Did anyone ever win a Tony for their theatre debut?

[Michael Bennett]

Not really a tv/film star but Jazz/Recording star Dee Dee Bridgewater won a Tony for THE WIZ which was her first theatrical role ever.

[bobs3]

I think Daisy Eagan covered the roles of Gavroche, Young Cosette, and Young Eponine in LES MISERABLES before she did THE SECRET GARDEN.

[Leadingplayer]

Not sure if this is true....(and they didn't win Tonys) but I believe Nicole Kidman (The Blue Room) and Carla Guigino (After the Fall) had never even done a school play prior to their Bway debuts. If so I think they both did ok considering.

[Wynbish]

I guess it's safe to say that, as far as we know, no film/TV star won a Tony for their first professional stage role.

Unless you count the South Park guys, who technically did win Tony awards and are film and TV performers themselves

[goldenboy]

Whoopi (before anyone knew her) had a one woman show on Broadway in 1984 produced by Mike Nichols. This put her on the map. She was the new discovery and the thing to see. She won a Drama Desk Award and a Theatre world award for it. Then she did The Color Purple and the rest is history.

[somethingwicked]

Tonys aside, in terms of stars who'd never done professional theater before appearing on Broadway, Jena Malone had never done a play at any time in her life before replacing Heather Goldenhersh in DOUBT.

[Wynbish]

Did Julia Roberts do professional theatre before Three Days of Rain?

[Leadingplayer]

I'm not sure if it counts as professional...but Roberts' parents ran a theatre in Georgia where Julia and her siblings all did things.