Summary
- Being an EGOT winner is a rare and impressive feat, with only 19 people achieving this prestigious status.
- Richard Rodgers was the first EGOT winner in 1962, followed by talented individuals like Helen Hayes and Rita Moreno.
- Elton John is the latest addition to the EGOT club, earning his status in 2024 with his Emmy win for Outstanding Variety Special.
Being an EGOT winner is an incredibly impressive feat, and there are now a total of nineteen accomplished people in this exclusive club. EGOT stands for Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony, the most prestigious awards in their respective fields. It is very rare for a person to manage to snag one of each, which is why it has earned a specific title and is something that many creatives in the entertainment industry strive for.
The first EGOT winner was in 1962 and since then, there have only been eighteen more. This signifies how rare of an accomplishment this truly is and why it is such a big deal when someone manages to join the lineup. The latest person to accomplish the feat is renowned composer and pianist, Elton John. Before him, though, came a number of extremely talented people who deserve to be recognized and have their major accomplishments acknowledged.
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19 Richard Rodgers
Richard Rodgers made history in 1962 by becoming the first person to be awarded all four of the biggest entertainment awards. He won an Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composed, an Oscar for Best Song for “It Might as Well Be Spring”, and two Grammys. He also has won five Tony awards, as well as a Pulitzer Prize which makes him a PEGOT winner. Rodgers’ most well-known projects include The Sound of Music, South Pacific, The King and I, and Carousel.
18 Helen Hayes
Aptly dubbed the First Lady of American Theater, Helen Hayes became the first ever woman to join the lineup of EGOT winners in 1947. She won an Emmy for Best Actress thanks to her role in Schlitz Playhouse of Stars: Not a Chance. She also won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Recording in Great American Documents, an Oscar for Best Actress in The Sin of Madelon Claudet, and another Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in Airport. She earned two Tony Awards for Best Actress in Drama for Happy Birthday and Time Remembered.
17 Rita Moreno
Rita Morena has been a household name for decades and is another accomplished EGOT winner. The Puerto Rican actress won an Emmy for Best Supporting Actress, Variety or Music thanks to The Muppet Show. She also won an Emmy for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy or Drama following her role in The Rockford Files. Her Grammy award is in the Best Recording for Children category for her work on “The Electric Company”. Her Oscar is for Best Supporting Actress in West Side Story, which is arguably her most iconic and well-known role. Morena obtained the final award necessary to be labeled an EGOT winner, a Tony, in the category of Best Supporting Actress in a Play following her work in The Ritz.
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16 John Gielgud
John Gielgud was a renowned British actor and theater director who became the first openly LGBT individual and the first non-American to obtain EGOT status. He won an Emmy for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Special for his work in Summer’s Lease, a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album for Ages of Man, and an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in Arthur. He obtained not one, but two Tonys. One of which is for Outstanding Foreign Company thanks to The Importance of Being Earnest and Best Director of a Drama for Big Fish, Little Fish.
15 Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn has become incredibly well-known thanks to her roles in Sabrina, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and Roman Holiday. Her Oscar win came from Roman Holiday, and Hepburn ended up winning a Tony for Best Actress in one of her lesser-known films, Ondine. She won an Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement Informational Programming for her docuseries, Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn. The year after her Emmy win, she obtained a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album for Children for Audrey Hepburn’s Enchanted Tales.
14 Marvin Hamlisch
Marvin Hamslich is another PEGOT winner, having received a Pulitzer Prize in addition to an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony. The famous composer won a total of four Emmys. Two of these came from his work on Barbra: The Concert, one came from AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies, and the final one was from Barbra Streisand: Timeless. He then received four total Grammys, one of which was Best New Artist. His Song of the Year and Best Album awards came from “The Way We Were”. His Best Pop Instrumental Performance came from “The Entertainer”. Hamslich has also won three Oscars, including Best Song for “The Way We Were” and a Tony for Best Musical Score in A Chorus Line.
13 Jonathan Tunick
Jonathan Tunick was a talented orchestrator, musical director, and composer. He achieved EGOT status in 1997 and earned an Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction for his involvement with Night of 100 Stars. His Academy Award is for the Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Adaptation Score following A Little Night Music. His Tony Award is for Best Orchestration for the play Titanic. His Grammy came from winning Best Instrumental Arrangement for “No One is Alone”.
12 Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks has an incredibly impressive resume and boasts four Emmy Awards. These are for Best Writing in Variety for The Sid Caesar and three for Best Guest Actor in a Comedy for Mad About You. He has an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for The Producers, as well as three Grammys for Best Spoken Comedy Album for The 2000 Year Old Man in the Year 2000, Best Long-Form Music Video for Recording the Producers—A Musical Romp with Mel Brooks and Best Musical Show Album for The Producers. His Tony Award came for Best Musical, Original Score, and Book of a Musical for The Producers.
