1990s
| Year | Actress | Play | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 |
|||
| Maggie Smith | Lettice and Lovage | Lettice Douffet | |
| Geraldine James | The Merchant of Venice | Portia | |
| Mary-Louise Parker | Prelude to a Kiss | Rita Boyle | |
| Kathleen Turner | Cat on a Hot Tin Roof | Maggie Pollitt | |
| 1991 |
|||
| Mercedes Ruehl | Lost in Yonkers | Bella Kurnitz | |
| Stockard Channing | Six Degrees of Separation | Ouisa Kittredge | |
| Julie Harris | Lucifer's Child | Karen Blixen | |
| Cherry Jones | Our Country's Good | Liz Morden/Reverend Johnson | |
| 1992 |
|||
| Glenn Close | Death and the Maiden | Paulina Salas Escobar | |
| Jane Alexander | The Visit | Claire Zachanassian | |
| Stockard Channing | Four Baboons Adoring the Sun | Penny McKenzie | |
| Judith Ivey | Park Your Car in Harvard Yard | Kathleen Hogan | |
| 1993 |
|||
| Madeline Kahn | The Sisters Rosensweig | Gorgeous Teitelbaum | |
| Jane Alexander | The Sisters Rosensweig | Sara Goode | |
| Lynn Redgrave | Shakespeare for My Father | Lynn Redgrave | |
| Natasha Richardson | Anna Christie | Anna Christopherson | |
| 1994 |
|||
| Diana Rigg | Medea | Medea | |
| Joan Rivers | Sally Marr...and her escorts | Sally Marr | |
| Nancy Marchand | The White Liars/Black Comedy | Mrs. Furnival/Sophie | |
| Anna Deavere Smith | Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 | Various Characters | |
| 1995 |
|||
| Cherry Jones | The Heiress | Catherine Sloper | |
| Eileen Atkins | Indiscretions | Léonie | |
| Mary Alice | Having Our Say | Bessie Delany | |
| Helen Mirren | A Month in the Country | Natalia Petrovna | |
| 1996 |
|||
| Zoe Caldwell | Master Class | Maria Callas | |
| Carol Burnett | Moon Over Buffalo | Charlotte Hay | |
| Rosemary Harris | A Delicate Balance | Agnes | |
| Elaine Stritch | A Delicate Balance | Claire | |
| 1997 |
|||
| Janet McTeer | A Doll's House | Nora Helmer | |
| Julie Harris | The Gin Game | Fonsia Dorsey | |
| Shirley Knight | The Young Man From Atlanta | Lily Dale Kidder | |
| Lia Williams | Skylight | Kyra Hollis | |
| 1998 |
|||
| Marie Mullen | The Beauty Queen of Leenane | Maureen Folan | |
| Jane Alexander | Honour | Honor | |
| Allison Janney | A View from the Bridge | Beatrice Carbone | |
| Geraldine McEwan | The Chairs | Old Woman | |
| 1999 |
|||
| Judi Dench | Amy's View | Esme Allen | |
| Stockard Channing | The Lion in Winter | Eleanor of Aquitaine | |
| Marian Seldes | Ring Round the Moon | Madame Desmermortes | |
| Zoë Wanamaker | Electra | Electra |
Read more about this topic: Tony Award For Best Actress In A Play, Winners and Nominees