The actress is nominated for her role in the revival of 'Marjorie Prime'

• June Squibb became the oldest acting nominee in Tony Awards history at 96 for her role in Marjorie Prime
• Squibb previously starred in the original 1959 Broadway production of Gypsy and earned an Oscar nomination for Nebraska
• Marjorie Prime, directed by Anne Kauffman, featured a star-studded cast including Danny Burstein and Cynthia Nixon

June Squibb made Tony Awards history this year, and she celebrated the milestone in person.

The 96-year-old actress attended the 79th annual ceremony at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Sunday, June 7, after becoming the oldest acting nominee in the ceremony's history. She walked the red carpet in style in a black V-neck dress with floral detailing.

Squibb earned a nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play for her work in Marjorie Prime, surpassing a record previously held by Lois Smith, who was 89 when she was nominated in 2020 for The Inheritance (and at 90, became the oldest person to win).

Before that, Cicely Tyson held the distinction with an 88-year-old nomination for The Trip to Bountiful in 2013.

“I'm thrilled with what this nomination will do for my career,” Squibb previously said in a statement to PEOPLE in May.

Host Pink led the opening number, "Leading Lady Marmalade," which was an adapted version of the Grammy-winning 2001 cover she recorded with Christina Aguilera, Mýa, and Lil' Kim. The number included many of the biggest actresses on Broadway this year, including an iconic cameo from Squibb herself, in which she sang,"All the parts I've played, I slayed them."

Nominated alongside Squibb in this category are Betsy Aidem (Liberation), Marylouise Burke (The Balusters), Aya Cash (Giant) and Laurie Metcalf (Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman). Metcalf took home the award.

Tony-winner Danny Burstein, who starred in Marjorie Prime alongside Squibb, was also nominated this year for his featured performance in the play.

“Over the moon for Danny as well!" Squibb said. "I share this nomination with everyone who worked so hard to bring Marjorie Prime back to life.”

Directed by Anne Kauffman, Marjorie Prime followed a woman with dementia who forms a bond with a holographic companion modeled after her late husband.

The revival, which counted Cynthia Nixon and Chris Lowell among its cast, began performances in November 2025 and concluded its limited Broadway engagement in February 2026.

At 96, Squibb also became the oldest performer in history to open in a Broadway show. The actress has enjoyed a career resurgence in recent years, earning an Oscar nomination for Nebraska and recently starred in the action comedy Thelma.

Long before her recent Broadway return, Squibb made her debut in the original 1959 production of Gypsy, appearing as the stripper Electra opposite Ethel Merman. “I moved a lot differently then,” Squibb told PEOPLE in 2025 while reflecting on her early Broadway career. “I was doing a lot of bumps and grinds every night… Not so many bumps and grinds now.”

Still, her performance left her costar Burstein inspired. “I love her so much. She gives me hope,” he told PEOPLE last month. “I'm 61. That means I've got over 30 years more to go!”

The 2026 Tony Awards air on CBS and stream on Paramount+.

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