike LeFevre |
| 1978 | Charles Ward | Dancin' | Performer |
| 1978 | Lee Wilkof | The Present Tense | Performer |
| 1979 |
| 1979 | Ken Jennings | Sweeney Todd | Tobias Ragg |
| 1979 | Richard Cox | Platinum | Dan Danger |
| 1979 | Bob Gunton | King of Hearts | Raoul |

### 1980s

| Year | Actor | Musical | Character |
| 1980 |
| 1980 | Bob Gunton | Evita | Juan Perón |
| 1980 | Joe Grifasi | The 1940's Radio Hour | Neal Tilden |
| 1980 | Harry Groener | Oklahoma! | Will Parker |
| 1980 | Jeff Keller | The 1940's Radio Hour | Johnny Cantone |
| 1980 | Don Novello | Gilda Radner – Live from New York | Himself |
| 1980 | Martin Vidnovic | Oklahoma! | Jud Fry |
| 1981 |
| 1981 | Tony Azito | The Pirates of Penzance | The Sergeant of Police |
| 1981 | Gregg Burge | Sophisticated Ladies | Performer |
| 1981 | Michael Davis | Broadway Follies | Performer |
| 1981 | Lee Roy Reams | 42nd Street | Billy Lawlor |
| 1981 | Paxton Whitehead | Camelot | Pellinore |
| 1982 |
| 1982 | Cleavant Derricks | Dreamgirls | James "Thunder" Early |
| 1982 | Mark Hardwick | Pump Boys and Dinettes | L. M. |
| 1982 | Ben Harney | Dreamgirls | Curtis Taylor, Jr. |
| 1983 |
| 1983 | Charles "Honi" Coles | My One and Only | Mr. Magix |
| 1983 | Bruce Hubbard | Show Boat | Joe |
| 1983 | Franc Luz | Little Shop of Horrors | Orin Scrivello, D.D.S. |
| 1983 | Randle Mell | The Cradle Will Rock | Larry Foreman |
| 1984 |
| 1984 | Martin Vidnovic | Baby | Nick Sakarian |
| 1984 | Mace Barrett | Taking My Turn | Eric |
| 1984 | Hinton Battle | The Tap Dance Kid | Dipsey |
| 1984 | Charles Kimbrough | Sunday in the Park with George | Jules |
| 1985 |
| 1985 | René Auberjonois | Big River | The Duke |
| 1985 | John Goodman | Big River | Pap Finn |
| 1985 | Bob Gunton | Big River | The King |
| 1985 | Howard McGillin | La bohème | Marcel |
| 1985 | Timothy Nolen | Grind | Doyle |
| 1985 | John Short | Big River | Tom Sawyer |
| 1986 |
| 1986 | Michael Rupert | Sweet Charity | Oscar Lindquist |
| 1986 | Jason Alexander | Personals | Various Characters |
| 1986 | Gregg Burge | Song and Dance | Man |
| 1986 | Joe Grifasi | The Mystery of Edwin Drood | Bazzard / Mr. Philip Bax |
| 1987 |
| 1987 | Michael Maguire | Les Misérables | Enjolras |
| 1987 | Timothy Jerome | Me and My Girl | Herbert Parchester |
| 1987 | Michael O'Gorman | Smile | Tommy French |
| 1987 | Joaquin Romaguera | Gay Divorce | Teddy |
| 1988 |
| 1988 | Robert Westenberg | Into the Woods | Cinderella's Prince / The Wolf |
| 1988 | Harry Goz | Chess | Molokov |
| 1988 | Anthony Heald | Anything Goes | Evelyn Oakleigh |
| 1988 | Bill McCutcheon | Anything Goes | Moonface Martin |
| 1988 | Herbert L. Rawlings, Jr. | Dreamgirls | James "Thunder" Early |
| 1989 |
| 1989 | — | — | — |

