Tracy Letts wins best actor in a play Tony Award

NEW YORK (AP) — Tracy Letts, who won a Tony Award as a playwright, now has one as an actor.

Letts takes home the trophy for best performance by an actor in a play for playing George, one-half of the bickering couple at the heart of Edward Albee's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"

He beat out Nathan Lane, Tom Hanks, David Hyde Pierce and Tom Sturridge.

Letts, a member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Co. ensemble since 2002, burst to worldwide fame when his "August: Osage County" won the Pulitzer and five Tonys, including the best play trophy in 2008.

His other plays include "Man from Nebraska," a Pulitzer finalist in 2004, "Killer Joe," ''Superior Donuts" and "Bug." His previous acting credits include "Betrayal," ''The Pillowman," ''Homebody/Kabul" and "Glengarry Glen Ross."