The Tony Awards are named after which person?

The Tony Awards are named after Antoinette Perry.

Mary Antoinette “Tony” Perry was an American actress, producer, director, and theatre administrator. She was a co-founder and secretary of the American Theatre Wing, an organization that supported theatre professionals and operated Stage Door Canteens during World War II.

After Perry died in 1946, theatre producer Brock Pemberton proposed creating awards in her honor. The first ceremony took place on April 6, 1947, at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria hotel. The formal name is the Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, although “Tony Awards” quickly became the familiar name.

The nickname was sometimes mistakenly associated with male celebrities named Tony, including Tony Bennett or Tony Randall. It actually comes from Perry’s nickname. The awards were briefly referred to as the “Perry Awards” in their earliest years, but “Tony” became permanent and is now one of theatre’s best-known award names.