### 1990s

| Year | Actor | Musical | Character |
| 1990 |
| 1990 | Michael Jeter | Grand Hotel | Otto Kringelein |
| 1990 | René Auberjonois | City of Angels | Irving S. Irving / Buddy Fidler |
| 1990 | Laurence Guittard | The Sound of Music | Various Characters |
| 1990 | Jonathan Hadary | Gypsy | Herbie |
| 1991 |
| 1991 | Bruce Adler | Those Were the Days | Various Characters |
| 1991 | John Cameron Mitchell | The Secret Garden | Dickon |
| 1991 | John Remme | A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum | Senex |
| 1991 | Lee Wilkof | Assassins | Samuel Byck |
| 1992 |
| 1992 | Scott Waara | The Most Happy Fella | Herman |
| 1992 | Bruce Adler | Crazy for You | Bela Zangler |
| 1992 | Walter Bobbie | Guys and Dolls | Nicely-Nicely Johnson |
| 1992 | Savion Glover | Jelly's Last Jam | Young Jelly |
| 1993 |
| 1993 | Mark Michael Hutchinson | Blood Brothers | Eddie |
| 1993 | Jerry Lanning | Anna Karenina | Prince Stephen Oblonsky |
| 1993 | Josh Mostel | My Favorite Year | Sy Benson |
| 1994 |
| 1994 | Jarrod Emick | Damn Yankees | Joe Hardy |
| 1994 | George de la Peña | The Red Shoes | Grisha Ljubov |
| 1994 | Sam Harris | Grease | Doody |
| 1994 | John Cameron Mitchell | Hello Again | The Young Thing |
| 1994 | Burke Moses | Beauty and the Beast | Gaston |
| 1995 |
| 1995 | — | — | — |
| 1996 |
| 1996 | Wilson Jermaine Heredia | Rent | Angel Dumott Schunard |
| 1996 | Lewis Cleale | Swinging on a Star | Various Characters |
| 1996 | Michael McGrath | Swinging on a Star | Various Characters |
| 1996 | Brett Tabisel | Big: the musical | Billy Kopecki |
| 1996 | Scott Wise | State Fair | Pat Gilbert |
| 1996 | Ben Wright | State Fair | Wayne Frake |
| 1997 |
| 1997 | Joel Grey | Chicago | Amos Hart |
| 1997 | Stanley Bojarski | When Pigs Fly | Various Characters |
| 1997 | André De Shields | Play On! | Jester |
| 1997 | Sam Harris | The Life | Jojo |
| 1997 | Michael McElroy | Violet | Flick |
| 1997 | Jay Rogers | When Pigs Fly | Various Characters |
| 1998 |
| 1998 | Gregg Edelman | 1776 | Edward Rutledge |
| 1998 | Max Cassella | The Lion King | Timon |
| 1998 | Geoffrey Hoyle | The Lion King | Zazu |
| 1998 | John McMartin | High Society | Uncle Willie |
| 1998 | Renoly Santiago | The Capeman | Tony Hernandez |
| 1998 | Steven Sutcliffe | Ragtime | Mother's younger Brother |
| 1999 |
| 1999 | Roger Bart | You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown | Snoopy |
| 1999 | Bryan Batt | Forbidden Broadway Cleans Up Its Act | Various Characters |
| 1999 | Michel Bell | The Civil War | Clayton Toler |
| 1999 | Rufus Bonds Jr. | Parade | Jim Conley |
| 1999 | Ron Taylor | It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues | Various Characters |
| 1999 | Chip Zien | A New Brain | Mr. Bungee |

