Greatness is often subjective, but sometimes it's hard to argue with numbers when it comes to deserving fame. Here's a pretty impressive fact: Only 16 people have ever won a Grammy, an Oscar, an Emmy, and a Tony – known collectively by the acronym "EGOT." And if you think that's accomplished, try this: Just two people have achieved the EGOT and earned a Pulitzer Prize, as well.
Those two honor collectors are composers Marvin Hamlisch and Richard Rodgers. Rodgers did it first, beginning with his 1945 Academy Award for writing the State Fair song "It Might as Well Be Spring," and completing his five-fecta with a Grammy Award in 1961 for The Sound of Music show album. He earned his Pulitzer for the 1950 musical South Pacific. Hamlisch began his award collection in 1973 with an Oscar for the score to The Sting, and finished 22 years later with an Emmy Award for Barbra: The Concert. Hamlisch's Pulitzer win came in 1976 for A Chorus Line.
EGOT extraordinaires:
- The first African-American entertainer to win all four coveted prizes was John Legend, who completed the feat in 2018.
- Songwriter Robert Lopez is the only person to have achieved a double EGOT – winning each of the four awards twice.
- The only person to have been nominated for all four honors without winning any of them is actress Lynn Redgrave.
