Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actor

The Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actor is an annual award presented since 1955 by the Evening Standard in recognition of achievement in British theatre. Richard Burton was the inaugural winner of the award. The most recent recipient is Andrew Scott.

Simon Russell Beale has won the award the most frequently, with four separate wins. Albert Finney, Ian Holm, Alec McCowen, Laurence Olivier, and Paul Scofield have each won the award thrice, while thirteen other actors have won twice. Chiwetel Ejiofor was the first black actor to win, and Adrian Lester was the second. Two instances have occurred where two actors have been awarded as winners from the same play: In 2011, Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller from Frankenstein; and again in 2013, Rory Kinnear and Lester from Othello. 2001 was the first year in which additional runner-ups/nominees were recognized, rather than just the winners as in all the years' prior.

Awards
4 wins 3 wins
 * Simon Russell Beale
 * Albert Finney
 * Ian Holm
 * Alec McCowen
 * Laurence Olivier
 * Paul Scofield

2 wins
 * Tom Courtenay
 * Ralph Fiennes
 * Michael Gambon
 * John Gielgud
 * Alan Howard
 * Rory Kinnear
 * James McAvoy
 * Ian McKellen
 * Eric Porter
 * Michael Redgrave
 * Andrew Scott
 * Nicol Williamson
 * John Wood

Nominations
3 nominations 2 nominations
 * Kenneth Branagh
 * Andrew Scott
 * Bertie Carvel
 * Paapa Essiedu
 * Charles Edwards
 * James McAvoy
 * Ian McKellen
 * Simon Russell Beale