Awards All of the Celebs Who've Earned an EGOT Elton John most recently joined the list of stars who've achieved Hollywood's highest honor: winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony By Grace Gavilanes Grace Gavilanes Grace Gavilanes is a former associate editor at PEOPLE. She left PEOPLE in 2018. People Editorial Guidelines Updated on January 15, 2024 09:55PM EST Close Jennifer Hudson, Audrey Hepburn and John Legend. Photo: Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty; Archive Photos/Getty; Alberto Rodriguez/Variety via Getty Stars who've won some of the biggest awards in the business are in a special league of their own. But there's an even more special club in Hollywood: that of those who've earned an EGOT, or at least one Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony in total. The term was coined by Miami Vice actor Philip Michael Thomas, who first told it to the Associated Press in 1984 at the height of the NBC action show's success. "That stands for Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony," he said. "Hopefully in the next five years I will win all those awards." The first-ever EGOT was composer Richard Rodgers. He received his initial award in 1945 — an Oscar for his Best Original Song from State Fair, "It Might as Well Be Spring." It would take Rodgers 17 years to finally receive his fourth distinct award and EGOT status — an Emmy in 1962 for Winston Churchill: The Valiant Years' original music. In the years since, a total of 25 stars have earned the prestigious title, with some scoring it via honorary awards and others picking up multiple in one category and just that magical solo nod in another. Here, meet all the stars who've earned the prestigious EGOT through the years. 01 of 25 Elton John Elton John. Simone Joyner/Getty Images Welcome to the club, Elton John! The icon won his first Emmy at the 2023 show (held in January 2024 following the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes) for outstanding live variety special for his Farewell from Dodger Stadium concert program. He already has two Oscars, one for Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures for Rocketman and one for Best Music for The Lion King, a Tony for best original score for Aida and six Grammys, including the Grammy Legend Award. 02 of 25 Viola Davis Viola Davis. Frazer Harrison/Getty Congrats, Viola Davis! The star picked up her missing piece — a Grammy — at the 2023 ceremony, after already winning an Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for Fences, an Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a drama series for How to Get Away with Murder and Tonys for King Hedley II and the Broadway production of Fences. 03 of 25 Jennifer Hudson Jennifer Hudson. Dia Dipasupil/Getty Jennifer Hudson earned her EGOT with a 2022 Tony for A Strange Loop, which she co-produced. The actress already had an Oscar for best supporting actress in Dreamgirls, two Grammys for her eponymous 2009 R&B album and The Color Purple Broadway cast recording and a Daytime Emmy for her executive producer role on Baby Yaga. 04 of 25 Alan Menken Alan Menken. Rebecca Sapp/WireImage With an impressive list of wins to his name — including two Oscars and three Grammys for 1991's Beauty and the Beast — Alan Menken completed his EGOT status in 2012, earning a Tony for Newsies. The big title became a little more official recently, though; while he earned a special Emmy Award in 1990, he won an Emmy for outstanding original song in a children's, young adult or animated program for Tangled: The Series at the 2020 Daytime Emmy Awards. 05 of 25 John Legend John Legend. Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic John Legend cemented his status in 2018 at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards for producing Jesus Christ Superstar Live. The then-39-year-old already had a whopping 10 Grammy Awards to his name and took home an Oscar in 2015 for his song "Glory" featured in Selma. The singer also won a Tony in 2017 for his role as a co-producer for the production of Jitney. In an Instagram post honoring his fellow winners (and fellow newly minted EGOTs) Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, he wrote, "So happy to be part of this team. So honored they trusted me to play Jesus Christ. So amazed to be in such rarefied air. #EGOT" And as if he weren't decorated enough, the star - who also won the 2019 season of The Voice — was crowned PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive in 2019, leading Blake Shelton to deliver him a pair of bedazzled booty shorts reading "VEGOTSMA." 06 of 25 Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. Jeff Haynes/AFP/Getty Broadway legend Andrew Lloyd Webber won an Oscar in 1996 for Evita, plus multiple Grammys and Tonys. His EGOT came alongside legend in 2018 at the Creative Arts Emmys, for his production work on Jesus Christ Superstar Live. The Brit said he was "honored" to win the Emmy for this work. 07 of 25 Tim Rice Tim Rice. JC Olivera/WireImage Longtime Webber collaborator Tim Rice also picked up his Emmy and subsequent EGOT in September 2018 for Jesus Christ Superstar Live. Just like his colleague, he won an Oscar in 1996 for Evita, plus multiple Grammys and Tonys. 