Every EGOT Winner: Elton John, Viola Davis, Whoopi Goldberg More
Only 20 people in history have won an EGOT: an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award for exceptional accomplishments in film, TV, music, and theater.
While those overly familiar with 30 Rock may recall Tracy Jordan saying that the easiest way to an EGOT was by being a composer, the EGOT winners on this list, now including Sir Elton as well, won their awards in myriad ways.
While a solid ten of 20 EGOT winners do indeed have a composing background, producers, actors, and directors are all well-represented in this category too.
Often, it’s having a diversity of skills in the entertainment industry that makes it easiest to collect awards across categories. Jennifer Hudson, for example, won her Oscar for her acting in Dreamgirls, two Grammys for her R&B album Jennifer Hudson and musical theater album The Color Purple, an Emmy for her work executive-producing animated film Baba Yaga, and a Tony award for her producing on musical A Strange Loop.
Find out who else in Hollywood is a member of the illustrious EGOT club below!
A version of this article was originally published in 2017.
Every EGOT Winner:
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Justin Paul & Benj Pasek
Songwriting and composing duo Justin Paul and Benj Pasek set a record for the fastest climb to an EGOT, just under eight years between their first win and their last to achieve EGOT status on September 8, 2024.
Emmy: Paul and Pasek completed their EGOT with a Primetime Emmy win for outstanding music and lyrics for a song they co-wrote for Only Murders in the Building.
Grammy: In 2018, they won their first Grammy, best musical theater album, for Dear Evan Hansen. They also won for best compilation soundtrack for visual media in 2019 for The Greatest Showman.
Oscar: They journey to an EGOT began in 2017 with a best original song award for co-writing “City of Stars” from La La Land.
Tony: In 2017, the won the best original score award for Dear Evan Hansen. The also took home awards in 2018 for their work on the production team of best musical, A Strange Loop.
Elton John
At the 2023 Primetime Emmys, which took place in January 2024 due to Hollywood strikes, Elton John solidified his status as an EGOT winner.
Emmy: John won for Outstanding Variety Special (Live) for Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium.
Grammy: Shockingly, John didn’t win a Grammy until 1987, winning for Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal for “That’s What Friends Are For.” Over the years, the “Rocketman” singer has received a whopping 35 Grammy nominations and five wins.
Oscar: In 1995, John won his first Oscar for his song “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” in Lion King.
Tony: Five years later, he won his first Tony Award for Best Original Score for Aida.
Viola Davis
Viola Davis achieved her EGOT status in 2023, 22 years after she began her journey with a 2001 Tony win.
Emmy: Davis won a best actress Primetime Emmy in 2015 for her leading role in How to Get Away with Murder.
Grammy: A Grammy was the last award for the star, earning it in 2023 for the audiobook version of her memoir, Finding Me.
Oscar: In 2017, she won the Oscar for her supporting role in Fences (with three nominations under her belt).
Tony: Davis won her first Tony in 2001 for her role in King Headley II and again in 2010 for Fences.
Jennifer Hudson
At 40 years old, Jennifer Hudson became the youngest woman to achieve EGOT status in 2022.
Emmy: Hudson won Daytime Emmy in 2021 for producing Baba Yaga.
Grammy: Hudson won her first Grammy in 2009, taking home the best R&B album award for her eponymous debut album. She won again in 2017 for best musical theater album for The Color Purple.
Oscar: She won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Dreamgirls in 2007.
Tony: In 2022, Hudson completed the EGOT circuit as one of the producers of A Strange Loop.
Alan Menken
Alan Menken became an EGOT winner in June 2020 with a Daytime Emmy win.
Emmy: His 2020 Emmy was for outstanding original song in a children’s, young adult or animated program for “Waiting in the Wings” from Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure.
Grammy: Menken won his first Grammy in 1991 for his work on The Little Mermaid soundtrack. Since then he has won 10 other Grammys.
Oscar: Menken has been nominated for over 20 Oscars, winning eight of them for composing classic Disney songs. His first Oscar win was a best original score award in 1990 for The Little Mermaid.
Tony: Menken won a Tony in 2012 for Best Original Score for Newsies.
John Legend
John Legend became the first Black man to win an EGOT in 2018.
Emmy: He won an Emmy in 2018 for Outstanding Variety Special for Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert.
Grammy: Legend has won seven Grammys, beginning his EGOT journey in 2006 with his three Grammys for his album Get Lifted.
Oscar: Legend won an Oscar for Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song for “Glory” from Selma in 2015.
Tony: He won his Tony for Best Revival of a Play in 2017 after serving as a a co-producer for the play Jitney.
Tim Rice
Sir Tim Rice completed his EGOT in 2018 and shares all of his awards with fellow EGOT winners Andrew Lloyd Webber, Alan Menken and Elton John.
