Every EGOT Winner In History
The concept of the "EGOT"— performers who have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and a Tony — seems super impressive until you learn its history. As noted by Vanity Fair, the idea was first conceptualized by actor Philip Michael Thomas in 1984. Setting a record for how fast a starring role in a TV show could go to one's head, Thomas explained that he hoped to win all four awards within "the next five years."
Alas, that did not happen, and Thomas's career went somewhat in the opposite direction. The concept of the EGOT languished for a few decades until the sitcom "30 Rock" incorporated it into a storyline involving Tracy Morgan (via The Ringer). Morgan finds Philip Michael Thomas' (unfortunately very real) EGOT necklace in a thrift store and makes becoming an EGOT a life goal to hilarious results.
Somehow — and the process is mysterious — becoming an EGOT has transformed from a very obvious joke in 2009 into a very serious achievement. If you stop to think about it, of course, it is a serious achievement. Not many people are talented enough to win the most prestigious award in one artistic category, much less four. In fact, it's so difficult only 16 people have managed to do it so far (although a few dozen folks are just one award away). Here's every EGOT winner in history.
Richard Rodgers
Way back before anyone had invented the acronym, composer Richard Rodgers became the first-ever EGOT winner. In fact, he's one of just two PEGOT winners, because he also has a Pulitzer Prize to his credit. If you don't think you recognize Rodgers' name, ask yourself if you were singing along to "The Sound of Music" recently. If so, you know his work better than you think.
As reported by Billboard, Rodgers ascended to EGOT status way back in 1962, when he won an Emmy for his work on a TV series called "Winston Churchill — The Valiant Years" for ABC. As noted by The Songwriters Hall of Fame, Rodgers won multiple Tony awards on his own and with his partner Oscar Hammerstein, and he won his Grammy for his work on "The Sound of Music" in 1961, his Oscar for his song "It Might as Well Be Spring" in 1946, and his Pulitzer (shared with Hammerstein and Joshua Logan) in 1950 for "South Pacific."
Most probably Rodgers didn't think too much about his achievement; the Grammys were just three years old at the time and hadn't yet gained the prestige they carry today. As noted by America Magazine, Rodgers definitely deserves his PEGOT status — his work defined and influenced not just musical theater but our national culture.
Helen Hayes
Helen Hayes wasn't the first EGOT winner, but she made history all the same by becoming the first woman to nab all four awards in 1976. Hayes took her time to get there — according to Biography she won her first Oscar in 1931 for her role in "The Sin of Madelon Claudet." According to the encyclopedia Britannica, it took her 15 years to follow that with her first Tony Award in 1946. It took another seven years for her to nab an Emmy (for "Schlitz Playhouse of Stars: Not a Chance") in 1953 (via PBS).
She finally got her Grammy in 1976 for Best Spoken Word Recording for "Great American Documents," as per the Grammy's. This was a reading of our foundational documents (including the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, and the Emancipation Proclamation) performed by celebrities, including Orson Welles, Henry Fonda, and James Earl Jones, in addition to Hayes.
Hayes was known as "The First Lady of American Theater," and her performances on stage were celebrated for decades. In the late 1960s and 1970s, emerging allergies to dust forced her to retire from the stage, and she concentrated on film and television appearances in the last decades of her career, but she became a familiar face on television — including her final appearances as Agatha Christie's famous detective Miss Marple in the 1980s.
Rita Moreno
As reported by PBS, when Rita Moreno came up in Hollywood she was often typecast. A Puerto Rican, she found herself limited to roles that focused on her ethnicity. And as noted by The Guardian, Moreno had to navigate horrific sexual harassment as a young actress — including a sexual assault by her own agent.
But Moreno was a survivor — and an incredibly talented one. She began her journey to EGOT status with an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in "West Side Story" in 1962, but she broke out of those limitations and forged a legendary career. Moreno has worked steadily for a remarkable seven decades — she's probably been busier in her 80s than actors half her age. And at the age of 90, Moreno appeared in Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story" remake.