08 of 25 Whoopi Goldberg Whoopi Goldberg. Dave Kotinsky/Getty In 2002, Whoopi Goldberg achieved EGOT status — winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony over the course of her career — cementing her new title when she won a Tony for Thoroughly Modern Millie. She also took home a Daytime Emmy that same year. 09 of 25 Audrey Hepburn Audrey Hepburn. Archive Photos/Getty It took 41 years for the legendary actress to reach EGOT status. Audrey Hepburn officially joined Hollywood heavyweights with the same honor in 1994, when she won the Grammy for best spoken word album for children for Audrey Hepburn's Enchanted Tales. 10 of 25 Mike Nichols Mike Nichols. Kevin Winter/Getty Lauded director Mike Nichols earned the coveted title in 2001 when he scored a whopping two Emmys for his TV movie, Wit. 11 of 25 Richard Rodgers Richard Rodgers. Ted West/Getty Composer Richard Rodgers became the first-ever EGOT winner in 1962, when his musical drama, No Strings, scooped up a Tony, Grammy and Emmy. (He previously won a Best Original Song Oscar in 1945.) 12 of 25 Marvin Hamlisch Marvin Hamlisch. Donna Ward/FilmMagic It took Marvin Hamlisch 23 years to reach EGOT status. The composer achieved the honor after receiving two Emmys for Barbra: The Concert. 13 of 25 Helen Hayes Helen Hayes. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Helen Hayes became the first woman to earn the honor in 1977, earning the title after her Grammy win for best spoken word recording for Great American Documents. 14 of 25 Liza Minnelli Liza Minnelli. Gregg DeGuire/WireImage Reaching EGOT status in 1990, Liza Minnelli cemented her place in Hollywood's cool kids club with a Grammy Legend Award. 15 of 25 Scott Rudin Scott Rudin. Steve Granitz/WireImage Tied with Mike Nichols for being an EGOT-holder with the most awards (14) in the four categories, producer Scott Rudin received his fourth distinction in 2012 — earning a Grammy for best musical theater album for The Book of Mormon: Original Broadway Cast Recording. In 2021, several former staffers came forward accusing Rudin of abusive behavior; he stepped back from ongoing entertainment projects as a result. 16 of 25 Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte. Noam Galai/WireImage Actor and singer Harry Belafonte received his fourth award, an honorary Oscar, in 2014. He received a total of six awards in the four categories over the course of his career. 17 of 25 Robert Lopez Robert Lopez. Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Not only is Robert Lopez the youngest EGOT recipient, but the songwriter is also the fastest to complete Hollywood's highest honor. Lopez earned his fourth distinction in 2014 when he won an Oscar for Frozen's "Let It Go." 18 of 25 Jonathan Tunick Jonathan Tunick. Gary Gershoff/Getty Composer and conductor Jonathan Tunick completed his grand slam in 1997, earning his first-ever Tony for best orchestrations for Titanic. 19 of 25 James Earl Jones James Earl Jones. Walter McBride/WireImage Having swept the three other EGOT categories, James Earl Jones was awarded an honorary Oscar in 2011. 20 of 25 Barbra Streisand Barbra Streisand. Kevin Mazur/Getty In 1970, Barbra Streisand took home her fourth award, an honorary Tony. 21 of 25 John Gielgud John Gielgud. Tim Roney/Getty Having received six awards in the four categories over the course of his career, John Gielgud actor officially earned EGOT status in 1991 for his performance in Summer's Lease. 22 of 25 Rita Moreno Rita Moreno. Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage Rita Moreno is the second-fastest (after Robert Lopez) to complete an EGOT sweep and the first-ever Latino star to earn the honor. It took the actress 16 years to earn the title, scooping up an Emmy in 1977 for her performance in The Muppet Show. 23 of 25 Mel Brooks Mel Brooks. Samir Hussein/WireImage Mel Brooks became an EGOT recipient 34 years into his career, winning the honor after he scooped up three Tonys in 2001 for The Producers. 24 of 25 Quincy Jones Quincy Jones. Mat Hayward/Getty Quincy Jones won his first of nearly 30 Grammys in 1964, with an Emmy win in 1977, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 1994 Oscars and a 2016 Tony Award that sealed his status. 25 of 25 Frank Marshall Frank Marshall. Karwai Tang/WireImage Director and producer Frank Marshall is another recent addition to the club, and he joined fast: he picked up his Oscar in 2019 (the honorary Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award), a Tony in 2022 for producing A Strange Loop, a Grammy in 2023 for directing and producing the best music film winner Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story and a Sports Emmy in 2023 for the outstanding long documentary The Redeem Team.