John Lithgow and Lesley Manville win acting Oliviers

By Charlotte McLaughlin, PA Senior Entertainment Reporter

American actor John Lithgow and British actress Lesley Manville have won the acting categories at the 2025 Olivier Awards.

Lithgow, 79, took home best actor in a play at the night of London theatre on Sunday, for playing Roald Dahl in Giant, about the children’s author grappling with whether to make a public apology.

On stage he said he might “faint”, and then told the audience that he wants to “assure you that the special relationship is still firmly intact”, between the UK and the US, after US President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on British exports.

Lithgow also said that “it’s not always easy to welcome an American into your midst, and at this particular moment, it’s probably a little more complicated than usual”.

Backstage, he told the PA news agency that “hopefully, we (the US) are at the beginning of a period of restoration and reparation” citing Democratic senator Cory Booker’s speech urging a rejection of Mr Trump’s agenda.

Lithgow added that he did have hope, despite the “complete disaster of this administration”.

His co-star, English actor Elliot Levey, took best actor in a supporting role, while best actress went to Mrs Harris Goes To Paris star Manville, for Greek tragedy Oedipus at the Wyndham’s Theatre in London.

Manville told PA that she felt “emotional” on stage, because it was something she “felt very strongly about being” in.

She also said that she needed to take an early flight to film in Dublin on Monday, so she would not be getting “much sleep tonight”.

Winners also included Emma star Romola Garai, who beat herself to win best actress in a supporting role for Annie Ernaux memoir The Years.

She told PA that she was “slightly worried that, because of the two nominations, I was going to hear the wrong play”. She was also nominated in the category for Giant.

Garai added: “And then when I was on stage, I was standing there thinking I had this sudden, kind of terrifying thought that I was maybe accepting the award on behalf of the wrong play, which was kind of like a fever dream I’ve had for the last few weeks – but I don’t think that happened.”

The annual event, which celebrates theatrical productions, is being co-hosted by British singer Beverley Knight and Pose star Billy Porter at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

The ceremony will air at 10.15pm on Sunday on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player.