At the risk of stating the obvious: Awards are a good barometer for success in the entertainment industry—whether it’s Meryl Streep scooping up mountains of Oscar noms or Beyoncé’s 22 Grammys and counting, if an artist is winning such awards, it’s a pretty good indicator that they’re among the best in their field. Consider it an extremely glamorous version of a regular person receiving an award in high school for science, English, or math—if you win one of those, it’s safe to say you’re quite smart.
A good barometer for extremely proficient success in the entertainment industry, then, is winning all of the prestigious awards. EGOTing—that is, nabbing at least one Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony—is such a rare feat that only 15 people in awards ceremony history have done it. (Six more people have EGOTed by receiving certain non-competitive awards; they are lesser EGOTs and we are not including them here.) That number used to be even smaller, but this past weekend, three more people completed the fourth leg of their EGOTs by winning at the Creative Arts Emmys: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice, and John Legend, the latter of whom became the first African American man to ever EGOT and the youngest EGOTer at 39. John is most certainly a … legend, as is everyone who’s EGOTed.
But not all EGOTs are created equal. Sometimes, actors who’ve nabbed an Emmy, Oscar, and Tony will do an audiobook to squeeze in a Grammy win—like, c’mon, you’re one of the most talented people on the planet and you’re going to read a book? (I mean, we all would pull this shit if a Grammy was all that prevented us from an EGOT humble-brag, but still.) There is also the undeniable truth that some awards categories are harder to win, for either volume or competitive-field reasons. Within the iconic company of EGOT winners, then, who is the most iconic? To answer that question, I have created a points system for different EGOT accomplishments. The points system is this: any win for acting is worth five points, directing is also worth five points, Grammy wins are worth three points, a writing award is worth three points, non-Grammy musical composition and singing awards are worth two points, producing awards are worth two points, honorary awards are worth one point, miscellaneous awards (ie. “Best Orchestration”) are worth one point, Daytime Emmys are worth half as much as regular Emmys, and winning for doing spoken word or recording a friggin’ AUDIOBOOK is worth half a point.
With these metrics in mind, here is how hard math ranks history’s EGOT winners.
15. Jonathan Tunick
Emmys: Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction, Night of 100 Stars (1982)
Grammys: Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocals, “No One Is Alone,” Cleo Laine (1988)
Oscars: Best Music, Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Best Adaptation Score, A Little Night Music (1977)
Tony Awards: Best Orchestrations, Titanic (1997)
Honorary Awards: None
Total Arbitrary EGOT Points: 9
Tunick is the only person on this list who has exactly one Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony. We admire that the dude did the bare minimum to be part of this prestigious list—which is still impressive—and, if I’m being honest, this is the first I’m hearing of a “Best Orchestrations” category. (I gave him one point for that.)
14. Audrey Hepburn
Emmys: Outstanding Individual Achievement–Informational Programming, Gardens of the World With Audrey Hepburn (1993)
Grammys: Best Spoken Word Album for Children, Audrey Hepburn’s Enchanted Tales (1994)
Oscars: Best Actress in a Leading Role, Roman Holiday (1953)
Tony Awards: Best Actress in a Play, Ondine (1954)
Honorary Awards: Special Tony Award, Special Achievement Award (1968)
Special Academy Award, Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award (1993)
Total Arbitrary EGOT Points: 13.5
One of the greatest actresses of all time doesn’t have the greatest résumé among EGOTers, but what she lacks in sheer numbers she makes up for by being Audrey Friggin’ Hepburn.
13. Whoopi Goldberg
(Daytime) Emmys: Outstanding Special Class Special, Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel (2002)
Outstanding Talk Show Host, The View (2009)
Grammys: Best Comedy Recording, Whoopi Goldberg: Original Broadway Show Recording (1985)
Oscars: Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Ghost (1990)
Tony Awards: Best Musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie (2002)
Honorary Awards: Special Emmy Award, Governor’s Award, for seven Comic Relief benefit specials (1997)
Total Arbitrary EGOT Points: 14.5
I love Whoopi Goldberg; it’s also amazing to say “Whoopi Goldberg has more EGOT points than Audrey Hepburn” out loud.
