Honors Club: 10 Notable EGOT Winners Through The Years

EGOT status is an achievement only a few actors, composers, directors, and producers have earned.

At the recent 75th Emmy Awards, Elton John became the 19th EGOT winner in history. The legendary performer won the award for Outstanding Variety Special (Live) for Elton John: Farewell from Dodger Stadium. 

READ ALSO: Dreamgirl: At 40, Jennifer Hudson Is The Youngest Person To Win The EGOT

Receiving an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony award in one lifetime is no small feat. Here are some of the other artists who belong to this exclusive circle of winners.

Richard Rodgers

Before the term “EGOT” even came to be, composer Richard Rodgers was the first person to win all four awards, according to the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He achieved this within the span of 16 years, winning in categories such as Best Song, Best Musical, and Best Composer.

In 1950, he also won a Pulitzer Prize for Drama for the musical South Pacific. This makes him one of only two people to receive trophies from all five award-giving bodies.

Helen Hayes

15 years after Rodgers achieved his EGOT, actress Helen Hayes became the second person and first woman to reach this status. It took her 45 years to complete her EGOT, the longest of anyone else in the list. 

She finally completed the acronym when she received the Grammy for Best Spoken Word Recording in 1977.

Audrey Hepburn

Sadly, two of Audrey Hepburn’s awards were given after the actress had passed away. These were her 1993 Emmy for Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn and her 1994 Grammy for the children’s album Audrey Hepburn’s Enchanted Tales.

Hepburn is the first posthumous EGOT recipient. However, while she was alive, she was able to celebrate her Oscar for Roman Holiday and Tony for Ondine, both of which she received in 1954.

Whoopi Goldberg

Whoopi Goldberg achieved EGOT status in 2002 and became the first African American person to do so. The first one she received was actually the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album in 1986.

Then in 1990, Goldberg won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Ghost. She rounded up her awards in 2002 with a Daytime Emmy for hosting Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel and co-producing the Tony’s Best Musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie.

Mike Nichols

From 1961 to 2012, Mike Nichols received 15 awards from the EGOT ceremonies. While he only has one Grammy, he was the first EGOT winner to receive it as his first award.

Transitioning from comedy to directing was a game changer as he then became one of the most awarded directors in history, according to the Emmys’ website. He has an Oscar for Best Director, two Emmys for Outstanding Directing, and seven Tonys for Best Direction.

Robert Lopez

In 2014, Robert Lopez became the fastest EGOT winner, achieving the status in only 10 years. He received the first of his awards at the 2004 Tonys, winning Best Original Score for Avenue Q.

He had already won two Daytime Emmys, but he finally received a Primetime Emmy Award in 2021 for his song in WandaVision. Lopez is probably best known for his work in The Book of Mormon (which won him a Grammy) and Frozen’s “Let It Go” (where he got his first of two Oscars).

Andrew Lloyd Webber, John Legend, and Tim Rice

In 2018, the EGOT club welcomed three new members at the same time. This was when Andrew Lloyd Webber, John Legend, and Tim Rice received their joint Emmy for producing Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert.

The three are already highly decorated songwriters but so far, this is still their only Primetime Emmy Award. Legend also starred as the titular character in the musical.

Viola Davis

Before Elton John, Viola Davis was the most recent EGOT winner. She achieved this feat last year when she won the Grammy for Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording. The actress received the award for her narration of her own memoir, Finding Me.

Before achieving EGOT status, she had already won two acting Tonys, an Outstanding Lead Actress Emmy for How to Get Away with Murder, and a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Fences.

Banner image via Wikimedia Commons.