In all of entertainment, a Grammy is the ultimate sign of ‘arrival’ for musicians, the same way Oscar, Emmy, and Tony Awards are to actors. Bagging all of the four awards gives an entertainer an all-knew status, and places them in books of history, since not so many get to achieve the feat. In fact, only 16 out of millions of entertainers have been able to get to EGOT status since the inception of these awards.
For someone to reach EGOT status, there has to be a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, and the long process can take years to finally accomplish. This is how long it took some EGOT title holders to cross the finishing line and finally cement their names as super entertainers.
10 John Gielgud (30 Years)
Gielgud’s journey to becoming an EGOT title holder began in 1948 when he bagged a Tony Award for The Importance of Being Earnest. 31 years later he would get his first Grammy, for Ages of Man, that earned him a Best Spoken Word, Documentary, or Drama Recording. In 1981, he won the Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Arthur, and finished his run 10 years later, with an Emmy for Summer’s Lease.
9 Alan Menken (30 Years)
Not only is Alan Menken an EGOT holder, but, of all winners, he’s the one with the most Academy Awards, and only second to Alfred Newman when it comes to Grammys. Menken’s road to EGOT status began in 1990, with an Academy Award for The Little Mermaid. A year later, he got a Grammy for the same. In 2012, he won a Tony for Best Original Score for Newsies, and in 2020, he finally got his Emmy for Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure.
8 Scott Rudin (28 Years)
Scott Rudin goes down as the one with the second most total number of awards, having a record of 20 awards to his name. He won his first award, a Primetime Emmy Award, for He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin' in 1984. 10 years later, Rudin would win his second Award, a Tony, for Passion. It wasn’t until 2008 that he won Best Picture at the Oscars for No Country for Old Men, and in 2012, he was awarded a Grammy for The Book of Mormon: Original Broadway Cast Recording.
7 Marvin Hamlisch (22 Years)
Prior to Alan Menken, Marvin Hamlisch had the most awards amongst EGOT title holders; 12. He won his first three Academy Awards in 1973 with ‘The Way We Were’ and ‘Sting’. The next year, he won a total of four Grammy Awards. In 1976, Hamlisch won a Tony for the Best Musical Score, A Chorus Line, and finally landed a total of two Emmys in 1995.
6 Jonathan Tunick (20 Years)
Jonathan Tunick, alongside Audrey Hepburn, holds the record for no other awards won within either category, having only but one of each award. Tunick won his first Academy Award for A Little Night Music in 1977. In 1982, he was awarded an Emmy for his direction of Night of 100 Stars. In 1988, he got a Grammy for ‘No One is Alone’, and finally crowned it with a Tony Award for Titanic in 1997.
5 Richard Rogers (17 Years)
Even before EGOT was a thing, composer Richard Rogers was already shattering glass ceilings. Rogers first won an Academy award in 1945 for the song ‘ It Might as Well Be Spring’. In 1962, he won his first and only, Emmy, and two years later, he landed his second Grammy. Rogers has a total of six Tony Awards for his compositions that include ‘South Pacific’ and ‘The King and I’. Not only is Rogers an EGOT winner, but he also has a Pulitzer Prize that makes him the only one with a PEGOT status.
4 Rita Moreno (16 Years)
Born in 1931, actress Rita Moreno first received her Academy Award in 1962 for the Best Actress in a Supporting Role, following her appearance in the film West Side Story. Moreno would later bag two Emmys in 1777 and 1978 for The Muppet Show and her appearance on The Rockford Files. In 1972, she won a Grammy for the Best Recording for Children and crowned it all with a Tony Award for her appearance in The Ritz.
3 Whoopi Goldberg (16 Years)
Whoopi Goldberg first received a Grammy for the Best Comedy Album in 1986 and was the only woman to have achieved that feat until Tiffany Haddish won this year. In 1991, Goldberg followed it up with an Academy Award for her role in Ghost. In 2002, Goldberg received an Emmy Award for Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel, and a Tony for Thoroughly Modern Millie.
2 John Legend (12 Years)
John Legend, whose wife Chrissy Teigen is extremely proud of his EGOT status, first won several Grammy Awards following the release of his debut studio album, Get Lifted. After nine years, Legend landed his first Oscar for his composition, ‘Glory’, off of the Ava DuVernay movie, Selma. In 2017, Legend was awarded a Tony for Jitney, and he certified his status in 2018 when he won an Emmy for Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert.
1 Robert Lopez (10 Years)
Robert Lopez holds a record as one with the least possible time it took to get to EGOT status. Not only that, but he is a double EGOT holder, having won all of the awards, not once, but twice. Lopez gained Grammys for Frozen and an Academy Award for the same. Wonder Pets landed him two Emmys, and, in 2004 and 2011, he won a total of three Tonys for The Book of Mormon and Avenue Q.
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