Over the years, there have been so many record-breaking and memorable Tony Award winners. The awards show that was first established in 1947 to honor those who work and perform in the Broadway theatre industry has recognized so many great people. It is both a privilege and an honor for those to become Tony Award winners, and with all of those recognized every year, it makes you wonder: who are the oldest and youngest people to become Tony Award winners?
The Oldest Tony Award Winner
The Tony Awards have been around since 1947 and have given out hundreds of awards over the years. However, it wasn’t until 2021 that the oldest of all the Tony Award winners was given out. Lois Smith set the record for the oldest person to ever become one of the many Tony Award Winners.
She took home the award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play for her role as Margaret in The Inheritance. At the time of winning the award, she was 90 years old, easily making her the oldest person to ever take home a Tony Award.
Prior to finally winning her big award, she was nominated for a Tony Award two times, once for her work in The Grapes of Wrath in 1990 and Buried Child in 1996.
Despite not winning those two, she never gave up and continued to act and show her passion for Broadway. It might have taken her until she was 90 years old, but now she’s one of the oldest Tony Award Winners ever.
The Youngest Tony Award Winner
Out of all the Tony Award Winners, there are two that are so close when it comes to being the youngest, just months separating the two.
In 1991, many people believed that Daisy Eagan was the youngest Tony Award winner ever. Eagan took home the award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role as Lennox in The Secret Garden. At the time of her win, Eagan was 11 and a half, but many people didn’t realize that there was another winner years before Eagan who was younger.
In 1966, Frankie Michaels took home the award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical, where he played the role of Patrick Dennis in Mame. Michaels was born May 5, 1995, making him 11 years and 42 days old at the time of his win. By just a few months, he beat Daisy Eagan to become the youngest person to ever win a Tony Award.
Winning an award at 90 years old is a huge feat after a long career, but so is taking home an award at just a little over 11 years old. Both Lois Smith and Frankie Michaels have made history in their own right.
