In the entertainment industry, getting the coveted EGOT is something few have accomplished — only 19 people, to be exact, with a brand-new recipient just receiving the golden honor. For those who don’t know, the EGOT is when someone has won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony Award.
It’s obviously no easy feat as so few have achieved it, but the few that have are beyond talented and more than deserving of the honor and prestige that come with such a high-profile title. The very first EGOT was completed in 1962, whereas the most recent was awarded in 2024, spanning over 60 years celebrating EGOT winners.
What is an EGOT?
Before we list all the recipients, it’s best to briefly explain exactly what the honor truly is. As previously mentioned, an EGOT stands as a special achievement which is only obtained for an individual who secures an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony award. All four branches of honor are considered crucial in American entertainment, and are only achieved if an individual is able to win all four at different points in their career.
Richard Rodgers
One of the most famous names in the Broadway world is Richard Rodgers, and he was the first person to win an EGOT. Part of the famous duo Rodgers & Hammerstein, he’s easily Broadway royalty. If you don’t know who Richard Rodgers is or what he’s known for, you probably do, but unknowingly so; if you’ve ever seen or heard The Sound of Music, The King and I, Oklahoma!, or even Cinderella with Brandy, you know Richard Rodgers’ work. Of course, the list extends far beyond these works, but those are some of his most popular.
Rodgers’ wins and awards took place over a 17-year span, beginning in 1945 when he won an Oscar for Best Song. With 13 awards in total, it’s surprising that Rodgers only has one Oscar. The other multiples he has more than makes up for it though. After his Oscar came the first of his six Tony Awards, this one for South Pacific in the coveted Best Musical category. Rodgers then went on to win his first of two Grammys in 1960; Best Show Album (Original Cast) — The Sound of Music. He reached EGOT status in 1962, when he finally won his Emmy in the Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composed category for his music in Winston Churchill: The Valiant Years.
Helen Hayes
Helen Hayes was the first woman, and the second person to ever achieve the honor of an EGOT. She finished the achievement in 1977 with a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Recording, having her award-winning career go from 1932-1977, winning her a total of seven awards. Her first win came with an Oscar for Best Actress in The Sin of Madelon Claudet. After this was her Tony, which she won, again, for Best Actress in a Dramatic role for Happy Birthday.
Then came her Emmy, which she won in 1953 for Schlitz Playhouse of Stars for the episode “Not a Chance.” With her awards, Hayes became the first person to win her EGOT with only singular acting wins rather than anything ensemble-based. It also doesn’t hurt to mention that she was the first female to ever achieve EGOT status, so that’s one for the history books and a collective win for womankind.
Rita Moreno
Rita Moreno is another popular name on the list of EGOT winners. Known for her iconic role as Anita in the original West Side Story, Moreno has been paving the way for Latinx actors since 1961. In fact, her role in West Side Story is what earned her the 1962 Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. The rest of her awards came in the ’70s, making her timespan for winning all four 16 years in total, tying her with Whoopi Goldberg.
Moreno’s next award was a Grammy for The Electric Company, which was in The Best Recording for Children category in 1972. After this, her awards began snowballing; in 1975, she got her Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her work in The Ritz. After this, she completed the EGOT route in 1977 with an Emmy for her work on The Muppet Show. You can see Moreno in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story reboot, which came out in 2021.
John Gielgud
John Gielgud had many firsts as an EGOT winner. Not only was he the first to win an award other than an Oscar first, he was the oldest when he completed his EGOT and was also the first member of the LGBTQ+ community to gain the iconic achievement. His first award was his Tony, which he won in 1948 for The Importance of Being Earnest in The Outstanding Foreign Company category.
After his Tony, Gielgud had a while until his Grammy Award in 1979, which he won in Best Spoken Word, Documentary, or Drama Recording for Ages of Man. He then won his last two pieces of the EGOT exactly 10 years apart. In 1981, he got the coveted Oscar in the Best Supporting Actor category for his role in Arthur. Finally, in 1991 he finished out the achievement with his Emmy, given to him for his role in the miniseries Summer’s Lease.
Audrey Hepburn
Perhaps the most well-known of the winners is Audrey Hepburn, who is an icon even without her EGOT status. While she is best known for Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Hepburn was a part of plenty of other iconic films during her career. She won all four of her awards over a span of 41 years. Her first award came in 1953, when she was only 24, and she won an Oscar for Best Actress in Roman Holiday.
Just a year later, in 1954, Hepburn won her Tony Award for Best Actress in Ondine. The final two pieces of Hepburn’s EGOT wouldn’t come to her until after she passed away in January 1993. She won her Emmy and Grammy consecutively in 1993 and 1994, and she was the first to do this. Hepburn had one of the biggest legacies of any actor and surely the biggest of the EGOT winners.
