John Lithgow won the 2026 Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Play for his performance as Roald Dahl in Mark Rosenblatt’s Giant, marking his third Tony in a career spanning more than five decades on stage.
Accepting the award, Lithgow noted the symmetry of his career: “I’m such a lucky actor. This is my third Tony Award. My first one was 53 years ago at my Broadway debut in the American premiere of an English play, which by an amazing coincidence originated at London’s Royal Court Theatre, just like Giant.”
Lithgow’s previous Tony wins came in 1973 for Best Featured Actor in a Play for The Changing Room and in 2002 for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for Sweet Smell of Success. He competed against Will Harrison for Punch, Nathan Lane for Death of a Salesman, Daniel Radcliffe for Every Brilliant Thing, and Mark Strong.
John Lithgow wins 2026 Tony for best actor in a play for Giant
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The Play and Its Journey
Directed by two-time Tony winner Nicholas Hytner, Giant premiered in London’s West End last year, where it earned three 2025 Olivier Awards including Best New Play. Lithgow reprised his Olivier-winning performance when the production transferred to Broadway’s Music Box Theatre, which opened March 23, 2026.
The play explores the life and legacy of children’s author Roald Dahl amid cultural reckoning over prejudiced language in his work. In 2023, hundreds of words in Dahl’s books were altered or omitted from future printings to remove negative references to race, ethnicity, gender, and disabilities. The supporting cast includes Aya Cash as U.S. publisher Jessie Stone and Olivier-winning performer Elliot Levey as Dahl’s Jewish publisher, Tom Maschler.
Sources
- Playbill — John Lithgow’s Tony win, his third award, the play’s details, cast, and Olivier Awards history
- The New York Times — Confirmation of the 2026 Tony win
- Broadway.com — Background on Lithgow’s Tony nomination and the play’s opening