12. John Gielgud
Emmys: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Special, Summer’s Lease (1991)
Grammys: Best Spoken Word, Documentary or Drama Recording, Ages of Man (1979)
Oscars: Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Arthur (1981)
Tony Awards: Outstanding Foreign Company, The Importance of Being Earnest (1948)
Best Director of a Drama, Big Fish, Little Fish (1961)
Honorary Awards: Special Tony Award “for contribution to theatre for his extraordinary insight into the writings of Shakespeare as demonstrated in his one-man play Ages of Man” (1959)
Total Arbitrary EGOT Points: 17.5
11. Rita Moreno
Emmys: Outstanding Continuing or Single Performance by a Supporting Actress in Variety or Music, The Muppet Show (1977)
Outstanding Lead Actress for a Single Appearance in a Drama or Comedy Series, The Rockford Files (1978)
Grammys: Best Recording for Children, The Electric Company (1972)
Oscars: Best Actress in a Supporting Role, West Side Story (1961)
Tony Awards: Best Featured or Supporting Actress in a Play, The Ritz (1975)
Honorary Awards: Somehow, none
Total Arbitrary EGOT Points: 20.5
If the world is just, Rita Moreno will snag another Emmy in her 80s for her work on Netflix’s One Day at a Time. It’s also only a matter of time until she gets an honorary award—or three—which might allow her to leapfrog an EGOT peer or two in the rankings.
Gielgud was 87 years old when he won an Emmy to complete his EGOT in 1991. What has your grandpa done recently?
10. Robert Lopez
(Daytime) Emmys: Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition, Wonder Pets! (2008)
Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition, Wonder Pets! (2010)
Grammys: Best Musical Theater Album, The Book of Mormon: Original Broadway Cast Recording (2012)
Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media, Frozen (2015)
Best Song Written for Visual Media, “Let It Go,” Frozen (2015)
Oscars: Best Original Song, “Let It Go,” Frozen (2014)
Best Original Song, “Remember Me,” Coco (2018)
Tony Awards: Best Original Score, Avenue Q (2004)
Best Book of a Musical, The Book of Mormon (2011)
Best Original Score, The Book of Mormon (2011)
Honorary Awards: None
Total Arbitrary EGOT Points: 21
If you’re wondering, “Who is responsible for assaulting my tear ducts with really emotional music in animated feature films?,” well, meet EGOT-earner Robert Lopez. Wild comparison here: While it took Helen Hayes 48 years to EGOT, Robert Lopez did it in 10 years flat. However, Lopez got his Es by winning Daytime Emmys—an awards show in which the competition is Days of our Lives and General Hospital rather than Game of Thrones and The Crown. Since Daytime Emmys are about half as impressive as regular Emmys, we’re going to deduct half of his points total from those wins.
9. Richard Rodgers
Emmys: Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composed for Television, Winston Churchill: The Valiant Years (1962)
Grammys: Best Show Album, The Sound of Music (1960)
Best Original Cast Show Album, No Strings (1962)
Oscars: Best Song, “It Might As Well Be Spring,” State Fair (1945)
Tony Awards: Best Musical, South Pacific (1950)
Tony Award for Producers, Musical, South Pacific (1950)
Best Score, South Pacific (1950)
Best Musical, The King and I (1952)
Best Musical, The Sound of Music (1960)
Best Composer, No Strings (1962)
Honorary Awards: Special Tony Award “for all he has done for young people in the theatre and for taking the men of the orchestra out of the pit and putting them onstage in No Strings” (1962)
Special Tony Award (1972)
Special Tony Award, Lawrence Langner Memorial Award for Distinguished Lifetime Achievement in the American Theatre (1979)
Total Arbitrary EGOT Points: 25
A lot of honorary awards for Rich-Rodg. Rodgers also gets the special designation of being the very first EGOT winner—back before the term EGOT was even coined. It was actually coined by Miami Vice star Philip Michael Thomas in the ’80s because he wanted to earn this rare honor, which is incredible—and a little sad—because he never even won a single award.
8. Helen Hayes
Emmys: Best Actress, Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (1953)
Grammys: Best Spoken Word Recording, Great American Documents (1977)
Oscars: Best Actress in a Leading Role, The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1932)
Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Airport (1970)
Tony Awards: Best Actress, Dramatic, Happy Birthday (1947)
Best Actress, Dramatic, Time Remembered (1958)
Honorary Awards: Special Tony Award, Lawrence Langner Memorial Award for Distinguished Lifetime Achievement in the American Theatre (1980)
Total Arbitrary EGOT Points: 26.5
The first woman to EGOT also took nearly half a century—45 years—to complete her EGOT quest, longer than any other artist on this list. That’s impressive patience.