Marvin Hamlisch
Known for composing, Marvin Hamlisch accomplished his EGOT in 22 years. Hamlisch’s first win was an Oscar — actually three Oscars — in 1973. Two of which were for The Way We Were and one for The Sting; Best Music, Original Dramatic Score, and Best Music, Original Song for The Way We Were while The Sting won him Best Music, Scoring Original Song Score and/or Adaptation.
Along with the Oscars, Hamlisch also won his first Grammy in 1974 for “The Way We Were,” which got him Song of the Year. Hamlisch’s Tony Award came from one of the most successful Broadway shows ever, A Chorus Line. He won the award for Best Musical Score. While it took 19 more years for Hamlisch to win his Emmy, he ended up winning two in the same year, both for Barbra: The Concert.
Jonathan Tunick
In a relatively short time span of 20 years, Jonathan Tunick won all four awards to get him to his EGOT. His first came in 1977 in the form of an Oscar for Best Music, Original Song Score, and Adaptation or Best Adaptation Score all for his arranging of A Little Night Music’s score. In 1982, Tunick won an Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction for Night of 100 Stars.
Along with Audrey Hepburn, Tunick is the only EGOT recipient to have only one award in each category. For his music arrangement, Tunick won a Grammy in 1988 for “No One Is Alone.” Finally, in 1997, Tunick’s work on the Titanic musical got him his final award in the EGOT achievement. His Tony Award was for Best Orchestration, only proving how talented he is.
Mel Brooks
Over a 34-year span, famous director, actor, and writer Mel Brooks finally finished his EGOT in 2001. His first award was his Emmy in 1967 for an Outstanding Writing Achievement in Variety for his work on The Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner, and Howard Morris Special. After that though, his awards didn’t continue in order. Brooks is the first to win an Oscar for screenwriting in 1968 for The Producers.
Brooks’ next award wouldn’t come for another 30 years, but it was still a major success when he won a Grammy for Best Spoken Comedy Album in 1998. Much like he started out with the first letter of the EGOT, Brooks also finished it off with his Tony Award in 2001. In fact, he won three. All of them were for The Producers, which included Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, and Best Original Score.
Mike Nichols
As an actor, comedian, and director, it’s no surprise Mike Nichols achieved EGOT status. While it took him 40 years to get all four awards, that doesn’t make it any less impressive. Nichols won his first, and only, Grammy Award in 1961 for Best Comedy Performance with his live comedy album, An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May. Unlike his one Grammy, Nichols collected nine Tony Awards, the first being in 1964 for Best Director for Barefoot in the Park.
Next on the list for his EGOT comes his Oscar in 1967. Nichols won Best Director for the iconic movie The Graduate. The final piece of the EGOT came with Nichols’ Primetime Emmy Award in 2001, when he actually won two for Wit. One of which was for Outstanding Director for a Miniseries, Movie, or Special. Unfortunately, in 2014 Nichols passed away from a heart attack just a few weeks after his 83rd birthday.
Whoopi Goldberg
Another household name, Whoopi Goldberg is the first African-American to achieve EGOT status. Her first win came in 1986 for her self-titled Broadway album, which won a Grammy for Best Comedy Album. Her second award was her Oscar; she is the first to win that second. This win came from her role in the 1991 film Ghost, in which she took home the accolade in the Best Supporting Actress category.
Goldberg is also the first to win two of their awards in the same year, that being in 2002 for both her Tony and Emmy. Goldberg won her Emmy in the Outstanding Special Class Series category for hosting Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel. Meanwhile, Thoroughly Modern Millie won Best Musical at the 2002 Tony Awards, which got her the final letter in EGOT, completing her status.
Scott Rudin
Scott Rudin was a prominent Broadway producer, however after word of him abusing crew and staff members got out, he stepped back from any shows he was involved in. Still, he has achieved the EGOT. Rudin won his Emmy in 1984 for his work on He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin.’ Next came his Tony in 1994 for Passion (Best Musical). Rudin won his Oscar in 2008 for Best Picture for No Country for Old Men. Finally, in 2012, Rudin producing Book of Mormon led to his finishing the EGOT for Best Musical Theatre Album.
Robert Lopez
Robert Lopez has many firsts as an EGOT winner; he is the youngest person to achieve the EGOT, he also achieved it the fastest – over a span of 10 years. Lopez is the first Filipino and Asian to hold the achievement. His first Tony Award came in 2004 for Best Original Score in Avenue Q, then he went on to win two more for Book of Mormon in 2011. Lopez’s Emmy win came in 2008 for the children’s show Wonder Pets!, for which he won Outstanding Music Direction and Composition. He won the same award for Wonder Pets! again two years later.
In 2012, Lopez won his first Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album for Book of Mormon. Robert Lopez’s most famous work and win, though, came from Frozen which was a phenomenon in itself. In 2014, Lopez won an Oscar for Best Original Song, Let It Go, thus completing the EGOT.
