Special Tony Award

1947

• Dora Chamberlain for unfailing courtesy as treasurer of the Martin Beck Theatre
• Ira and Rita Katzenberg for enthusiasm as inveterate first-nighters^[5]
• Jules Leventhal for the season's most prolific backer and producer
• Burns Mantle for the annual publication of The Ten Best Plays
• P. A. MacDonald for intricate construction for the production of If the Shoe Fits
• Vincent Sardi for providing a transient home and comfort station for theatre folk at Sardi's for 20 years

1948

• Rosalind Gilder Contribution To Theatre Through A Publication for Editor, Theatre Arts
• Vera Allen Distinguished Wing Volunteer Worker Through The War And After
• Experimental Theatre Inc., For Experiment In Theatre, John Garfield Accepted
• The Cast of The Importance of Being Earnest Outstanding Foreign Company
• June Lockhart For Love or Money Outstanding Performance By Newcomers
• James Whitmore Command Decision Outstanding Performance By Newcomers
• Robert W. Dowling Progressive Theatre Operators to President of City Investing Company,
• Paul Beisman Progressive Theatre Operators to Operator of the American Theatre, St. Louis
• George Pierce for twenty-five years of courteous and efficient service as a backstage doorman (Empire Theatre)
• Mary Martin Annie Get Your Gun Spreading Theatre To The Country While The Originals Perform In New York
• Joe E. Brown Harvey Spreading Theatre To The Country While The Originals Perform In New York

1950

• Maurice Evans—special recognition for guiding City Center theatre company through a highly successful season.
• Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt presented a special award to volunteer worker Philip Faversham of the American Theatre Wing's hospital program, representing those workers who had performed hospital volunteer work outside of New York.
• Brock Pemberton founder of awards and its original chairman (posthumous)

1951

• Ruth Green for her services as a volunteer in arranging reservation and seating for the five Tony Awards.

1952

• Judy Garland for an important contribution to the revival of vaudeville through her recent stint at the Palace Theatre.
• Edward Kook for his contributing to and encouraging the development of stage lighting and electronics.
• Charles Boyer for distinguished performance in Don Juan in Hell, thereby assisting in a new theatre trend.

1953

• Beatrice Lillie for An Evening with Beatrice Lillie.
• Danny Kaye for heading a variety bill at the Palace Theatre. Equity Community Theatre.

1954

no award

1955

• Proscenium Productions, an Off-Broadway company at the Cherry Lane Theatre, for generally high quality and viewpoint shown in The Way of the World and Thieves Carnival. Presented to Warren Enters, Robert Merriman and Sybil Trubin.

1956

• City Center
• Fourth Street Chekov Theatre
• The Shakespearewrights
• The Threepenny Opera distinguished Off-Broadway production; Carmen Capalbo, Stanley Chase, producers.
• The New York Public Library Theatre Collection twenty-fifth anniversary for its distinguished service to the theatre. George Freedley, founder and curator, accepted.

1957

• American Shakespeare Festival Stratford, Connecticut
• Jean-Louis Barrault—French Repertory
• Robert Russell Bennett
• William Hammerstein
• Paul Shyre

1958

• New York Shakespeare Festival for presenting free performances in Central Park and the Hecksher Theater.
• Mrs. Martin Beck for fifteen years of untiring dedication to the American Theatre Wing, which she served as treasurer, secretary and chairman of the board of directors. Presented by Elaine Perry, daughter of Antoinette Perry.
• Circle in the Square Phoenix Theatre, Esther Hawley

1959

• John Gielgud for contribution to theatre for his extraordinary insight into the writings of Shakespeare as demonstrated in his one-man play, Ages of Man.
• Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse for a collaboration that lasted longer than Gilbert and Sullivan.
• Cast of La Plume de Ma Tante (Pamela Austin, Colette Brosset, Roger Caccia, Yvonne Constant, Genevieve Coulombel, Robert Dhery, Michael Kent, Jean Lefevre, Jacques Legras, Michael Modo, Pierre Olaf, Nicole Parent, Ross Parker, Henri Pennec), for contribution to the theatre.