7. Andrew Lloyd Webber
Emmys: Outstanding Variety Special (Live), Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert (2018)
Grammys: Best Cast Show Album, Evita (1980)
Best Cast Show Album, Cats (1983)
Best Contemporary Composition, Requiem (1986)
Oscars: Best Original Song, “You Must Love Me,” Evita (1997)
Tony Awards: Best Original Score, Evita (1980)
Best Musical, Cats (1983)
Best Original Score, Cats (1983)
Best Musical, The Phantom of the Opera (1988)
Best Musical, Sunset Boulevard (1995)
Best Original Score, Sunset Boulevard (1995)
Honorary Awards: Grammy Legend Award (1990)
Special Tony Award (2018)
Total Arbitrary EGOT Points: 27
Webber and Tim Rice—the next guy on our list, who also EGOTed along with Legend for Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert—apparently made some sort of sacred EGOT pact in the ’80s. Seriously! Look: They both shared an Oscar for Evita’s “You Must Love Me” and Evita’s album at the Grammys, and also the Evita score at the Tonys. Some people agree to go to lunch together; others are like, “Yo, you wanna do this really rare artist thing and share a bunch of awards?”
Tie: 5. Tim Rice
Emmys: Outstanding Variety Special (Live), Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert (2018)
Grammys: Best Cast Show Album, Evita (1980)
Song of the Year, “A Whole New World,” Aladdin (1993)
Best Musical Album for Children, Aladdin: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1993)
Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television, “A Whole New World,” Aladdin (1993)
Best Musical Show Album, Aida (2000)
Oscars: Best Original Song, “A Whole New World,” Aladdin (1993)
Best Original Song, “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” The Lion King (1995)
Best Original Song, “You Must Love Me,” Evita (1997)
Tony Awards: Best Original Score, Evita (1980)
Best Book of a Musical, Evita (1980)
Best Original Score, Aida (2000)
Honorary Awards: None
Total Arbitrary EGOT Points: 28
Rice also gave us “A Whole New World” and “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” two absolute bangers, so I’m glad he gets a slight edge over his buddy Webber.
Tie: 5. Marvin Hamlisch
Emmys: Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Direction, Barbra: The Concert (1995)
Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music and Lyrics, Barbra: The Concert (1995)
Outstanding Music and Lyrics, AFI’s 100 Years... 100 Movies (1999)
Outstanding Music Direction, Timeless: Live in Concert (2001)
Grammys: Song of the Year, “The Way We Were” (1974)
Best New Artist of the Year (1974)
Best Pop Instrumental Performance, The Entertainer (1974)
Album of Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special, The Way We Were (1974)
Oscars: Best Music, Original Dramatic Score, The Way We Were (1973)
Best Music, Original Song, “The Way We Were” (1973)
Best Music, Scoring Original Song Score and/or Adaptation, The Sting (1973)
Tony Awards: Best Musical Score, A Chorus Line (1976)
Honorary Awards: None
Total Arbitrary EGOT Points: 28
Hamlisch actually has an EGOTP—an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony, and Pulitzer Prize. This puts him in even more rarefied company; the only other EGOTPer—PEGOTer?—is Richard Rodgers.
4. Mel Brooks
Emmys: Outstanding Writing Achievement in Variety, The Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner, Howard Morris Special (1967)
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, Mad About You (1997)
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, Mad About You (1998)
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, Mad About You (1999)
Grammys: Best Spoken Comedy Album, The 2000 Year Old Man in the Year 2000 (1998)
Best Long Form Music Video, Recording “The Producers”: A Musical Romp With Mel Brooks (2002)
Best Musical Show Album, The Producers (2002)
Oscars: Best Writing, Story and Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, The Producers (1968)
Tony Awards: Best Book of a Musical, The Producers (2001)
Best Original Score, The Producers (2001)
Best Musical, The Producers (2001)
Honorary Awards: None
Total Arbitrary EGOT Points: 33.5
The great comedian made the most of a recurring role on Mad About You, for which he nabbed three Emmys in the late ’90s—before he took on the Tony and Grammy awards in the early aughts. It’s hard to imagine anyone on this list with a more storied career; Spaceballs isn’t technically part of his EGOT, but it is in spirit.