After her Oscar, Moreno's next stop on the EGOT path was a 1972 Grammy for Best Recording for Children as part of "The Electric Company," according to Billboard. She added a Tony Award in 1975 for Best Featured Actress in "The Ritz" and nabbed her first Emmy in 1977, winning Outstanding Continuing or Single Performance by a Supporting Actress in Variety or Music for her work on "The Muppet Show," (she would win a second Emmy a year later for her work on "The Rockford Files").
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
John Gielgud
In some ways, Sir John Gielgud was an unlikely EGOT winner. Perhaps the most famous representative of the old-school British tradition of acting, The Guardian notes that he was initially flummoxed by the new wave of theater that bloomed in the 1950s, when he was already decades into a brilliant theater career — Gielgud is most associated with the stage and with Shakespeare's work. In fact, he won three Tony Awards in his career, including win for Outstanding Foreign Company for his work in "The Importance of Being Earnest" in 1948 and a Best Direction of a Play Tony in 1961 for "Big Fish, Little Fish," as per "John Gielgud: Matinee Idol to Movie Star," by Jonathan Croall.
But Gielgud branched out later in life and performed some of his most famous roles long after many of his peers had retired. He took home a Grammy for Best Spoken World Album in 1979 for his work on "Ages of Man" and received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as Dudley Moore's suffering butler in "Arthur" in 1981, as per Britannica. Gielgud then earned the final piece of the EGOT puzzle for his work in a TV mini-series called "Summer's Lease," playing a leering old man. According to The New York Times, the series isn't much, but Gielgud "clearly had the best time" playing the role, and that enthusiasm — at the age of 86 — earned him an Emmy for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Special in 1991.
Audrey Hepburn
One of the best things about achievements is enjoying them, basking in your success. And you'd imagine that enjoying being an EGOT winner is pretty great — you've basically been designated good at everything.
Tragically, the legendary Audrey Hepburn never got to bask in the warm glow of her EGOT status. She passed away in 1993 just before winning the Grammy that completed her EGOT. She won Best Spoken Word Album for Children in 1994 for her work on "Audrey Hepburn's Enchanted Tales," according to Parade.
What's truly surprising about Hepburn's EGOT status is that she only has one Oscar — for Best Actress in "Roman Holiday" in 1954. Considering the influence of that film — The AV Club notes that it's incredibly influential in the genre of romantic comedies — and how many other iconic roles Hepburn played (including, of course, "Breakfast at Tiffany's"), you'd be forgiven for thinking she had several.
That same year, she added a Best Actress Tony for her work in "Ondine," and she won her Emmy the year she passed away in 1993 for Best Individual Achievement, Informational Programming for her work on "Gardens of the World With Audrey Hepburn."
Marvin Hamlisch
As noted by Breaking Character, along with Richard Rodgers, Marvin Hamlisch is one of two PEGOT winners, with a Pulitzer Prize in addition to his Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards. Even more impressive, Hamlisch won a lot of these awards over the course of his legendary career. Hamlisch won four Emmys (in 1995, 1999, and 2001), four Grammys (all in 1975), and three Oscars in 1974 for his work on "The Sting" and "The Way We Were." Hamlisch added his Tony Award in 1976, winning Best Original Musical Score for his work on "A Chorus Line" — which also earned Hamlisch his Pulitzer that year (shared with Michael Bennett, James Kirkwood, Jr., Nicholas Dante, and Edward Kleban).
PBS notes that Hamlisch earned all of the awards in his PEGOT through his composing — he never took a turn at acting or spoken word or anything else. He composed the music for more than 40 films over his career — and it was solely his towering musical ability that earned him his legendary status. Sadly, as reported by The Atlantic, Hamlisch died relatively young — he was just 68 when he passed away in 2012. Who knows how much more wonderful music he might have created if he'd lived another 20 years.
Jonathan Tunick
Jonathan Tunick may have the least name recognition of all the EGOT winners, unless you're a dedicated theater geek. But in the theater world he's a legend. According to Broadway World, Tunick's prolific body of work includes nearly 60 stage shows, 13 movies, and 24 television series — all of which he had a leading hand in through composing or orchestration. He was recognized as one of the greatest of all time.