### 2000s

| Year | Actor | Musical | Character |
| 2000 |
| 2000 | Stephen Spinella | James Joyce's The Dead | Freddy Malins |
| 2000 | Jason Antoon | Contact | Husband |
| 2000 | Christopher Fitzgerald | Saturday Night | Bobby |
| 2000 | Alistair Izobell | Kat and the Kings | Magoo |
| 2000 | Michael Mulheren | Kiss Me, Kate | Second Man |
| 2000 | Lee Wilkof | Kiss Me, Kate | First Man |
| 2001 |
| 2001 | Gary Beach | The Producers | Roger de Bris |
| 2001 | Roger Bart | The Producers | Carmen Ghia |
| 2001 | John Ellison Conlee | The Full Monty | Dave Bukatinsky |
| 2001 | André De Shields | The Full Monty | Noah "Horse" T. Simmons |
| 2001 | Mark Jacoby | Enter the Guardsman | The Playwright |
| 2001 | Jeff McCarthy | Urinetown | Officer Lockstock |
| 2002 |
| 2002 | Shuler Hensley | Oklahoma! | Jud Fry |
| 2002 | Justin Bohon | Oklahoma! | Will Parker |
| 2002 | Norbert Leo Butz | Thou Shalt Not | Camille Raquin |
| 2002 | Jerry Dixon | Tick, Tick... Boom! | Michael |
| 2002 | Gregg Edelman | Into the Woods | Cinderella's Prince / The Wolf |
| 2002 | Marc Kudisch | Thoroughly Modern Millie | Trevor Graydon III |
| 2003 |
| 2003 | Dick Latessa | Hairspray | Wilbur Turnblad |
| 2003 | John Dossett | Gypsy | Herbie |
| 2003 | Christopher Fitzgerald | Amour | Bertrand |
| 2003 | Charles Keating | A Man of No Importance | Carney / Oscar Wilde |
| 2003 | Steven Pasquale | A Man of No Importance | Robbie Fay |
| 2003 | Corey Reynolds | Hairspray | Seaweed J. Stubbs |
| 2004 |
| 2004 | Raúl Esparza | Taboo | Phillip Sallon |
| 2004 | Joel Blum | Golf: The Musical | Bob Hope |
| 2004 | Jeffrey Carlson | Taboo | Marilyn |
| 2004 | Mitchel David Federan | The Boy from Oz | Boy |
| 2004 | Marc Kudisch | Assassins | Proprietor |
| 2004 | Raymond Jaramillo McLeod | Wonderful Town | Wreck |
| 2005 |
| 2005 | Denis O'Hare | Sweet Charity | Oscar Lindquist |
| 2005 | Christian Borle | Spamalot | Various Characters |
| 2005 | Gregory Jbara | Dirty Rotten Scoundrels | Andre |
| 2005 | Norm Lewis | Dessa Rose | Nathan |
| 2005 | Tyler Maynard | Altar Boyz | Mark |
| 2005 | Michael McGrath | Spamalot | Mayor / Patsy |
| 2006 |
| 2006 | Jim Dale | The Threepenny Opera | Mr. Peachum |
| 2006 | Alexander Gemignani | Sweeney Todd | The Beadle |
| 2006 | Christian Hoff | Jersey Boys | Tommy DeVito |
| 2006 | Eddie Korbich | The Drowsy Chaperone | George |
| 2006 | John McMartin | Grey Gardens | J.V. "Major" Bouvier |
| 2006 | Daniel Reichard | Jersey Boys | Bob Gaudio |
| 2007 |
| 2007 | Gavin Lee | Mary Poppins | Bert |
| 2007 | Brooks Ashmanskas | Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me | Comedy All Star |
| 2007 | Christian Borle | Legally Blonde | Emmett Forrest |
| 2007 | Aaron Lazar | Les Misérables | Enjolras |
| 2007 | Orville Mendoza | Adrift in Macao | Tempura |
| 2007 | David Pittu | LoveMusik | Bertolt Brecht |
| 2008 |
| 2008 | Boyd Gaines | Gypsy | Herbie |
| 2008 | Danny Burstein | South Pacific | Luther Billis |
| 2008 | Christopher Fitzgerald | Young Frankenstein | Igor |
| 2008 | Shuler Hensley | Young Frankenstein | The Monster |
| 2008 | Bobby Steggert | The Slug Bearers of Kayrol Island | Immanuel Lebang |
| 2008 | Tom Wopat | A Catered Affair | Tom Hurley |
| 2009 |
| 2009 | Gregory Jbara | Billy Elliot the Musical | Mr. Elliot |
| 2009 | Hunter Foster | Happiness | Stanley |
| 2009 | Demond Green | The Toxic Avenger | Black Dude |
| 2009 | Marc Kudisch | 9 to 5 | Franklin Hart Jr. |
| 2009 | Bryce Ryness | Hair | Woof |
| 2009 | Christopher Sieber | Shrek the Musical | Lord Farquaad |