1960

• John D. Rockefeller III for vision and leadership in creating the Lincoln Center, a landmark of theatre encompassing the performing arts.
• James Thurber and Burgess Meredith A Thurber Carnival

1961

• David Merrick In recognition of a fabulous production record over the last seven years.
• The Theatre Guild For organizing the first repertory to go abroad for the State Department.

1962

• Brooks Atkinson Retired drama critic of the New York Times
• Franco Zeffirelli For designs and direction of the Old Vic's Romeo and Juliet.
• Richard Rodgers For all he has done for young people in the theatre and for taking the men of the orchestra out of the pit and putting them on stage in No Strings.

1963

• W. McNeil Lowry On behalf of the Ford Foundation for his and their distinguished support of the American Theatre.
• Irving Berlin For his distinguished contribution to the musical theatre for these many years
• Alan Bennett, Peter Cook, Jonathan Miller and Dudley Moore, For Beyond the Fringe, for their brilliance which has shattered all the old concepts of comedy.

1964

• Eva Le Gallienne Celebrating her 50th year as an actress, honored for her work with the National Repertory Theatre.

1965

• Gilbert Miller For having produced 88 plays and musicals and for his perseverance which has helped to keep New York and theatre alive
• Oliver Smith

1966

• Helen Menken For a lifetime of devotion and dedicated service to the Broadway theatre.

1967

no award

1968

• Audrey Hepburn
• Carol Channing
• Pearl Bailey
• David Merrick
• Maurice Chevalier
• APA-Phoenix Theatre
• Marlene Dietrich

1969

• The National Theatre Company of Great Britain
• The Negro Ensemble Company
• Rex Harrison
• Leonard Bernstein
• Carol Burnett

1970

• Noël Coward – for multiple and immortal contributions to the theatre
• Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne
• New York Shakespeare Festival – for pioneering efforts on behalf of new plays
• Barbra Streisand

1971

• Elliot Norton drama critic, for distinguished theatrical commentary.
• Ingram Ash president of Blaine-Thompson Advertising, for decades of devoted service to the theatre.
• Playbill for chronicling Broadway through the years.
• Roger L. Stevens

1972

• The Theatre Guild-American Theatre Society for its many years of service to audiences for touring shows.
• Fiddler on the Roof on becoming the longest-running musical in Broadway history. Presented to Harold Prince.
• Ethel Merman
• Richard Rodgers

1973

• John Lindsay Mayor of New York
• The Actor's Fund of America
• Shubert Organization

1974

• Liza Minnelli For adding lustre to the Broadway season
• Bette Midler For adding lustre to the Broadway season
• Peter Cook and Dudley Moore Co-stars and authors of Good Evening
• A Moon for the Misbegotten An outstanding dramatic revival of an American classic. Produced by Lester Osterman, Elliott Martin and Richard Hurner
• Candide An outstanding contribution to the artistic development of the musical theatre. Produced by Chelsea Theatre Group, Harold Prince and Ruth Mitchell
• Actor's Equity Association

1974 (cont.)

• The Theatre Development Fund
• John F. Wharton Veteran theatrical attorney (Theatre Award '74)
• Harold Friedlander The industry's foremost printing expert (Theatre Award '74)

1975

• Al Hirschfeld For 50 years of theatrical cartoons (Theatre Award '75)

1976

• George Abbott - Lawrence Langner Award
• Mathilde Pincus For outstanding service to the Broadway musical theatre
• Thomas H. Fitzgerald To the gifted lighting technician of countless Broadway shows and many Tony telecasts. (Posthumous)
• Circle in the Square For twenty-five continuous years of quality productions
• Richard Burton

1977

• Cheryl Crawford - Lawrence Langner Award
• Lily Tomlin
• Barry Manilow
• Diana Ross
• National Theatre of the Deaf
• Equity Liberty Theatre