That's obvious from his EGOT status. Tunick won an Oscar for Best Adapted Score in 1978 for "A Little Night Music." In 1982 he added an Emmy for Music Direction for his work on "Night of 100 Stars," and in 1988 he won a Grammy for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocals for his work on "No One Is Alone." He went full EGOT in 1997 when he scored a Tony for Best Orchestrations for his work on "Titanic."
You might think that being an EGOT would have made Tunick's subsequent career easy, but as reported by Los Angeles Magazine, that wasn't the case. Tunick said that getting work was always a struggle, adding, "We're in a tough, competitive, struggling business, and we're glad to get work." Somehow it's comforting to know that even EGOT winners have to work at their careers.
Mel Brooks
If you're surprised that the man who crafted an entire sequence in the film "Blazing Saddles" around cowboys eating beans and farting is an EGOT winner, you haven't been paying attention. Mel Brooks has been a comedy powerhouse for more than 70 years. According to Britannica, Brooks got his start writing for television for another comedy legend, Sid Ceasar, in 1949, and then moved on to the writing staff of "Your Show of Shows."
In 1967, Brooks' career started to seriously heat up. He won his first Emmy that year for Best Writing in Variety for "The Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner, Howard Morris Special" (he would win three more Emmys for his work on "Mad About You" in the late 1990s, per The Wrap). In 1969, he won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for the all-time comedy classic "The Producers." Brooks added a Grammy in 1998 for Best Spoken Comedy Album ("The 2000 Year Old Man in the Year 2000").
Then, in 2001, Brooks brought "The Producers" to Broadway, and he didn't just win a Tony — as reported by The Guardian he won 12 Tony Awards, a record that still stands. The show also earned Brooks a few more Grammys.
Mike Nichols
Mike Nichols had an advantage when it came to winning all the major awards. As noted by CNN, Nichols was a performer and actor first. In fact, he won the first part of his EGOT as a comedian, taking home the Grammy for Best Comedy Performance in 1961 for "An Evening With Mike Nichols and Elaine May" (via The Wrap). According to The Forward, he was just 31 years old.
Youth wasn't a problem. Three years later, Nichols won a Tony for his direction of "Barefoot in the Park," and just a few years after that, he won an Oscar for Best Director for his work on the classic film "The Graduate."
All that remained was an Emmy — and it took him until 2001, when he was 70, to finally join the EGOT ranks. He won Best Director of Miniseries, Movie or Special and Best Made for Television Movie with "Wit," according to The Wrap. But his final moment of greatness was yet to come — in 2004, he took home two Emmys for Best Directing of Miniseries, Movie or Special and Best Miniseries for his work on "Angels in America." Even more impressive, as noted by The Hollywood Reporter, the miniseries was nominated for a whopping 21 Emmys, and won 11 of them — a new record.
Nichols continued to rack up awrds, winning several more Tonys over the years — including a Best Director nod for "Spamalot" in 2005, when he was 73 years old.
Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg has had such an incredible career it's easy to forget just how versatile a performer she is. Goldberg came up as comedian (The New York Daily News notes that she earned the first part of her EGOT in 1985 with a Best Comedy Recording Grammy for "Whoopi Goldberg: Direct from Broadway"), but just a year later she received her first Oscar nomination for her role in "The Color Purple."
She didn't win. But in 1991, she got her Oscar when she won Best Supporting Actress for her work in "Ghost." As noted by Variety, Goldberg's Oscar win was incredibly important: It was the first time a Black woman had won an Oscar since 1940, when Hattie McDaniel won for Best Supporting Actress in "Gone with The Wind" — a role seen today as perpetuating many racist myths.
McDaniel actually played another part in Goldberg's EGOT. Goldberg earned her first Daytime Emmy for her hosting work in "Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel" in 2002 (she won a second Emmy in 2009 for "The View"). Goldberg became officially EGOT when she won a Tony Award for producing "Thoroughly Modern Millie" in 2002. And in typically revolutionary fashion, Goldberg was the first Black EGOT winner and is just one of two Black entertainers to hold EGOT status.
