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Tony Awards History: Look Back at Broadway's Biggest Night | THR Video
The Hollywood Reporter
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6/4/2025
How did this legendary ceremony honoring Broadway's biggest and brightest stars come to be? The Hollywood Reporter is taking a look back at the history of the Tony Awards.
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00:00
How did this legendary ceremony honoring Broadway's biggest and brightest stars come to be?
00:05
Let's take a look back at the history of the Tony Awards.
00:08
This photo was taken at one of the first ceremonies in 1950,
00:11
just a few years after the American Theatre Wing established the Tony Awards
00:15
to celebrate excellence in theatre in 1947.
00:18
Performers at the first ceremony included Mickey Rooney and Ethel Waters.
00:23
The awards were named after Antoinette Tony Perry,
00:25
an actress, director and producer, as well as the dynamic wartime leader of the American Theatre Wing,
00:31
who had recently passed.
00:32
The Broadway community quickly embraced the Tony Awards,
00:35
and the gala dinner became one of the highlights of the New York theatre season.
00:39
But the ceremony wasn't broadcast on national television until the 21st Annual Awards in 1967,
00:46
which was also the first time the event was co-presented with the Broadway League.
00:49
Guests that year included Carol Burnett, Warren Beatty, Barbara Harris, who won a Tony that night,
00:54
Harry Belafonte, and Kirk Douglas, among many others.
00:58
In 1978, CBS began carrying the ceremony,
01:01
and the network has broadcast the Tonys every year since.
01:04
Today, the Tony Awards remain the pinnacle of acknowledgement for Broadway theatre,
01:08
and winning one has become a crucial component in obtaining the highly coveted EGOT,
01:13
a.k.a. when a performer has won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and a Tony.
01:18
The list of only 21 performers in history who can call themselves competitive EGOT winners
01:22
includes Viola Davis, Rita Moreno, Jennifer Hudson, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Elton John, and Audrey Hepburn.
01:30
For much more on the 2025 Tony Awards, stick with The Hollywood Reporter.
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