Familiar faces from TV and film have scooped many of the top prizes at the UK’s most prestigious theatre awards, the Oliviers.

At a ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall, the American actor John Lithgow was named the Best Actor for playing the children’s author Roald Dahl in Giant. His co-star, Elliot Levey, won the Olivier for Best Supporting Actor. Giant was also named the Best New Play.

The Olivier for Best Actress went to Lesley Manville, for the Greek tragedy Oedipus, which was also named the Best Revival. Romola Garai was nominated for two roles in the Best Supporting Actress category and won for the Annie Ernaux memoir, The Years.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button won the Best New Musical award, while the best musical revival went to Fiddler On The Roof, which went into the night with the most nominations.

The Benjamin Button star John Dagleish was named the Best Actor in a Musical, with Layton Williams taking the corresponding supporting prize for Titanique, which also won the Olivier for the Best New Entertainment or Comedy Play.

Imelda Staunton was named the Best Actress in a Musical for Hello, Dolly! Best Supporting Actress in a Musical went to Maimuna Memon, for Natasha.

The other awards, handed out at the ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall, were:

Best Director

Winner: Eline Arbo for The Years

 

Best Costume Design

Winner: Gabriella Slade for Starlight Express

 

Best Sound Design

Winner: Nick Lidster for Fiddler on the Roof

 

Best Family Show

Winner: Brainiac Live at Marylebone Theatre

 

Best Theatre Choreographer

Winner: Christopher Wheeldon for MJ The Musical

 

Best Set Design

Winner: Tom Scutt for set design — Fiddler on the Roof

 

Best Lighting Design

Winner: Paule Constable and Ben Jacobs — Oliver!

 

Best New Production in Affiliate Theatre

Winner: Boys on the Verge of Tears — Soho Theatre

 

Outstanding Achievement in Opera

Winner: Allan Clayton for Festen at the Royal Opera House

 

Best New Opera Production

Winner: Festen by the Royal Opera at the Royal Opera House

 

Best New Dance Production

Winner: Assembly Hall — Sadler’s Wells

 

Outstanding Achievement in Dance

Winner: Eva Yerbabuena for her performance in Yerbabuena

 

Outstanding Musical Contribution

Winner: Darren Clark for Music Supervision, Orchestrations and Arrangements and Mark Aspinall for Musical Direction, Music Supervision, Orchestrations and Arrangements for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button