Emmy: He achieved EGOT status when he won a Primetime Emmy for his collaborative work on Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert.
Grammy: Rice won his first Grammy in 1981 for Best Cast Show Album for Evita. He alson won in 1994 for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture and Song of the Year for Aladdin and “A Whole New World,” and again in 2001 for Best Musical Show Album for Aida.
Oscar: As for his Oscar win, he’s been nominated five times, winning three Oscars within the span of five years. His first Oscar was in 1993 when he won for “A Whole New World” from Aladdin.
Tony: He’s won three Tony Awards, snagging two in 1980 for Evita.
Andrew Lloyd Weber
Andrew Lloyd Weber’s EGOT came in 2018. He achieved EGOT status at the same time as Legend and Rice after they all won the same Emmy award.
Emmy: A Primetime Emmy sealed the deal in 2018 for his work as an executive producer of Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert.
Grammy: He’s also been nominated for over a dozen Grammys and has won four over the years: Best Cast Show Album for Evita in 1981, Best Cast Show Album for Cats in 1984, Best Contemporary Composition in 1986, and the Legend Award in 1991.
Oscar: He’s also won an Oscar for Best Music, Original Song for Evita with fellow EGOT winner Time Rice in 1997.
Tony: Lloyd Weber has been nominated for 23 Tony Awards, winning six of them, with the latest being in 2018 for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre.
Bobby Lopez
Bobby Lopez became an EGOT winner in just 10 years at the age of 39, making him the youngest winner to date.
Emmy: Lopez won his first Emmy in 2008 for his work on Wonder Pets!
Grammy: He has three Grammys in his stash for The Book of Mormon in 2012 and two for Frozen in 2015.
Oscar: In 2014, Lopez won an Oscar with his wife, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, for the song you will never forget, “Let It Go” from Frozen.
Tony: Lopez started his EGOT in 2004 when he won Best Original Score for Avenue Q. His Tony success continued in 2011 with two more Tonys for The Book of Mormon.
Scott Rudin
Producer Scott Rudin completed his EGOT in 2012. He’s the first producer to be a member of this elite club.
Emmy: Rudin first won an Emmy in 1984 for He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin’.
Grammy: He achieved EGOT status in 2012 with a Grammy win for best musical theater album for The Book of Mormon: Original Broadway Cast Recording.
Oscar: Rudin doubled his chances at winning an Oscar in 2008 when two films that he produced, No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood went head to head in the Best Picture category. It was No Country for Old Men‘s win that helped him get the “O” in EGOT.
Tony: His Tony Award came in in 1994 for Best Musical for Passion, composed by Stephen Sondheim. Since then, he has won 17 Tonys!
Whoopi Goldberg
10 years before Rudin’s EGOT win, Whoopi Goldberg became the first Black person to achieve the feat in 2002.
Emmy: She won a Daytime Emmy in 2002 for her work on Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel and a second one in 2009 for The View.
Grammy: Goldberg’s journey to EGOT began in 1986 when she won a Grammy for Best Comedy Recording for Whoopi Goldberg Original Broadway Show Record.
Oscar: In 1990, Goldberg won an Oscar for playing the hilarious Oda Mae Brown in Ghost.
Tony: Her EGOT was complete with a 2002 Tony Award as a producer on Thoroughly Modern Millie.
Mike Nichols
Film and theater director Mike Nichols became an EGOT winner in 2001. It took Nichols 40 years to complete his EGOT. He died in 2014.
Emmy: Nichols landed two Emmys in 2001 for his work on television movie Wit. He later won two more Emmys for Angels in America in 2004.
Grammy: He started on the road to EGOT in 1961 with a Grammy win for An Evening With Mike Nichols and Elaine May for Best Comedy Album.
Oscar: His Best Director Oscar came in 1967 for the timeless classic The Graduate.
Tony: While he has an astonishing nine Tony Awards to his name, it was Nichols’ 1964 Best Director win for Barefoot in the Park that put him on the map.
Mel Brooks
It took Mel Brooks 34 years to complete his EGOT journey, which started in 1967 and ended in June, 2001.
Emmy: Brooks began his EGOT journey with an Emmy Award for The Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner, Howard Morris Special. He’s no slouch, though. Brooks went on to win three more Emmys as Uncle Phil on Mad About You.
Grammy: He won a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Comedy Album 2000-Year-Old Man with Carl Reiner. He won another Grammy in 2002 for The Producers.
Oscar: Brooks’ Oscar came in 1969 for writing The Producers.
Tony: The Producers turned out to be Brooks’ lucky charm because 2002 was the year he won three Tonys for the adapted-for-Broadway show, completing his EGOT.
