Special Tony Award

! style="width:11%;"| Year

! style="width:33%;”| Recipient

! style="width:56%;”| Reason

| Dora Chamberlain

| Unfailing courtesy as treasurer of the Martin Beck Theatre

| Enthusiasm as inveterate first-nighters

| Being the season's most prolific backer and producer

| The annual publication of The Ten Best Plays

| Intricate construction for the production of If the Shoe Fits

| Providing a transient home and comfort station for theatre folk at Sardi's for 20 years

| Rosalind Gilder

| Contribution to theatre through a publication for Theatre Arts

| Distinguished wing volunteer worker through the war and after

| Progressive Theatre Operators to Operator of the American Theatre, St. Louis

| Spreading theatre to the country in Harvey, while the originals perform in New York

| Outstanding Foreign Company

| Progressive theatre operators to President of City Investing Company, St. Louis

| Experiment in theatre

| Outstanding Performance by a Newcomer for For Love or Money

| Spreading theatre to the country in Annie Get Your Gun, while the originals perform in New York

| Twenty-five years of courteous and efficient service as a backstage doorman at the Empire Theatre

| Outstanding Performance by a Newcomer for Command Decision

| colspan="2" {{n/a}}

! style="width:11%;"| Year

! style="width:33%;”| Recipient

! style="width:56%;”| Reason

| Maurice Evans

| Special recognition for guiding the City Center Theatre Company through a highly successful season

| Representing those workers from the American Theatre Wing's hospital program who had performed hospital volunteer work outside of New York

| Founder of awards and its original chairman

| Ruth Green

| Her services as a volunteer in arranging reservation and seating for the five Tony Awards

| Charles Boyer

| His performance in Don Juan in Hell, thereby assisting in a new theatre trend

| An important contribution to the revival of vaudeville through her recent stint at the Palace Theatre

| His contributing to and encouraging the development of stage lighting and electronics

| Danny Kaye

| Heading a variety bill at the Palace Theatre. Equity Community Theatre

| Her performance in An Evening with Beatrice Lillie

| colspan="2" {{n/a}}

| Proscenium Productions

| Presented to Warren Enters, Robert Merriman and Sybil Trubin for high quality and viewpoints shown in The Way of the World and Thieves Carnival

| colspan="2"| Fourth Street Chekov Theatre

| Presented to founder George Freedley for its distinguished service to the theatre

| Presented to producer Carmen Capalbo for her distinguished Off-Broadway production

| colspan="2"| American Shakespeare Festival

| His performance in Auntie Mame

| Louise Heims Beck

| Fifteen years of untiring dedication to the American Theatre Wing, which she served as treasurer, secretary and chairman of the board of directors

| Presenting free performances in Central Park and the Hecksher Theater

| Russel Crouse and Howard Lindsay

| A collaboration that lasted longer than Gilbert and Sullivan

| Contribution to theatre for his extraordinary insight into the writings of Shakespeare as demonstrated in his one-man play, Ages of Man

| Contribution to the theatre

! style="width:11%;"| Year

! style="width:33%;”| Recipient

! style="width:56%;”| Reason

| Burgess Meredith and James Thurber

| Their production of A Thurber Carnival

| Vision and leadership in creating the Lincoln Center, a landmark of theatre encompassing the performing arts

| David Merrick

| In recognition of a fabulous production record over the last seven years

| Organizing the first repertory to go abroad for the State Department; presented to Warren Caro{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/01/02/obituaries/warren-caro-87-theater-executive.html|title=Warren Caro, 87, Theater Executive|date=January 2, 1995|page=43|work=The New York Times}}

| Brooks Atkinson

| His influential theatre critique in The New York Times

| 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

| His designs and direction of the Old Vic's Romeo and Juliet

| Alan Bennett, Peter Cook, Jonathan Miller and Dudley Moore

| Their brilliance in Beyond the Fringe, which has shattered all the old concepts of comedy

| His distinguished contribution to the musical theatre for these many years

| On behalf of the Ford Foundation for his and their distinguished support of the American Theatre

| Eva Le Gallienne

| Celebrating her 50th year as an actress, honored for her work with the National Repertory Theatre

| Gilbert Miller

| Producing 88 plays and musicals and for his perseverance which has helped to keep New York and theatre alive

| Helen Menken

| A lifetime of devotion and dedicated service to the Broadway theatre

| colspan="2" {{n/a}}

| colspan="2"| APA-Phoenix Theatre

| colspan="2"| Leonard Bernstein

! style="width:11%;"| Year

! style="width:33%;”| Recipient

! style="width:56%;”| Reason

| Noël Coward

| Multiple and immortal contributions to the theatre

| Pioneering efforts on behalf of new plays

| Star of the Decade

| Ingram Ash

| Decades of devoted service to the theatre

| Distinguished theatrical commentary

| Chronicling Broadway through the years

| Fiddler on the Roof

| Presented to Harold Prince for becoming the longest-running musical in Broadway history