Scott Rudin
For a while, Scott Rudin was known mainly for being an incredibly talented producer. Putting together films, television shows, and stage plays isn't easy, but Rudin made it seem easy. As noted by Vulture, he made his first step towards an EGOT in 1984 when he won an Emmy for Best Children's Program for "He Makes Me Feel Like Dancing." He added the first of an impressive 13 Tony Awards in 1994 for producing "Passion" and an Oscar in 2008 for producing Best Picture winner "No Country for Old Men."
The Grammy portion might have seemed out of reach for a guy who doesn't work in the musical field much, but in 2012 Rudin completed his EGOT with a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album with "The Book of Mormon," according to Parade.
Unfortunately, in recent years Rudin's EGOT reputation has taken a beating. As noted by The Hollywood Reporter, Rudin has been accused of being an "absolute monster." His legendary temper was given a pass for a long time, but in recent years his behavior is seen as more abusive than anything else, with acts of "cruelty and intimidation" that were once seen as signs of his genius now seen for what they are: bullying.
Robert Lopez
The name "Robert Lopez" may not be immediately recognizable, but you are almost certainly intimately familiar with his most famous work: "Let It Go" from the "Frozen" soundtrack. Lopez co-wrote that song with his wife Kristen Anderson-Lopez, and as noted by Billboard when they won the Oscar for Best Original Song in 2014 for "Let It Go," Lopez became the youngest-ever EGOT winner at the age of 39.
Even more impressive, according to Variety a few years later Lopez did something no one else has ever done — he became an EGOT winner twice over. With another Oscar win for Best Original Song (for "Remember Me" from the "Coco" soundtrack, also co-written with his wife), Lopez had multiple trophies in all four EGOT categories: two Oscars, two Daytime Emmys, three Tonys, and three Grammys.
Most amazingly, it took Lopez just about a decade to achieve his first EGOT. Playbill notes he won his first award — a Tony for Best Original Score for his work on "Avenue Q" — in 2004. Still under 50, Lopez has plenty of chances to become a Triple EGOT — in fact, he's nominated for a Grammy in 2022 for "Agatha All Along" from the TV show "WandaVision" (which already won an Emmy). But for the time being, maybe holding two EGOT-related records is enough.
John Legend
Everyone knows John Legend. Between his hit songs, his marriage to the extremely public (and occasionally controversial) Chrissy Teigen, and his hosting gig on "The Voice," Legend is instantly recognizable. He's so talented he's one of the few people on the list of EGOT winners that elicits no surprise — you find out Legend has an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and a Tony and you just sort of accept it.
As noted by Country Living, Legend has an obvious edge in the music department — and sports 10 Grammy wins throughout his career — the earliest was for Best New Artist in 2005. CNN notes that he filled in the next EGOT category in 2015 when he won a Best Original Song Oscar for "Glory" from the film "Selma." He snagged a Tony for Best Play Revival in 2017 for "August Wilson's Jitney," and filled out his EGOT card in 2018 when he shared an Emmy (with Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice) for Outstanding Live Variety Special for his work on "Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert."
Legend's EGOT status is a milestone — he's the first Black man in history to achieve it, which is simply mind blowing when you consider the incredibly talented Black entertainers throughout history.
Alan Menken
Attaining EGOT status started out as a bit of a joke — the comedy "30 Rock" built an entire comedic storyline around the concept, after all. But over the years it's become an honor taken increasingly seriously by the entertainment world, especially as industry heavyweights have attained it. But EGOT composer Alan Menken has kept his sense of humor about it, joking to The New York Times that he's actually a REGOT winner — because he's won multiple Razzies, which honor the "worst" films every year. "You get all these awards and then, thank goodness, a Razzie comes along to just kick you in the butt, which is very healthy, really," he said.
As an EGOT, Menken can afford to joke about his career, of course. According to Variety, Menken became an EGOT in 2020 when he received a Daytime 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." Menken has compiled quite the list of other awards — 11 Grammys and 8 Oscars — and earned his single Tony Award for Best Score for "Newsies" in 2012. Ironically, Menken's Razzie was awarded to a song from "Newsies," "High Times, Hard Times."
