The veteran 88-year-old actress picked up her first-ever Olivier Award after a 40-year absence from the London stage, Downton Abbey star Wilton claimed the Best Actress prize for Taken at Midnight, and Sunny Afternoon was named Best New Musical, while the stageshow's stars John Dagleish and George Maguire took home Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor in the musical category, and The Kinks frontman Ray Davies received a Special Outstanding Achievement Award for the musical's score.

Other big winners included Beautiful - The Carole King Musical, which picked up awards for its stars Katie Brayben and Lorna Want, and Mark Strong took the Best Actor in a Play honour for his role in A View from the Bridge.

Accepting her Best Supporting Actress award for her role in Blithe Spirit, Lansbury told the Royal Opera House audience, "All these years of waiting. I am so infinitely grateful to have this baby in my hands. Here I am creeping up to 90 and feeling like a million dollars because I'm in London in this magnificent hall with all you."

The main list of 2015 Olivier Award winners is:

Best Actor - Mark Strong for A View from the Bridge

Best Actress - Penelope Wilton for Taken At Midnight

Best Revival - A View from the Bridge

Best Director - Ivo Van Hove for A View from the Bridge

Best New Play - King Charles III

Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Nathaniel Parker for Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies

Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Angela Lansbury for Blithe Spirit

Best Actor in a Musical - John Dagleish for Sunny Afternoon

Best Actress in a Musical - Katie Brayben for Beautiful - The Carole King Musical

Best New Musical - Sunny Afternoon

Outstanding Achievement in Music - Ray Davies for Sunny Afternoon

Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical - George Maguire for Sunny Afternoon

Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical - Lorna Want for Beautiful - The Carole King Musical

Best New Comedy - The Play That Goes Wrong

Best Musical Revival - City of Angels

Best New Opera Production - The Mastersingers of Nuremberg

Outstanding Achievement in Opera - Richard Jones for The Girl of the Golden West

Special awards - Kevin Spacey & Sylvie Guillem.