At 96, June Squibb’s Awards Milestone Proves Great Performances Have No Age Limit

Jun 09, 2026 by apost team

June Squibb’s Tony Awards nomination for “Marjorie Prime” stands as a milestone in Broadway history. At 96, the acclaimed actress became the oldest acting nominee in Tony Awards history, earning recognition for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play. The honor added another remarkable chapter to a career that stretches from the original Broadway production of “Gypsy” in 1959 to an Academy Award-nominated screen performance in “Nebraska” and a leading turn in the action comedy “Thelma.”

In “Marjorie Prime,” Squibb plays an older woman whose memories are preserved, questioned and reshaped through an artificial-intelligence companion modeled on her late husband. Written by Jordan Harrison and directed on Broadway by Anne Kauffman, the play explores aging, grief, identity and the fragile stories people hold onto as time passes.

The Broadway production brought together an impressive cast, including Danny Burstein, Cynthia Nixon and Christopher Lowell. It opened at the Hayes Theater on Dec. 8, 2025, after previews that began on Nov. 20, 2025, and closed on Feb. 15, 2026, according to IBDB. For Squibb, the nomination was not just a career honor; it was a reminder that meaningful artistic moments can still arrive deep into a performer’s life.

Despite her category being eventually won by Laurie Metcalf for Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman,” Squibb’s place in the season remained unforgettable. Her presence at the ceremony turned a nomination into a celebration of endurance, craft and the power of staying visible.

Squibb’s Broadway story began long before “Marjorie Prime.” She made her Broadway debut in the original 1959 production of “Gypsy,” playing Electra opposite Ethel Merman. That early credit connects her directly to one of American musical theater’s most famous productions and shows the extraordinary range of a career built across stage, film and television.

Her screen career brought wider public recognition through Alexander Payne’s “Nebraska,” for which she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in 2014. In 2024, she led “Thelma,” a warmly received action comedy about an older woman determined to recover money lost in a phone scam. Those roles helped introduce Squibb to audiences who may not have known her long theatrical history.

Her “Marjorie Prime” nomination also placed her in conversation with other Broadway legends who reached historic milestones later in life. Lois Smith was 89 when nominated for “The Inheritance” and became the oldest acting Tony winner at 90. Cicely Tyson won Best Actress in a Play for “The Trip to Bountiful” in 2013 at age 88. Squibb’s recognition at 96 pushed that record even further.

The most fitting part of the story is Squibb’s own humor about the achievement.

“I’m thrilled with what this nomination will do for my career,” she said in a statement reported by Playbill.

The line captures what makes her milestone so appealing: it is not framed as a farewell, but as another opening.

Her work in “Marjorie Prime” reflected the same spirit. The play asks what remains when memory becomes uncertain. Squibb’s career offers one answer: presence, discipline and the courage to keep stepping into the light.

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June Squibb’s milestone shows that talent does not come with an expiration date and is a reminder that powerful careers can keep unfolding at any age. Would you like to see more veteran performers celebrated on major stages? Let us know, and then pass this along to someone who loves Broadway, classic performers or stories of lasting determination!