13th Tony Awards


The 13th Annual Tony Awards took place at the Waldorf-Astoria Grand Ballroom on April 12, 1959, and was broadcast on local television station WCBS-TV in New York City. The Master of Ceremonies was Bud Collyer.

The ceremony

Presenters: Dana Andrews, Ina Balin, Ralph Bellamy, Polly Bergen, Claudette Colbert, Robert Dowling, Faye Emerson, Farley Granger, Oscar Hammerstein II, Celeste Holm, Robert Preston, and Rip Torn. Music was by Meyer Davis and his Orchestra.

Winners and nominees

Source:InfoPlease
Winners are in bold
Best PlayBest Musical

  • Redhead
  • * Flower Drum Song
  • * La Plume de Ma Tante
    • Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a PlayBest Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
  • Jason Robards, Jr. – The Disenchanted as Manley Halliday
  • * Cedric Hardwicke – A Majority of One as Koichi Asano
  • * Alfred Lunt – The Visit as Anton Schill
  • * Christopher Plummer – J.B. as Nickles
  • * Cyril Ritchard – The Pleasure of His Company as Biddeford Poole
  • * Robert Stephens – Epitaph for George Dillon as George Dillon
  • Gertrude Berg – A Majority of One as Bertha Jacoby
  • * Claudette Colbert – The Marriage-Go-Round as Content Lowell
  • * Lynn Fontanne – The Visit as Claire Zachanassian
  • * Kim Stanley – A Touch of the Poet as Sara Melody
  • * Maureen Stapleton – The Cold Wind and the Warm as Ida
    • Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a MusicalBest Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
  • Richard Kiley – Redhead as Tom Baxter
  • * Larry Blyden – Flower Drum Song as Sammy Fong
  • Gwen Verdon – Redhead as Essie Whimple
  • * Miyoshi Umeki – Flower Drum Song as Mei-Li
    • Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a PlayBest Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
  • Charlie Ruggles – The Pleasure of His Company as Mackenzie Savage
  • * Marc Connelly – Tall Story as Professor Charles Osman
  • * George Grizzard – The Disenchanted as Shep Stearns
  • * Walter Matthau – Once More, with Feeling! as Maxwell Archer
  • * Robert Morse – Say, Darling as Ted Snow
  • * George C. Scott – Comes a Day as Tydings Glenn
  • Julie Newmar – The Marriage-Go-Round as Katrin Sveg
  • * Maureen Delany – God and Kate Murphy as Carrie Donovan
  • * Dolores Hart – The Pleasure of His Company as Jessica Poole
  • * Nan Martin – J.B. as Sarah
  • * Bertice Reading – Requiem for a Nun as Nancy Mannigoe
    • Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a MusicalBest Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
  • Russell Nype – Goldilocks as George Randolph Brown
  • Leonard Stone – Redhead as George Poppett
  • Pat Stanley – Goldilocks as Lois Lee
  • * Julienne Marie – Whoop-Up as Mary Champlain
    • Best DirectorBest Choreography
  • Elia Kazan – J.B.
  • * Peter Brook – The Visit
  • * Robert Dhéry – La Plume de Ma Tante
  • * William Gaskill – Epitaph for George Dillon
  • * Peter Glenville – Rashomon
  • * Cyril Ritchard – The Pleasure of His Company
  • * Dore Schary – A Majority of One
  • Bob Fosse – Redhead
  • * Agnes de Mille – Goldilocks
  • * Carol Haney – Flower Drum Song
  • * Onna White – Whoop-Up
    • Best Scenic DesignBest Costume Design
  • Donald Oenslager – A Majority of One
  • * Boris Aronson – J.B.
  • * Ballou – The Legend of Lizzie
  • * Ben Edwards – Jane Eyre
  • * Oliver Messel – Rashomon
  • * Teo Otto – The Visit
  • Rouben Ter-Arutunian – Redhead
  • * Antonio Castillo – Goldilocks
  • * Dorothy Jenkins – The World of Suzie Wong
  • * Oliver Messel – Rashomon
  • * Irene Sharaff – Flower Drum Song
    • Best Conductor and Musical DirectorBest Stage Technician
  • Salvatore Dell'Isola – Flower Drum Song
  • * Jay Blackston – Redhead
  • * Lehman Engel – Goldilocks
  • * Gershon Kingsley – La Plume de Ma Tante
  • Sam Knapp – The Music Man
  • * Thomas Fitzgerald – Who Was That Lady I Saw You With?
  • * Edward Flynn – The Most Happy Fella

    • Special awards

  • 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 Dhéry, Michael Kent, Jean Lefevre, Jacques Legras, Michael Modo, Pierre Olaf, Nicole Parent, Ross Parker, Henri Pennec, for contribution to the theatre.

    Multiple nominations and awards

    • These productions had multiple nominations:
    The following productions received multiple awards.