Tie: 2. Scott Rudin
Emmys: Outstanding Children’s Program, He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin’ (1984)
Grammys: Best Musical Theater Album, The Book of Mormon: Original Broadway Cast Recording (2012)
Oscars: Best Picture, No Country for Old Men (2007)
Tony Awards: Best Musical, Passion (1994)
Best Play, Copenhagen (2000)
Best Play, The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? (2002)
Best Play, Doubt (2005)
Best Play, The History Boys (2006)
Best Play, God of Carnage (2009)
Best Revival of a Play, Fences (2010)
Best Musical, The Book of Mormon (2011)
Best Revival of a Play, Death of a Salesman (2012)
Best Revival of a Play, A Raisin in the Sun (2014)
Best Play, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (2015)
Best Revival of a Play, Skylight (2015)
Best Play, The Humans (2016)
Best Revival of a Play, A View From the Bridge (2016)
Best Revival of a Musical, Hello, Dolly! (2017)
Honorary Awards: None
Total Arbitrary EGOT Points: 36
Rudin is one of those Broadway super-producers who seems to be involved in everything, meaning he’s had a disproportionate amount of opportunities to EGOT. That’s not necessarily a bad thing—you gotta EGOT somehow—but it’s worth noting that he has been involved in more than 100 productions between Hollywood and Broadway. His EGOT batting average is likely much lower than the rest of his peers.
Tie: 2. John Legend
Emmys: Outstanding Variety Special (Live), Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert (2018)
Grammys: Best New Artist (2006)
Best R&B Album, Get Lifted (2006)
Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, “Ordinary People” (2006)
Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, “Heaven” (2007)
Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, “Family Affair” (2007)
Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, “Stay With Me (By the Sea)” (2009)
Best R&B Song, “Shine” (2011)
Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance, “Hang on in There” (2011)
Best R&B Album, Wake Up! (2011)
Best Song Written for Visual Media, “Glory” (2016)
Oscars: Best Original Song, “Glory,” Selma (2015)
Tony Awards: Best Revival of a Play, Jitney (2017)
Honorary Awards: None
Total Arbitrary EGOT Points: 36
Even though Legend is technically tied with Rudin for second place in the EGOT ranking, let’s just say he’s above Rudin, who’d win in the “I have the most money to throw at things” ranking.
1. Mike Nichols
Emmys: Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special, Wit (2001)
Outstanding Made for Television Movie, Wit (2001)
Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special, Angels in America (2004)
Outstanding Miniseries, Angels in America (2004)
Grammys: Best Comedy Performance, An Evening With Mike Nichols and Elaine May (1961)
Oscars: Best Director, The Graduate (1967)
Tony Awards: Best Director, Dramatic, Barefoot in the Park (1964)
Best Director, Dramatic, Luv and the Odd Couple (1965)
Best Director, Dramatic, Plaza Suite (1968)
Best Director, Dramatic, The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1972)
Best Musical, Annie (1977)
Best Director, Play, The Real Thing (1984)
Best Play, The Real Thing (1984)
Best Director, Musical, Monty Python’s Spamalot (2005)
Best Director, Play, Death of a Salesman (2012)
Honorary Awards: None
Total Arbitrary EGOT Points: 58.5 … holy shit
Good lord. I knew Nichols was an elite director, but seven directing Tonys in addition to two Emmys and one Oscar for directing? By these measures, Nichols is the most decorated director in history, and far and away the EGOT GOAT.
In Conclusion
Fortune favors the bold, and this arbitrary EGOT math favors the producers on this list. (I’m also bad at math, and this was very difficult to put together; please pray for me.) There’s no other reality where Audrey Hepburn is second-to-last on a list of talented people, but the EGOT rankings, for the most part, leaned unfavorably against the acting portion of the talent pool. Though acting categories were awarded more points in our system, there just wasn’t enough volume from actors like Hepburn and Whoopi Goldberg to compensate for the sheer volume of certain filmmakers and producers (see: the late, great Mike Nichols burning past his EGOT competition). But just making this list is an incredible feat in and of itself—everyone gets a participation trophy! Including Jonathan Tunick, the least most impressive person to ever live.
