5 Music Icons One Win Away from an EGOT
The 2023 Primetime Emmy Awards ushered in a new addition to the EGOT club. With his Emmy win for Outstanding Variety Special (Live), Elton John has achieved entertainment’s most-prestigious honor….
The 2023 Primetime Emmy Awards ushered in a new addition to the EGOT club. With his Emmy win for Outstanding Variety Special (Live), Elton John has achieved entertainment's most-prestigious honor.
What is an EGOT? It is an acronym for an entertainer who has won an Emmy Award, a Grammy Award, an Oscar and a Tony Award. Before his Emmy win, John won five Grammy Awards in his career. In 2000, he won a Tony Award for Best Original Score for Aida. Additionally, John has won two Oscars. The first came in 1994 for Best Original Song for "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from The Lion King. The second Oscar came in 2020 for "I'm Gonna Love Me Again" from Rocketman.
Only 17 other entertainers have achieved this via "competitive only" wins, which means an award had other nominees and wasn't a special "honorary" award. Among those entertainers are Rita Moreno, Audrey Hepburn, Mel Brooks, Whoopi Goldberg, John Legend and Jennifer Hudson.
The first person to ever achieve the EGOT was musical theater composer Richard Rodgers in 1962. The entertainer who most recently earned EGOT status before Sir Elton was Hudson in 2022. She was a producer of the Broadway musical A Strange Loop, which won Best Musical at the Tony Awards. Hudson's other wins include two Grammy Awards and a 2021 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Interactive Media for a Daytime Program for Baba Yaga and an Oscar in 2006 for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Dreamgirls.
An additional five entertainers achieved EGOT status with help from "non-competitive" or "honorary" wins. Those five entertainers are iconic figures. They are Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli, James Earl Jones, Harry Belafonte and Quincy Jones.
A number of entertainers are one win away from the prestigious honor, including the five music icons below. Keep on scrolling to find out who!
Paul McCartney
Kevin Winter/Getty ImagesSir Paul is a Tony Award short of an EGOT. He won an Emmy at the 2022 Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Documentary of Nonfiction Series as an Executive Producer of 'The Beatles: Get Back.' As for the other honors, Macca has won 18 Grammy Awards throughout his legendary career. In 1971, he and the rest of The Beatles won an Oscar for Best Music, Original Song Score for 'Let It Be.'
Ringo Starr
Noam Galai/Getty ImagesLike McCartney, Sir Ringo is a Tony Award short of an EGOT. He also was an Executive Producer of 'The Beatles: Get Back' which won him a 2022 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary of Nonfiction Series. His Oscar win also came via 'Let It Be' in 1971 for Best Music, Original Song Score. In his career, Starr has won nine Grammy Awards.
Cher
Frazer Harrison/Getty ImagesCher is a Tony Award win away from an EGOT. She's won only one Grammy Award over her career in 2000 for Best Dance Recording for "Believe." In 2003, Cher won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special for 'Cher: The Farewell Tour.' Of course, she won an Oscar for Best Actress for her performance in 'Moonstruck.' She was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress in 1984 for her performance in 'Silkwood.'
Cyndi Lauper
Frazer Harrison/Getty ImagesLauper needs an Oscar for an EGOT. She's won two Grammy Awards. In 2013, she won a Tony Award for Best Original Score for 'Kinky Boots.' Her Emmy Award win came in 1995 for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her appearance on 'Mad About You.'
Bette Midler
Jenny Anderson/Getty ImagesThe Divine Miss M has won three Grammy Awards, three Emmy Awards and two Tony Awards. Midler is just an Oscar short of an EGOT, but it's not for lack of trying. She's been nominated twice for Best Actress. The first time came in 1979 for her performance in 'The Rose,' while the second time came in 1991 for her performance in 'For the Boys.'