Tim Rice & Andrew Lloyd Webber
Considering the pair have been collaborating for more than half of their careers, having them together on this list only makes sense. Known for his work as a lyricist and a producer, Tim Rice is Broadway royalty after his many successful shows, including Jesus Christ Superstar, Aida, and Evita. Along with Rice, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber is also Broadway royalty for his work in Phantom of the Opera, Sunset Boulevard, and Cats.
Many of Webber and Rice’s awards were won on projects they collaborated on. In 1980, the pair won their first Grammy for Best Cast Show Album for their work on Evita. Along with their Grammy, Rice and Webber won their first of several Tony Awards for Best Original Score, also for Evita. After Evita’s success, Rice went on to win an Oscar for Best Original Song in Disney’s Aladdin, “A Whole New World.” Webber’s Oscar came in 1997, the Best Original Song award for “You Must Love Me” from Evita. The pair finally completed the EGOT in 2018 with John Legend for their work on Jesus Christ Superstar Live, winning the Emmy for Outstanding Variety Special (Live).
John Legend
The second-youngest recipient of the EGOT is singer John Legend, who became a household name with his song “All of Me.” Legend had been in the industry far before 2013, when “All of Me” was originally released. In fact, he won his first three Grammys in 2006 for Best New Artist, Best R&B Album, and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. Next came his Oscar in 2015 for his work on the film Selma. He won Best Original Song with “Glory,” adding the “O” to his growing EGOT status.
In 2017, Legend co-produced the revival of August Wilson’s play Jitney, for which he received a Tony for Best Revival of a Play. Jitney is one of Wilson’s 10 plays depicting African-Americans’ experiences throughout each decade of the twentieth century. Finally, in 2018 after his performance as Jesus of Nazareth in NBC’s Jesus Christ Superstar Live, he won an Emmy for Outstanding Variety Special (Live). Along with Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, this victory finished out the achievement of the EGOT.
Alan Menken
Known best for his work on Disney movies and soundtracks, Alan Menken was nearly 80 when he achieved EGOT status. Menken’s first win was an Oscar for Best Original Score in 1990 for his work on The Little Mermaid. He has since won seven more Oscars, making him the one with the most Oscar wins on the EGOT list. In 1991, Menken won his first of 11 Grammys, also for The Little Mermaid.
Many of Menken’s wins are from Disney movies and television shows. Next on the list was his 2012 Tony win for Best Original Score for the Broadway stage adaptation of Disney’s film Newsies. It would take Menken another eight years before reaching EGOT status, but in 2020, he won the Emmy for Outstanding Original Song in a Children’s, Young Adult, or Animated Program for his song “Waiting in the Wings” from Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure, a spin-off show of the movie Tangled.
All together, Menken holds 21 awards for his work as a composer and songwriter. He is most likely the reason behind your favorite Disney song, and Disney movies wouldn’t be the same without him.
Jennifer Hudson
That brings us to one of our most recent entries, Jennifer Hudson. The Dreamgirl first blew our minds in 2004 as an American Idol finalist. Since then, she has had multiple film and TV roles, released four albums, and had a stint on Broadway in the revival of The Color Purple.
In 2006, Hudson won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Effie White in Dreamgirls, where she starred alongside such big names as Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy, Danny Glover, and Beyoncé. Her Grammy Award came three years after, as her debut album snagged the Best R&B Album award at the ceremony, while her Emmy Award was for 2021’s Baba Yaga. And now, the actress and singer just won a Tony Award for co-producing the Broadway hit musical A Strange Loop, thus completing her EGOT status.
Viola Davis
Accomplished actress Viola Davis became the 18th person to achieve EGOT status after she was awarded the Grammy Award for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording in February 2023 for the narration to her 2022 autobiography Finding Me.
Before that, she had been nominated for six Golden Globe Awards and three British Academy Film Awards, winning one of each. In 2016, she took home the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Fences (2016).
For her stage work, Davis has won two Tony Awards. Furthermore, rounding out her EGOT status, Davis also holds the extraordinary honor of becoming the first actress of color to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her performance as Annalise Keating in How to Get Away with Murder.
Elton John
After a decades-long, illustrious career, the ever-popular musician has finally achieved EGOT status after he recently won an Emmy. Despite not having produced extensive work in television for most of his career, John nabbed an Emmy for his work in Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium, an eye-popping TV special that is available to stream now on Disney Plus.
In the past, the “Rocket Man” singer has secured 5 Grammys, 2 Oscars, and a Tony. Now, the ever-active artist can finally add Emmy to his wide list of accomplishments and accolades. With this celebratory win, John just became the 19th person in history to reach EGOT status, a feat that should absolutely be decorated and admired.
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