The EGOT is an acronym that stands for Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony. It represents a prestigious achievement in the entertainment industry, specifically for individuals who have won at least one of each of these four major American entertainment awards in film, music, TV and theater.
The term EGOT was coined by actor Philip Michael Thomas in the 1980s, and it gained widespread recognition as a symbol of the highest level of success in the entertainment world. Achieving an EGOT is considered a rare and remarkable feat, but some artists have achieved it, as performers or producers (or both).
Actually, only 18 people have won a competitive EGOT, and 6 others have earned the distinction with honorary or special awards. Seven of them have been composers and producers, such as Alan Menken or Richard Rodgers. However, here, we’re going to highlight the singers and actors who have won the Grand Slam of entertainment.
Elton John
The 2023 Primetime Emmy for outstanding variety special (live) was clinched by the Dodger Stadium special, marking John’s achievement as the 19th performer to secure a clean sweep of the top entertainment awards (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony).
At 76 years and nine months old, Sir Elton becomes the second-oldest performer to accomplish the EGOT, with English actor Sir John Gielgud holding the record at 87 years and four months when he completed the sweep in 1991.
Viola Davis
The actor and producer completed the EGOT status in 2023, after winning the Grammy for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording for her memoir “Finding Me.” Her first award was the Tony, when she won as Best Featured Actress in a Play for King Hedley II in 2001.
She won a second Tony for Leading Actress in Fences in 2010. Then, she earned the Emmy for How to Get Away With Murder in 2015 and the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in Fences. Davis also got the Triple Crown of Acting, with singular (non-group/ensemble/company) acting wins in the Emmy, Oscar, and Tony awards, which is also rare.
Rita Moreno
The Puerto Rican actress was the first Hispanic American to win all four awards in 1977. Her first award was the Oscar as Best Supporting Actress for portraying Anita in West Side Story, then she followed up with the Grammy for Best Recording for Children in 1972.
Her Tony win came in 1975 when she received the award for Best Featured Actress in “The Ritz,” and completed the EGOT for her Emmy as Outstanding Continuing or Single Performance by a Supporting Actress in Variety or Music for her appearance in “The Muppet Show.”
John Gielgud
The actor and theater director Sir John Gielgod, who died in 2000, was a real trailblazer. He completed the EGOT status in 1991, at age 87, becoming the fourth person to win all the awards, the oldest, the first LGBT and the first non-American. Talk about legacy.
His first major award was the Tony, for Outstanding Foreign Company (The Importance of Being Earnest), which he then won again twice (a Special Awards and for Best Director of “Big Fist, Little Fish”). He followed up with the Emmy for Best Spoken Word, Documentary or Drama Recording in 1979, the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 1981 and the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Special.
Mel Brooks
Actor, comedian and filmmaker Mel Brooks achieved his EGOT status in 2001, being the eighth person to win the four awards. Between 1968 and 2002, Brooks received a total of 11 awards. His first win came in 1967, when he won the Emmy for Writing for a Variety Series.
He also won the Emmys three times as an actor for Mad About You. His second award was the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, then he won the Grammy, for Best Spoken Comedy Album, and in 2001 he won three Tonys for his work in The Producers.
Helen Hayes
Helen Hayes (1900–1993) was the first woman to achieve EGOT status, as well as the first performer to win all four. She also was the first person to the Triple Crown of Acting, with singular wins in the Emmys, Oscars and Tonys. Also, she is the one person with the longest timespan (45 years) between its first and fourth award (of each type).
Her first win came in 1932, when she snatched the Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role in “The Sin of Madelon Claudet.” She followed up with a Tony win for Best Actress in Happy Birthday, received her Emmy in 1953 for Best Actress in “Schlitz Playhouse of Stars” and, finally, won the Grammy for Best Spoken Word Recording in 1977.
Liza Minnelli (Non-competitive)
Liza Minngelli completed the EGOT (non-competitive) when she received the Grammy Legend Award in 1990. The singer, actress and dancer first won her major award in 1965, when she received the Tony for Best Leading Actress in “Flora the Red Menace.”
In 1973, she then won the Oscar for Best Actress (“Cabaret”) and the Emmy for Outstanding Single Program − Variety and Popular Music for “Liza with a ‘Z’. A Concert for Television.” She has received a total of 7 awards.