Jonathan Tunick
Composer Jonathan Tunick earned an EGOT in 1997.
Emmy: Tunick earned an Emmy in 1982 for Night of 100 Stars.
Grammy: He picked up a Grammy in 1989 as the arranger for “No One is Alone” on the album Cleo Laine Sings Sondheim.
Oscar: Tunick won an Oscar in 1978 for A Little Night Music.
Tony: Tunick completed his EGOT in 1997 for his orchestrations for the Broadway show Titanic.
Marvin Hamlisch
Composer Marvin Hamlisch had a string of success in the 1970s, which got him on his way to an EGOT, a destination he reached in 1995. He is one of only two people to have won those four prizes and a Pulitzer Prize — Richard Rodgers is the other. He died in 2012.
Emmy: Hamlisch won two Primetime Emmys in 1995 for Barbra: The Concert, which allowed him to complete his EGOT.
Grammy: He won four Grammys in one night in 1975, including best song for “The Way We Were” and best new artist.
Oscar: His Oscars journey began with a big night in 1974, winning three Oscars, best song for “The Way We Were,” best original dramatic score for the Streisand/Robert Redford movie of the same name, and best original song score and adaptation or scoring: adaptation for The Sting.
Tony: His first Tony Award came in 1976 with the monster Broadway hit A Chorus Line.
Audrey Hepburn
Glamorous actress Audrey Hepburn became an EGOT winner in 1994, eight months after her death. She is the only EGOT winner to win just one of each award.
Emmy: Hepburn’s Emmy came in 1993, for her TV series Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn.
Grammy: She joined the EGOT club in 1994 after getting a Grammy for the spoken word category with Audrey Hepburn’s Enchanted Tales.
Oscar: Roman Holiday won her a best actress Oscar in 1954.
Tony: It turned out that 1954 was her lucky year because she also won a Tony Award for Ondine.
John Gielgud
John Gielgud hit every decade from the 1960s through the 1990s collecting awards for an EGOT. He was the first openly LGBTQ winner and oldest, achieving the feat at 87 years old. He died in 2000.
Emmy: Gielgud capped off his EGOT with a Primetime Emmy win in 1991 for Summer’s Lease.
Grammy: Even though he was nominated 10 times, he only won one Grammy, for the 1979 spoken word album Ages of Man: Reading From Shakespeare.
Oscar: His success in the 1980s came in the shape of an Oscar with a win for Arthur as Dudley Moore’s beleaguered butler.
Tony: His Tony win came in 1961 as a director for Big Fish, Little Fish.
Rita Moreno
Rita Moreno was the first person of Latin origin to EGOT and no one achieved the feat for another 14 years after her 1977 win.
Emmy: Moreno has two Emmys, the first came in 1977 for her appearance on The Muppet Show, which cinched her EGOT. She won again in 1978 for The Rockford Files.
Grammy: Moreno won a Grammy Award for best recording for children in 1973 for The Electric Company, sharing the award with the now-disgraced Bill Cosby.
Oscar: Moreno is perhaps known for her Oscar-winning turn as Anita in West Side Story. She won the best supporting actress award in 1964, kickstarting her EGOT journey.
Tony: Moreno won the 1975 Tony for best featured actress in a play award for her role in The Ritz.
Helen Hayes
Helen Hayes was the first woman in the EGOT club and only the second member, which she achieved in 1977. It took her 45 years — the longest of any EGOT winner — to earn all four of her awards. She died in 1993.
Emmy: Her Emmy came in 1953, while the show was still in its infancy and had far fewer categories. She won the best actress award for Schlitz Playhouse of Stars.
Grammy: Hayes won a Grammy in 1977 in the spoken word category. She won with actors Henry Fonda, James Earl Jones, and Orson Welles for Great American Documents.
Oscar: Hayes started her EGOT journey with an Oscar for The Sin of Madelon Claudet in 1932.
Tony: Hayes then won a Tony Award at the very first ceremony in 1947 for Happy Birthday.
Richard Rodgers
Richard Rodgers was the very first person in history with an EGOT, though the feat was not labelled for several more decades. He accomplished this in 1962 and spent 15 years as the only person to win all four awards. He died in 1979.
Emmy: He completed the EGOT grand slam in 1962 when he won outstanding achievement in original music composed for television for the docuseries Winston Churchill: The Valiant Years.
Grammy: With his business partner and lyricist, Oscar Hammerstein, he won a Grammy in 1961 for Best Musical Theater Album for The Sound of Music.
Oscar: Also with Hammerstein, he won an Oscar in 1946 for “It Might as Well Be Spring” from State Fair.
Tony: The duo went on to win two Tonys for South Pacific in 1950.