1978

• Irving Berlin - Lawrence Langner Memorial Award for Distinguished Lifetime Achievement in the American Theatre
• Charles Moss and Stan Dragoti To the creators (of Wells, Rich, Greene, Inc.) of the I Love New York Broadway Show Tours and its sponsor, the New York State Department of Commerce. (Theatre Award '78)

1979

• Richard Rodgers - Lawrence Langner Memorial Award for Distinguished Lifetime Achievement in the American Theatre
• Henry Fonda
• Walter F. Diehl International President of Theatrical Stage Employees and Moving Picture Operators, has been an active force in advancing the well-being of the Broadway theatre and of theatre nationally
• Eugene O'Neill Memorial Theater Center, Waterford, Connecticut

1980

• Goodspeed Musicals, accepted by Michael P. Price (Special Tony Award '80)
• Helen Hayes - Lawrence Langner Memorial Award for Distinguished Lifetime Achievement in the American Theatre
• Mary Tyler Moore Whose Life Is It Anyway?
• Richard Fitzgerald honored for his installing the infrared system in Broadway theatres, thus bringing the compassion and dedication of making theatergoing for those with impaired hearing, rewarding and enjoyable (Theatre Award '80)
• Hobe Morrison theater editor of Variety (Theatre Award '80)

1981

• Lena Horne Lena Horne: The Lady and her Music

1982

• The Actors' Fund of America
• Warner Communications (Theatre Award '82)
• Radio City Music Hall (Theatre Award '82)

1983

no award

1984

• La Tragedie de Carmen For outstanding achievement in musical theatre
• Peter Feller A master craftsman who has devoted forty years to theatre stagecraft and magic
• A Chorus Line Gold Tony Award, in honor of becoming Broadway's longest-running musical

1985

• Yul Brynner Honoring his 4,525 performances in The King and I
• New York State Council on the Arts

1986

no award

1987

• Jackie Mason for The World According to Me
• George Abbott on the occasion of his 100th birthday

1988

• Brooklyn Academy of Music

1989

no award

Source:Internet Broadway Database^[6] BroadwayWorld Tony Database^[7]

1990

• none

1991

• none

1992

• none

1993^[8]

• Oklahoma! 50th anniversary in 1993

1994

• Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn, the first recipients of the special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement^[9]

1995^[10]

• Carol Channing Lifetime Achievement
• Harvey Sabinson, (retiring as executive director of the League of American Theaters and Producers after 50 years in the theater) Lifetime Achievement
• National Endowment for the Arts, accepted by Jane Alexander (Tony Honor)

1996

none

1997^[11]

• Bernard B. Jacobs (president of the Shubert Organization) Lifetime Achievement

1998^[12]

• Edward E. Colton Lifetime Achievement
• Ben Edwards Lifetime Achievement

1999^[13][14]

• Isabelle Stevenson Lifetime Achievement
• Uta Hagen Lifetime Achievement
• Arthur Miller Lifetime Achievement

2000^[15]

• Dame Edna: The Royal Tour – Live Theatrical Presentation
• T. Edward Hambleton – Lifetime Achievement

2001^[16]

• Paul Gemignani – Lifetime Achievement

2002^[17]

• Robert Whitehead - Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
• Julie Harris - Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre

2003^[18]

• Cy Feuer – Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
• Russell Simmons' Def Poetry Jam on Broadway – Special Theatrical Event (Competitive)

2004^[19]

• James M. Nederlander – Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre

2005^[20]

• Edward Albee – Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre

2006^[21]

• Sarah Jones, Bridge and Tunnel
• Harold Prince – Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre

2007

no award

2008^[22]

• Stephen Sondheim – Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
• Robert Russell Bennett – in recognition of his contribution to the field of orchestrations

2009^[23]

• Jerry Herman – Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre

2010^[24]

• Marian Seldes – Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
• Alan Ayckbourn – Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre

2011

• No award

2012^[25]

• Hugh Jackman
• Actors' Equity Association
• Bernadette Peters - for her work in saving the lives of countless animals through her charity Broadway Barks