Kate Winslet just needs a Tony to complete her collection. AP Photo/Matt Sayles Most performers would be thrilled to take home even one Emmy,…
Kate Winslet just needs a Tony to complete her collection.
AP Photo/Matt Sayles
Most performers would be thrilled to take home even one Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, or Tony, but earning all four over the course of a career is the ultimate achievement. To date, only 12 individuals — Audrey Hepburn, Rita Moreno, Whoopi Goldberg, Mel Brooks, Scott Rudin, Richard Rodgers, Helen Hayes, John Gielgud, Marvin Hamlisch, Jonathan Tunick, Mike Nichols, and Robert Lopez — have completed an EGOT by winning all four awards in competitive categories. But there are many more, including these 28 celebs, who are just one trophy away from the honor.
Nixon may be focused on politics at the moment, but before she was a candidate for governor, she was a serious contender for the EGOT. The actress has two Emmys (for Miranda on “Sex and the City” and a guest role on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”), two Tonys (for “The Little Foxes” and “Rabbit Hole”), and one Grammy (for her work on “An Inconvenient Truth,” which won Best Spoken Word Album). The only trophy she still needs before she can call herself an EGOT winner is an Oscar.
The “All of Me” singer has one Oscar for Best Original Song for “Selma” and one Tony for Best Revival of a Play for “Jitney,” which he co-produced. He also has 10 (yes, 10!) Grammys, including awards for Best New Artist, Best R&B; Album, Best Male R&B; Vocal Performance, and Best Song Written for Visual Media. He doesn’t have an Emmy — yet — but he’s nominated this year for Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his work on “Jesus Christ Superstar.”
The “Titanic” star has three of the four major awards needed for an EGOT. She earned an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie for “Mildred Pierce” in 2011, an Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for The Reader in 2009, and a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album for Children for “Listen to the Storyteller” in 1999. She just needs a Tony to complete her collection. Time to start perusing those scripts, Kate!
It should come as no surprise that Miranda has three Grammys (Best Song Written for Visual Media for “Moana,” Best Musical Theater Album for “Hamilton,” and Best Musical Theater Album for “In the Heights”) and three Tonys (Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical for “Hamilton” and Best Original Score for “In the Heights”). But he also has an Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics Emmy for his work on the 2013 Tony Awards telecast. He had a chance to EGOT in 2017 when he was nominated for an Oscar for “Moana’s” “How Far I’ll Go,” but “La La Land’s” “City of Stars” (co-written by two other EGOT contenders) won instead. He’s working on several upcoming movies, though — including “Tick, Tick… Boom,” “In the Heights,” and “Mary Poppins Returns,” so the EGOT is almost an inevitability.
Davis earned an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for “How to Get Away With Murder” in 2015. She also received dual honors — a Tony and an Oscar — for “Fences,” as well as an additional Tony for “King Hedley II.” Those wins give her the distinction of being the first Black actor to complete the Triple Crown of Acting (an Oscar, an Emmy, and a Tony in acting categories), but she still needs a Grammy for the EGOT.
Helen Mirren has six major awards in her possession, including an Oscar for her role in “The Queen” and a Tony for “The Audience.” She also has four Lead Actress Emmys for her work in “Prime Suspect: The Final Act,” “Elizabeth I,” “The Passion of Ayn Rand,” and “Prime Suspect: The Scent of Darkness.” She’s just missing a Grammy.
Prior to winning the 2017 Tony for Best Lead Actress in a Musical for “Hello, Dolly!,” Midler received a special Tony Award to celebrate her incredible career onstage. She also won three Grammys (Best New Artist in 1974, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for “The Rose” in 1981, and Record of the Year for “Wind Beneath My Wings” in 1990) and three Emmys (for “Bette Midler: Ol’ Red Hair Is Back” in 1978, “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” in 1992, and “Bette Midler in Concert: Diva Las Vegas” in 1997). Midler has been nominated twice for a Best Actress Oscar (for “The Rose” and “For the Boys”), but she didn’t win either time.
Common just needs a Tony to win the EGOT. He already has one Emmy for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics (for “Letters to the Free” from 13th), one Oscar for Best Original Song (for “Glory” from “Selma”), and three Grammys, including Best Song Written for Visual Media (again for “Glory”), Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group (for “Southside”), and Best R&B; Song (for “Love Of My Life”).
McDonald’s awards include an Emmy for Outstanding Special Class Program in 2015 (for “Live from Lincoln Center”), two Grammys for Best Classical Album and Best Opera Recording in 2009 (both for “Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny”), and a record six Tonys from 1994 to 2014, for performances in shows including “Carousel,” “Ragtime,” “Porgy and Bess,” and “A Raisin in the Sun.” All she needs to EGOT is an Oscar.
Compared to some of the other names on this list, composers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul are relative newcomers — but they’ve managed to collect a lot of awards in not a lot of time. They have an Oscar for their contributions to “La La Land,” a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album for “Dear Evan Hansen,” and a Tony for Best Original Score (also for “Dear Evan Hansen”). The only one they’re missing is an Emmy, and they could get that this year: They’re up for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for “In the Market for a Miracle” from “A Christmas Story.”
Cher has won three of the four major awards in her long and iconic career. The singer-actress has one Grammy for “Believe,” one Oscar for “Moonstruck, “and one Emmy for “Cher: The Farewell Tour.” She’s just one Tony from earning the coveted EGOT.
It probably won’t surprise you that Lauper has a Tony (for Best Original Score for “Kinky Boots”) and two Grammys (including Best New Artist in 1984). But did you know that the singer nabbed an Emmy for her guest role on “Mad About You” in 1995? All she needs is an Oscar to complete the EGOT.
McDormand’s 2018 Oscar for “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” was actually her second nod from the Academy; she also won in 1997 for her starring role in “Fargo.” Additionally, she has two Emmys for “Olive Kitteridge” — one as an actress and one as a producer — and she took home a Tony for the play “Good People.” She just needs a Grammy to complete the EGOT.
A Grammy is the only award Plummer needs for an EGOT. He already has an Oscar (for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for “Beginners”), two Emmys (for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance for “Madeline” and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series for Arthur Hailey’s “The Moneychangers”), and two Tonys (for Lead Actor in 1974’s “Cyrano” and 1997’s “Barrymore”).
Burstyn is just a Grammy away from an EGOT. She has an Oscar for “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” a Tony for “Same Time Next Year,” and an Emmy for “Political Animals.”
Rush’s performance in “Shine” earned the actor an Academy Award in 1997. He also won an Emmy for “The Life and Death of Peter Sellers” and a Tony for “Exit the King.” He just needs a Grammy-winning audiobook to complete his EGOT.