11 Mike Nichols
Mike Nichols’ first major award was a Grammy for Best Comedy Performance for An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May. He then switched his focus more to directing and won an Oscar for Best Director for The Graduate. He also won an Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie, or Special for Wit and went on to win four more. He has a total of nine Tonys for his work such as for Death of a Salesman and The Real Thing.
10 Whoopi Goldberg
Now most known for her work on The View, Whoopi Goldberg has impressive EGOT status in her arsenal. Her first major win was a Grammy for Best Comedy Recording for “Whoopi Goldberg — Original Broadway Show Recording”. She won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in Ghost and a Tony for producing the Best Musical for Thoroughly Modern Millie. She also obtained an Emmy for Outstanding Special Class Special thanks to Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel.
9 Scott Rudin
American film producer, Scott Rudin, has an Oscar award for Best Picture for his work in No Country for Old Men. He also has an Emmy for Outstanding Children’s Program for He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin’. His Grammy came for Best Musical Theater Album for The Book of Mormon: Original Broadway Cast Recording, and he boasts 18 different Tony Awards. These include titles like Death of a Salesman and The Humans.
8 Robert Lopez
Robert Lopez is the first Filipino and Asian to become an EGOT winner, as well as the youngest to have achieved this status. He won an Oscar for Best Original Song for Frozen‘s insanely popular “Let It Go”. Prior to this, he won two Daytime Emmy awards for Wonder Pets!. He also has a Grammy for The Book of Mormon: Original Broadway Cast Recording and three Tony Awards for Avenue Q and The Book of Mormon.
7 Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber is an English composer who has won a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony Award for his work on Evita. That is not his only critically recognized project, though. He has a Grammy and two Tonys for his work on Cats and a Tony for Best Musical for The Phantom of the Opera. He also won two Tonys for Sunset Boulevard and an Emmy for Outstanding Variety Special.
6 Tim Rice
Tim Rice is a genius when it comes to lyrics, and he became an EGOT winner in 2018. He has two Tony Awards for Jesus Christ Superstar, as well as Grammys for the same album. He also has Grammys for Song of the Year and Song for Film or TV for Aladdin‘s “A Whole New World”. He won Best Album for Children for the Aladdin soundtrack, as well, and an award for Best Cast Album for 2000’s Aida. He won multiple Oscars, including Best Original Song for “A Whole New World” and “Can You Feel the Love Tonight”. His Tony win is for Best Book and Best Score thanks to Evita, and he also has another Best Score award for Aida.
5 John Legend
John Legend is best known for his soulful singing voice and passionate acting skills. He also joined the EGOT club in 2018, completing the collection with an Emmy for Outstanding Variety Special for Jesus Christ Superstar. He has 12 Grammy Awards in a number of different categories, an Oscar for his song “Glory” in Selma, and a Tony for Best Revival of a Play for Jitney. His wins mark him as the first African American man to have achieved the impressive EGOT status.
4 Alan Menken
Alan Menken is the composer responsible for some of Disney’s biggest hits and has 11 Grammy Awards and eight Oscar ones. He has a Tony for Best Original Score for Newsies and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Song in a Children’s, Young Adult, or Animated Program for Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure. Some of his most well-known work is on the scores for Aladdin, Hercules, The Little Mermaid, and Beauty and the Beast.
3 Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Hudson is a well-known actress and singer who received a Tony award for her role as a producer on Broadway’s A Strange Loop. She has an Outstanding Interactive Media for a Daytime Program Daytime Emmy for serving as an executive producer on Baba Yaga, as well as an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in Dreamgirls. She has been awarded two Grammy awards, one for Best R&B Album for her debut studio album and one for Best Musical Theater Album for The Color Purple.
2 Viola Davis
Accomplished actress, Viola Davis, achieved EGOT status at the 2023 Grammys, where she won an award for Best Audio Book, Narration and Storytelling Recording, for her memoir, Finding Me. Davis has an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for How to Get Away With Murder and an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for Fences. She has not one, but two, Tony awards as well. Both are for Best Featured Actress, one of which was in King Hedley II and the second in Fences.
1 Elton John
The latest person to enter the prestigious EGOT club is the legendary singer, pianist, and composer, Elton John. John earned his EGOT status at the 2024 Emmy Awards, where he won for Outstanding Variety Special for Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium. Prior to this win, he obtained a Grammy for That’s What Friends Are For, an Oscar for The Lion King‘s “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” and a Tony Award for Aida.