Andrew Lloyd Webber
It's not surprising to find out that Andrew Lloyd Webber has seven Tony Awards (via Concord) — this is the man who gave us "The Phantom of The Opera," "Evita," and "Cats," after all. It's not even surprising that he has three Grammys, considering he's a composer. But some are surprised to learn that this Broadway legend has an Oscar and an Emmy as well.
For Webber, "Evita" has proved to be the key — aside from the Tony Award the musical earned him way back in 1980, it also led to his sole Oscar in 1997 for Best Song ("You Must Love Me"). The show also earned him one of his Grammys, for Best Cast Show Album in 1980.
For his Emmy, Webber had to reach way back into his past. He won the Outstanding Variety Special (Live) Emmy in 2018 alongside fellow EGOTs John Legend and Tim Rice for "Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert." Webber created the pioneering rock opera in 1970 along with Rice, according to The Washington Post, and it was adapted into a stage production in 1971. In a real sense Webber had to wait nearly 50 years to get his Emmy. And that Emmy was pretty incredible — as reported by TheaterMania, it propelled all three men — Webber, Rice, and Legend — to EGOT status simultaneously.
Tim Rice
Tim Rice has five Grammys, three Oscars (via The Hollywood Reporter), and three Tonys before winning his first — and so far, only — Emmy in 2018 for "Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert" (along with longtime collaborator Andrew Lloyd Webber and John Legend). As reported by The Guardian, that Emmy win elevated him to EGOT status, but most people are more familiar with his work than his name. If you can hum the tune to "A Whole New World" from "Aladdin" or "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from "The Lion King," then you know Rice's work.
As noted by PBS, Rice launched his career working with Webber in the late 1960s on a string of religious-themed musicals, including "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat" and "Jesus Christ Superstar." After they collaborated on the award-winning "Evita" in 1979 (which Rice described as a "bonkers idea" and produced what's probably his most famous composition, the classic "Don't Cry for Me Argentina"), Rice and Webber pursued separate careers for a while. Rice co-wrote the song "One Night in Bangkok" for the musical "Chess" in 1985 and resumed collaborating with Webber in the 1990s, ultimately leading to their work together on the Emmy-winning production that gave him his well-deserved EGOT status.
Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Hudson made history at the 75th Annual Tony Awards on June 13, 2022, by becoming just the 17th person to be an EGOT winner. She was a producer for Broadway's "A Strange Loop," which was a hit at the Tony's. Her journey to the entertainment industry's grand slam began with her best supporting actress recognition at the Oscars in 2007 for her role in "Dreamgirls." In 2009, she won a Grammys for best R&B album. Hudson won a second Grammy in 2017 for best musical theater album for "The Color Purple," per CNN. Just last year, she added a trophy for her executive producer role in the Virtual Reality-animated film "Baba Yaga." The Daytime Emmy made her only a Tony away from EGOT status, per the New York Daily News.
The status has been a goal for Hudson, who believes that her pet dogs are behind it. In 2020, she informed People Magazine that after naming her dogs Oscar and Grammy, she won those exact awards. She jokingly planned to name her next dogs Emmy and Tony. In 2004, Hudson rose to fame as a contestant on "American Idol." Although she didn't win and only came in seventh place, she's now got more bragging rights than any "American Idol" winner, per Vanity Fair.
Viola Davis
In 2023, actor Viola Davis made history as only the 18th person in the arts and entertainment world to win all four major American competitive awards: an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony. And when she won the fourth and clinching prize, she made history by acknowledging the quadfecta. "I just EGOT!" Davis proclaimed from the stage at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, according to Vulture.
Davis secured the "G" in EGOT with a Grammy in the category of Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording for performing the audio version of her memoir, "Finding Me," according to The New York Times. Davis completed the EGOT in a little over 20 years. She won her first Emmy in 2015, for Best Lead Actress in a Drama, for ABC's "How to Get Away with Murder." Two years later, she took home Best Supporting Actress at the Academy Awards for "Fences." A 2010 Broadway production of "Fences" netted Davis her second Tony Award, following a 2001 win for "King Hedley II."