| Its many years of service to audiences for touring shows; presented to Warren Caro

| colspan="2"| John Lindsay (Mayor of New York City)

| colspan="2"| Actors' Equity Association

| An outstanding dramatic revival of an American classic

| An outstanding contribution to the artistic development of the musical theatre

| Co-stars and authors of Good Evening

| Theatre Award '74

| Adding lustre to the Broadway season

| Adding lustre to the Broadway season

| Theatre Award '74

| Al Hirschfeld

| Fifty years of theatrical cartoons

| George Abbott

| Lawrence Langner Award

| Twenty-five continuous years of quality productions

| Gifted lighting in countless Broadway shows and many Tony telecasts

| Outstanding service to the Broadway musical theatre

| Cheryl Crawford

| Lawrence Langner Award

| Irving Berlin

| Lawrence Langner Award

| To the creators of the I Love New York Broadway show tours and its sponsor, the New York State Department of Commerce

| Walter F. Diehl

| Being an active force in advancing the well-being of the Broadway theatre and of theatre nationally

| Lawrence Langner Award

! style="width:11%;"| Year

! style="width:33%;”| Recipient

! style="width:56%;”| Reason

| Richard Fitzgerald

| Installing the infrared system in Broadway theatres, thus bringing the compassion and dedication of making theatergoing for those with impaired hearing, rewarding and enjoyable

| Lawrence Langner Award

| Her performance in Whose Life Is It Anyway?

| Theatre Award '80

| Lena Horne

| Her performance in Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music

| Radio City Music Hall

| Theatre Award '82

| Theatre Award '82

| colspan="2" {{n/a}}

| A Chorus Line

| In honor of becoming Broadway's longest-running musical

| A master craftsman who has devoted forty years to theatre stagecraft and magic

| Brooks Atkinson Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre

| Outstanding achievement in musical theatre

| Yul Brynner

| Honoring his 4,525 performances in The King and I

| colspan="2" {{n/a}}

| George Abbott

| On the occasion of his 100th birthday

| His performance in The World According to Me

|Lawrence Langner Award (posthumously)

| colspan="2"| Brooklyn Academy of Music

| colspan="2" {{n/a}}

! style="width:11%;"| Year

! style="width:33%;”| Recipient

! style="width:56%;”| Reason

| colspan="2" {{n/a}}

| Oklahoma!

| 50th anniversary

| Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy

| Lifetime Achievement

| Carol Channing

| Lifetime Achievement

| Tony Honor

| Lifetime Achievement after 50 years in the theater

| colspan="2" {{n/a}}

| Bernard B. Jacobs

| Lifetime Achievement

| Edward E. Colton

| rowspan="2"| Lifetime Achievement

| Uta Hagen

| rowspan="3"| Lifetime Achievement

! style="width:11%;"| Year

! style="width:33%;”| Recipient

! style="width:56%;”| Reason

| Dame Edna: The Royal Tour

| Live Theatrical Presentation

| Lifetime Achievement

| Paul Gemignani

| Lifetime Achievement

| Julie Harris

| rowspan="2"| Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre

| Cy Feuer

| Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre

| Special Theatrical Event (Competitive)

| James M. Nederlander

| Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre

| Edward Albee

| Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre

| Sarah Jones

| Her performance in Bridge and Tunnel

| Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre

| colspan="2" {{n/a}}

| Robert Russell Bennett

| In recognition of his contribution to the field of orchestrations

| Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre

| Jerry Herman

| Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre

! style="width:11%;"| Year

! style="width:33%;”| Recipient

! style="width:56%;”| Reason

| Alan Ayckbourn

| rowspan="2"| Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre

|Athol Fugard

|rowspan ="2" |Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre

| colspan="2"| Actors' Equity Association

| colspan="2"| Bernard "Bernie" Gersten

| Jane Greenwood

| Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre

| colspan="2"| John Cameron Mitchell

| Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre

| Sheldon Harnick

| rowspan="2"| Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre

|James Earl Jones

|Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre

| Andrew Lloyd Webber

| rowspan="2"| Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre

| Rosemary Harris

| rowspan="3"| Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre

| For the puppetry of the title character in King Kong

! style="width:11%;"| Year

! style="width:33%;”| Recipient

! style="width:56%;”| Reason

|Graciela Daniele

|Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre

| colspan="2" {{n/a}}

| Angela Lansbury

|Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre

| Joel Grey

|rowspan="2" |Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre

| Jack O'Brien

| rowspan="2"|Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre

| "Exemplary debut" for Just for Us

| Modern theatrical sound design

| Hair and wig design for Jaja's African Hair Braiding

| Harvey Fierstein

| Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre

| The musicians who make up the band of Buena Vista Social Club

| The illusions and technical effects of Stranger Things: The First Shadow