Audrey Hepburn
The iconic Audrey Hepburn was the fifth person to win all the four awards, and she was also the first to do so posthumously in 1994. Also, curiously, she is one of the two EGOT artists to not have won multiple awards in each category. The other one is composer Jonathan Tunick.
She won her Oscar in 1954 for her leading role in “Roman Holiday,” which was also her first big role in film. She then went on to win the Tony for her performance in Ondine the same year. After she died in 1993, she received the Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album for Children and the Emmy for the documentary, “Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn.”
Quincy Jones (Non-competitive)
The musician, composer and producer Quincy Jones has won 31 awards, including 28 Grammys and a Grammy Legend Award. He achieved the EGOT status in 2016 after winning the Tony as a producer of The Color Purple.
However, it’s a non-competitive status after winning the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Pictures in 1994. He also won an Emmy in 1977 for composing the score of the series Roots.
Whoopi Goldberg
Actress, comedian and TV personality Whoopi Goldberg made history in 2002 when she became the first African American artist to achieve the EGOT status. She is also the first one to win two different awards in the same year, earning her Daytime Emmy and her Tony in 2002.
She first won the Grammy for her comedy album “Whoopi Goldberg (Original Broadway Show Recording), and then won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress (Ghost). Then, she obtained the Emmy for Outstanding Special Class Special and the Tony for Best Musical, as a producer.
Mike Nichols
Director, producer, actor and comedian Mike Nichols (1931-2014) was the ninth EGOT winner, and has received 15 awards in total. He first won the Grammy for Best Comedy Performance in 1961, before winning his first Tony in 1964 for directing “Barefoot in the Park.”
Meanwhile, his first and only Oscar came in 1968 when he won the award for Best Director thanks to his work in “The Graduate.” After that, he completed the EGOT status in 2001 for Outstanding Made for Television Movie with “Wit.”
James Earl Jones (Non-competitive)
Actor James Earl Jones completed the EGOT status (non-competitive) when he received the Academy Honorary Award in 2011. Meanwhile, his first win took place in 1969 when he won the Tony for Best Leading Actor in The Great White Hope.
He won two other Tonys, including the Special Tony for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre. He won the Grammy in 1977 for Best Spoken Word Recording, and his Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Performer in a Children’s Special in 2000.
John Legend
Singer, songwriter and producer John Legend’s EGOT status is truly a remarkable one: he is the first Black American man to achieve it, as well as the first one to receive the four awards in four consecutive years. On the other hand, he also is the first one to have won the Primetime and Daytime Emmy.
Between 2006 and 2022, Legend received a total of 18 awards. Legend has won the most Grammy Awards, 12, of any EGOT recipient. He won the Oscar for Best Original Song for “Glory,” from the movie Selma in 2015, the Tony in 2017 (as producer) and the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Variety Special in 2018.
Jennifer Hudson
Hudson is, currently, the youngest female EGOT winner in history, having completed the Slam in 2022 at age 41. The singer, actress, TV host and producer won his first award in 2007, when she received the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in “Dreamgirls.”
She then won the Grammy in 2009 for Best R&B Album for eponymous album, the Daytime Emmy for her program “Baba Yaga,” and in 2022 she won the Tony for Best Musical (“A Strange Loop”) as producer.
Barbra Streisand (Non-competitive)
Singer, actress, and director Barbra Streisand achieved the EGOT status at only 28 years old, being the youngest one to do so. She was also the fastest one to accomplish it, with just six years between her first award (a 1964 Grammy) and her final award (a 1970 Special Tony), only surpassed by Frank Marshall later.
On the other hand, she is the only EGOT to win an Oscar in both a music and an acting category. And, if that wasn’t enough, she is the only one to have three competitive awards for debut performances: first studio album, first feature film, and first television special. Her EGOT is non-competitive for receiving a Special Tony.
Harry Belafonte (Non-competitive)
Singer, activist, and actor Harry Belafonte (1927–2023) became EGOT in 2014, when he received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy. His first win came in 1954, when he received the Tony for Distinguished Supporting or Featured Musical Actor for “John Murray Anderson’s Almanac.”
He then went on to win the Primetime Emmy Award in 1960, for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program, and then won two Grammys in 1961 and 1966, and received the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 2000.
