This time of year marks a hoard of celebrations and one of our favourites here at Glitz is awards season! Each year between November and February, the majority of notable film, television, and theatre award ceremonies take place in the United States. For all the artists working in show business, the most coveted of these awards both individually and as a set is the EGOT.
EGOT is an acronym for the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards. These accolades, in their respective categories, recognise accomplishments in television, recording, cinema, and Broadway theatre. As you can imagine, given the sheer amount of people working in the entertainment industry, very few people have been honoured with an EGOT. Following the 2023 Emmy Awards earlier this week, this elite club has received their newest member. Keep reading to find out who it is, along with all the other EGOT winners throughout history. Buckle up for the long ride!
Every EGOT Winner So Far
1960s – 1990s
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The very first person to complete the EGOT was composer and producer Richard Rodgers back in 1962. His first win was an Oscar for the movie State Fair in the Best Song category. He went on to secure an impressive six Tony Awards, two Grammys, and finally an Emmy for Winston Churchill: The Valiant Years. Rodgers is also one of only two people in history to have a Pulitzer Prize to go with his EGOT. A truly impressive feat.
In 1977, two actresses won the EGOT within a few months of each other. Helen Hayes was the first, becoming the first woman to join the club in one fell swoop. She was closely followed by Rita Moreno, the first Latina EGOT winner. Both ladies were also honoured with The National Medal of Arts and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
From 1991 to 1997, the EGOT club expanded to include four more performers. This includes the oldest person to complete the EGOT and the first member of the LGBTQ+ community to do so, Sir John Gielgud. The British actor and director received all four awards when he was 87 years old. Following in his wake is the silver screen icon Audrey Hepburn herself, who won her Emmy and Grammy posthumously in 1993 and 1994 respectively.
Composer Marvin Hamlisch became the next EGOT winner in 1995, the other person in history to also have a Pulitzer Prize. Equally impressive, Hamlisch has four Grammy Awards (all won in 1974), four Emmys and three Oscars to his name; the latter is more than anyone else on this list. Next up is composer Jonathan Tunick who has one award in each category, completing the set with his Tony win in 1997.
2000s – 2010s
We’ve made it to the 21st century! Actor and comedian Mel Brooks is the first EGOT winner in this new era, joining the club when he won his first Tony in 2001. Correction: he won three Tonys in the same year, all for his work in the musical comedy The Producers. Director Mike Nichols was quick to follow, finishing his EGOT streak in the same year after winning two Emmys. Next came the first black woman to achieve EGOT status, actress Whoopi Goldberg in 2002. Fun fact: Goldberg also popularised the word EGOT.
After a decade of no new members, producer Scott Rudin was finally inducted into the club in 2012. Rudin has a whopping eighteen (18!) Tonys, the latest of which he won in 2021 so he’s clearly far from done collecting the statuettes. In 2014, composer Robert Lopez became the first Filipino American to become an EGOT winner, the youngest person to do so at 39 years old, and the first person to have at least two awards in each category. What an achievement!
Three people completed their EGOT streaks in 2018, the first being famed Broadway composer Sir Andrew Lloyd Weber. Befittingly, Weber shares several of his inspiring career achievements with his close collaborator, songwriter Sir Tim Rice who happens to be next in line on this list. Lastly, with twelve Grammys to his name, John Legend has the most Grammys out of every EGOT winner who came before and after him. He is also the second youngest EGOT winner and the first Black man to achieve the honour.
2020s
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Even though we’re only four years into the 2020s, there are already four people who have joined the prestigious society of EGOT winners this decade. Composer Alan Menken joined in 2020 when he won his Emmy for Best Original Song. Following in his wake, two black women achieved EGOT status back-to-back in 2022 and 2023: singer Jennifer Hudson and actress Viola Davis. The latter became the first and only Black woman to win the Triple Crown of Acting as she won her Emmy, Oscar, and Tony in the acting categories.
We have finally made it to the latest member of the club. After the 2023 Emmy Awards aired on 16 January 2024, another name was added to the list of EGOT winners and it’s none other than Sir Elton John. He is the second LGBTQ+ member to be inducted into the elite club after winning the Best Variety Special Emmy for Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium.
This year’s Oscars, Grammys, and Tonys have yet to air. Will any other artist join the ranks of EGOT winners above in 2024? Watch this space to find out.
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