Dame Imelda Staunton has won her fifth Olivier Award, taking home Best Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Dolly Gallagher Levi in Hello, Dolly! at the London Palladium.
Her win was among the most celebrated moments of the evening at the 2025 Olivier Awards, held yesterday at the Royal Albert Hall. The ceremony also honoured standout productions including Giant, Fiddler on the Roof, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Titanique, The Years and actors John Dalgleish, Lesley Manville, John Lithgow, Layton Williams, Romola Garai and Elliot Levey. [See the full list of winners here].
Directed by Dominic Cooke, this critically acclaimed revival marked Staunton’s triumphant return to the stage — and solidified her status as one of the most formidable talents in British theatre history.
Staunton’s Dolly, described as “sparkling with wit, warmth and iron resolve,” was praised by critics and audiences alike for its layered depth and impeccable comic timing. With a signature blend of emotional precision and theatrical flair, she turned Jerry Herman’s beloved matchmaker into a richly human figure — both commanding and heartbreakingly sincere. Her performance was not only a crowd-pleaser, but a masterclass in musical theatre characterisation. [Read a round-up of Hello, Dolly! reviews here].
Photos: Imelda Staunton in Hello, Dolly!
The win places Staunton in rarefied company. Over a career spanning four decades, she has become a defining presence on the British stage. This latest honour adds to her previous Olivier wins, including Best Actress in a Musical for The Bakers Wife in Into the Woods (1991), Mrs Lovett in Sweeney Todd (2013), Rose in Gypsy (2015), and her dual Best Supporting Actress nod for The Corn Is Green and A Chorus of Disapproval (1985).
In total, Staunton has been nominated for the Olivier Award thirteen times. Her breadth of work is astonishing — from Shakespeare to Shaw, Ayckbourn to Albee, and musicals to modern classics. Other celebrated roles include Sally in Follies ( 2018), Kath in Entertaining Mr Sloane (2009), Margie Walsh in Good People (2014), Irene Ruddock in Talking Heads (2020), Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls (1982) and Mrs. Swabb in Habeas Corpus (1996).
Beyond the stage, Staunton has built an equally celebrated career on screen. She won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her haunting portrayal of a working-class woman facing a moral crisis in Vera Drake (2004), a performance that also earned her Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild nominations. She memorably played the chillingly prim Dolores Umbridge in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix — a role that became one of the most iconic (and reviled) in the franchise’s history.
On television, Staunton has garnered widespread acclaim for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in the final two seasons of Netflix’s The Crown, bringing a quiet strength and nuanced humanity to the monarch’s later years. She also portrayed Alma Reville, the wife of Alfred Hitchcock, in HBO’s The Girl, adding to a growing list of celebrated television performances. With three Golden Globe nominations and two Primetime Emmy nods, Staunton continues to demonstrate her extraordinary range across every medium. She was made a Dame in the 2024 King’s Birthday Honours.
Currently in rehearsal for George Bernard Shaw’s Mrs Warren’s Profession, Staunton is set to return to the West End this spring at the Garrick Theatre, where she will star opposite her daughter, Bessie Carter (Bridgerton). The production, also helmed by Cooke, promises an explosive mother-daughter showdown at the heart of Shaw’s still-radical drama.
Mrs Warren’s Profession runs from 10 May 2025 to 16 August 2025 at the Garrick Theatre in London.
Book tickets to Mrs Warren’s Profession at the Garrick Theatre
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