| Year | Hamlet | Location | Company |
|---|---|---|---|
| c. 1600 | Richard Burbage | ||
| 1775 | Sarah Simmons | Worcester | |
| c. 1870 | Edwin Booth | ||
| 1800s | Henry Irving | ||
| c. 1895 | Johnston Forbes-Robertson | ||
| 1922 | John Barrymore | ||
| 1920s | Ernest Milton | ||
| 1930 | Henry Ainley | ||
| John Gielgud | Old Vic | Old Vic | |
| 1934 | John Gielgud | West End / Touring | |
| 1936 | John Gielgud | Broadway | |
| Leslie Howard | Broadway | ||
| 1937 | Laurence Olivier | Old Vic;
Elsinore, Denmark |
Old Vic |
| 1938 | Alec Guiness | London & Broadway | |
| 1939 | John Gielgud | Elsinore, Denmark | |
| 1948 | Paul Scofield
Robert Helpman (alternating) |
Royal Shakespeare Company | |
| 1950 | Michael Redgrave | Liverpool
Zurich Festival Holland Festival Elsinore, Denmark |
Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company |
| 1951 | Alec Guiness | West End | |
| Ian Bannen | Royal Shakespeare Company | ||
| 1953 | Richard Burton | Old Vic -
London |
|
| 1954 | Richard Burton | Elsinore, Denmark | |
| 1957 | Christopher Plummer | Stratford | |
| 1958 | Peter O'Toole | Bristol Old Vic -
Bristol, England |
|
| Michael Redgrave | Stratford
Russian tour |
Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company | |
| 1963 | Peter O'Toole | Old Vic -
London, Engand |
|
| 1964 | Richard Burton | Broadway | |
| 1965 | David Warner | Royal Shakespeare Company | |
| 1969 | Richard Chamberlain | Birmingham | |
| 1970 | Alan Howard | Royal Shakespeare Company | |
| 1975 | Ben Kingsley | Royal Shakespeare Company | |
| 1977 | Derek Jacobi | Touring in the UK | Prospect Theatre Company |
| 1979 | Derek Jacobi | International tour, including
Elsinore, Denmark |
Prospect Theatre Company |
| 1980 | Michael Pennington | Royal Shakespeare Company | |
| Jonathan Pryce | |||
| 1984 | Roger Rees | Royal Shakespeare Company | |
| 1986 | Kevin Kline | ||
| 1987 | Philip Franks | Royal Shakespeare Company | |
| 1988 | Kenneth Branagh | Elsinore, Denmark | Renaissance Theatre Company |
| 1989 | Mark Rylance | Royal Shakespeare Company | |
| Daniel Day-Lewis | London | ||
| 1990 | Kevin Kline | ||
| 1992 | Kenneth Branagh | Royal Shakespeare Company | |
| 1994 | Stephen Dillane | International tour;
West End (Gielgud Theater) |
|
| 1995 | Keanu Reeves | Winnipeg, Manitoba | |
| 1997 | Alex Jennings | Royal Shakespeare Company | |
| 2000 | Simon Russell Bealle | Lyttleton; Elsinore | National Theatre |
| Adrian Schiller | Royal Shakespeare Company | ||
| 2001 | Angela Winkler | ||
| Sam West | Royal Shakespeare Company | ||
| 2004 | Ben Whishaw | Old Vic,
London |
|
| Toby Stephens | Royal Shakespeare Company | ||
| 2006 | Vaneshram Arumuga | Royal Shakespeare Company | |
| 2008 | Jamie Ballard | Bristol | |
| David Tennant | Royal Shakespeare Company | ||
| 2009 | Jude Law | Elsinore, Denmark | |
| 2010 | Rory Kinnear | London | National Theatre |
| John Simm | |||
| Dharmesh Patel | Royal Shakespeare Company | ||
| 2011 | Michael Sheen | ||
| 2013 | Jonathan Slinger | Royal Shakespeare Company | |
| 2015 | Benedict Cumberbatch | National Theatre | |
| 2016 | Paapa Essiedu | Royal Shakespeare Company | |
| 2017 | Tom Hiddleston | Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company |