### 2010s

| Year | Actor | Musical | Character |
| 2010 |
| 2010 | Christopher Fitzgerald | Finian's Rainbow | Og |
| 2010 | Kevin Chamberlin | The Addams Family | Uncle Fester |
| 2010 | Robin de Jesús | La Cage aux Folles | Jacob |
| 2010 | Jeffry Denman | Yank! | Artie |
| 2010 | Jeremy Morse | Bloodsong of Love | Lo Cocodrilo |
| 2010 | Bobby Steggert | Ragtime | Mother's Younger Brother |
| 2011 |
| 2011 | John Larroquette | How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying | J.B. Biggley |
| 2011 | Adam Godley | Anything Goes | Lord Evelyn Oakleigh |
| 2011 | Brian Stokes Mitchell | Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown | Ivan |
| 2011 | Rory O'Malley | The Book of Mormon | Elder McKinley |
| 2011 | Bob Stillman | Hello Again | The Husband |
| 2011 | Tom Wopat | Catch Me If You Can | Frank Abagnale Sr. |
| 2012 |
| 2012 | Michael McGrath | Nice Work If You Can Get It | Cookie McGee |
| 2012 | Phillip Boykin | Porgy and Bess | Crown |
| 2012 | Matt Cavenaugh | Death Takes a Holiday | Eric Fenton |
| 2012 | Michael Cerveris | Evita | Juan Perón |
| 2012 | Patrick Page | Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark | Green Goblin |
| 2012 | Andrew Samonsky | Queen of the Mist | Frank Russell |
| 2013 |
| 2013 | Bertie Carvel | Matilda the Musical | Miss Trunchbull |
| 2013 | Stephen Bogardus | Passion | Colonel Ricci |
| 2013 | John Bolton | A Christmas Story: The Musical | The Old Man |
| 2013 | Keith Carradine | Hands on a Hardbody | JD Drew |
| 2013 | John Dossett | Giant | Bawley |
| 2013 | Andy Karl | The Mystery of Edwin Drood | Neville Landless |
| 2014 |
| 2014 | James Monroe Iglehart | Aladdin | Genie |
| 2014 | Danny Burstein | Cabaret | Herr Schultz |
| 2014 | Nick Cordero | Bullets Over Broadway: The Musical | Cheech |
| 2014 | Joshua Henry | Violet | Flick |
| 2014 | Rory O'Malley | Nobody Loves You | Evan |
| 2014 | Bobby Steggert | Big Fish | William Bloom |
| 2015 |
| 2015 | Christian Borle | Something Rotten! | The Bard |
| 2015 | Peter Friedman | Fly By Night | Mr. McClam |
| 2015 | Josh Grisetti | It Shoulda Been You | Marty Kaufman |
| 2015 | Andy Karl | On the Twentieth Century | Bruce Granit |
| 2015 | Leslie Odom, Jr. | Hamilton | Aaron Burr |
| 2015 | Brad Oscar | Something Rotten! | Nostradamus |
| 2015 | Max von Essen | An American in Paris | Henri Baurel |
| 2016 |
| 2016 | Christopher Fitzgerald | Waitress | Ogie |
| 2016 | Nicholas Barasch | She Loves Me | Arpad Laszlo |
| 2016 | Baylee Littrell | Disaster! | Ben / Lisa |
| 2016 | Paul Alexander Nolan | Bright Star | Jimmy Ray Dobbs |
| 2016 | A.J. Shively | Bright Star | Billy Cane |
| 2017 |
| 2017 | Gavin Creel | Hello, Dolly! | Cornelius Hackl |
| 2017 | Jeffry Denman | Kid Victory | Michael |
| 2017 | George Salazar | The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical | Grover |
| 2017 | Ari'el Stachel | The Band's Visit | Haled |
| 2017 | Brandon Uranowitz | Falsettos | Mendel |
| 2018 |
| 2018 | Gavin Lee | SpongeBob SquarePants | Squidward Tentacles |
| 2018 | Damon Daunno | The Lucky Ones | Various |
| 2018 | Alexander Gemignani | Carousel | Enoch Snow |
| 2018 | Grey Henson | Mean Girls | Damian Hubbard |
| 2018 | Tony Yazbeck | Prince of Broadway | Various |
| 2019 |
| 2019 | André De Shields | Hadestown | Hermes |
| 2019 | Corbin Bleu | Kiss Me, Kate | Bill Calhoun/Lucentio |
| 2019 | Sydney James Harcourt | Girl from the North Country | Joe Scott |
| 2019 | George Salazar | Be More Chill | Michael Mell |
| 2019 | Patrick Vaill | Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma! | Jud Fry |

### 2020s

| Year | Actor | Musical | Character |
| 2020 |
| 2020 | Christian Borle | Little Shop of Horrors | Orin Scrivello |
| 2020 | George Abud | Emojiland | Nerd Face |
| 2020 | Jay Armstrong Johnson | Scotland, PA | Banko |
| 2020 | Conrad Ricamora | Soft Power | Xue Xing |
| 2020 | Ryan Vasquez | The Wrong Man | The Man in Black |
| 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 | Matt Doyle | Company | Jamie |
| 2022 | Justin Austin | Intimate Apparel | George Armstrong |
| 2022 | Justin Cooley | Kimberly Akimbo | Seth |
| 2022 | Jared Grimes | Funny Girl | Eddie Ryan |
| 2022 | Tavon Olds-Sample | MJ | Michael |

## Multiple Wins
### 2 wins

* Christian Borle