Oscar winner Rachel Weisz has scooped the Laurence Olivier award for best actress for her stage role as Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire.
Mark Rylance triumphed over Hollywood Jude Law, James McAvoy and James Earl Jones to be named best actor.
Weisz, who like Rylance has won rave reviews and a string of gongs, held off competition at the prestigious theatre awards ceremony from Gillian Anderson, Imelda Staunton and Juliet Stevenson with her role as a faded southern belle.
Clutching her award, Weisz, wearing an off the shoulder dress, told the audience: "What a tremendous honour... It means an awful lot. I never thought I would be holding one of these in my lifetime. I'm in such prestigious company.
"To get one of these, as my father would say, the wrapping paper alone would have been enough... Most of all this is for Blanche DuBois, I love her, Tennessee Williams, and all the other messed up genius poets out there."
Rylance won the prize for his turn as caravan-dwelling anti-hero Johnny "Rooster" Byron in Jerusalem, marking the second time he has won the award, while the production's designers Ultz won best set design.
As he received his gong, Rylance told the audience: "What an honour to be nominated with James Earl Jones and also all the other nominees."
He joked: "Someone outside asked me what it felt like to be up against Jude Law. I don't know what that experience is like - I bet it's very nice."
Weisz's co-star Ruth Wilson also won best supporting actress for her performance as Stella, beating Keira Knightley who was in the running for The Misanthrope.
Eddie Redmayne was named best supporting actor for Red and is currently reprising his role on Broadway. He beat The Office actor Mackenzie Crook who was in the running for Jerusalem.
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