With her recent Grammy win, the iconic Viola Davis became the latest performer to achieve EGOT status. For the uninitiated, EGOT stands for the four major awards in Hollywood, each representing a major branch of entertainment: the Emmy for television, the Grammy for music, the Oscar for movies and the Tony for theater.
RELATED: Actors Missing An Oscar For Their EGOT Achievement
The prestigious status has only been achieved by eighteen individuals, with legendary composer Richard Rodgers being the first to complete it. To this day, only eight performers have become EGOTs, including Davis, thus cementing their place in entertainment history.
1 Viola Davis
.jpg)
Viola Davis is the most recent performer to achieve EGOT status. A Julliard graduate, she began her career on stage before transitioning to movies. Davis has received acclaim for her dramatic portrayals, with reviewers noting her passionate and committed portrayals full of raw emotion.
Davis won the Oscar for her supporting role in the 2016 adaptation of Fences; she received three other nominations for her work in Doubt, The Help and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. Davis won two Tonys for her performances in King Hedley II and Fences and the Emmy for her lead role in How to Get Away with Murder. Finally, she won the Grammy for the narration of her autobiography, Finding Me.
2 John Gielgud
With a career spanning eight decades, John Gielgud was among the most revered British actors in Hollywood history. Like many other Oscar-winning performers who began on stage, Gielgud cemented his reputation as a versatile actor with his work in the Old Vic and later on Broadway.
Despite being an EGOT, Gielgud paid little attention to awards. He won the Tony for his performance in 1961's Big Fish, Little Fish, after receiving an honorary award in 1959 for his one-man show Ages of Man. Gielgud won the Grammy in 1979 for his recording of Ages of Man and the Oscar in 1982 for his supporting role in Arthur. Finally, he won the Emmy nearly a decade later for his performance in the BBC mini-series Summer's Lease.
3 Helen Heyes
Known during the height of her career as the "First Lady of American Theater," Helen Hayes was an acting institution. The actor began her career at a young age, achieving fame and acclaim through her work on film and the stage. Hayes was the first performer to achieve the EGOT status. She was the second person overall to achieve the honor, as well as the first woman.
RELATED: The All-Time Oldest First-Time Oscar Nominees, Ranked By Age
Hayes was the fifth performer to win the Oscar for Best Actress, prevailing at the 1932 ceremony for her performance in The Sin of Madelon Claudet, her sound debut; she'd win a second Oscar thirty-nine years later for her supporting work in Airport. Hayes won two competitive Tonys, in 1947 for Happy Birthday and 1958 for Time Remembered. She won Best Actress at the 5th Emmy Awards in 1953 and the Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album in 1977 for Great American Documents.
4 Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn was among the most famous and admired actors of her time. Considered the epitome of beauty and elegance, Hepburn was a film and fashion icon whose impact on the industry lasts to this day. She began her career as a chorus girl on the West End stage before rising to prominence as the lead in the Oscar-winning romantic comedyRoman Holiday.
Hepburn won the Oscar for Best Actress for Holiday, receiving other nominations for her performances in Sabrina, The Nun's Story, Breakfast at Tiffany's and Wait After Dark. She prevailed at the Tonys for her performance in the 1954 play Ondine before receiving a special award in 1968. Finally, Hepburn won the Emmy in 1993 for her documentary Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn and the Grammy a year later for her spoken album for children, Audrey Hepburn's Enchanted Tales.
5 Mel Brooks
Legendary writer, director and actor Mel Brooks is among his generation's most celebrated figures. Brooks began his career as a writer in the 1950s before rising to prominence in the late 60s thanks to his groundbreaking comedy film, The Producers.
Brooks won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for The Producers, receiving two further nominations for Young Frankenstein's adapted screenplay and Blazing Saddles' eponymous song. Additionally, Brooks won four competitive Emmys, one for writing and three for his guest stint on Mad About You. He also claimed three Tonys, all for writing, producing and scoring the Broadway adaptation of The Producers and three Grammys.
6 Jennifer Hudson
American Idol didn't crown Jennifer Hudson as the winner of its third season, but it did something much better: it launched her career as an entertainer and eventual EGOT winner. Following her participation in the reality show, Hudson made her film debut in the 2006 adaptation of the celebrated musical Dreamgirls, playing the seminal role of Effie White. Her performance earned her rave reviews and the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
RELATED: Actors Who Won Oscars For Their Big Screen Debut
Hudson has won two Grammys for her musical efforts: Best R&B Album for her debut album, Jennifer Hudson and Best Musical Theater Album for The Color Purple. As a producer, Hudson won the Daytime Emmy Award for the interactive media program Baba Yagaand the Tony Award for Best Musical for A Strange Loop.
7 Rita Moreno
Puerto Rican actor, singer and dancer Rita Moreno began her career during the Golden Age of Hollywood, playing key supporting roles in classics like The King and I and Singin' in the Rain. She had her breakout role in the now-seminal musical West Side Story, playing Anita, a performance which earned her the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
Moreno was the third entertainer to achieve the EGOT status, winning her last award, the Emmy for her guest role in The Muppet Show, just months after Helen Hayes won the Grammy. Moreno won her Grammy in 1973 for her children's album The Electric Company and her Tony two years later for her supporting work in the play The Ritz.
8 Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg began her career on the stage in the '80s. Her success led her to Broadway, receiving acclaim for her one-woman show, Whoopi Goldberg. She received her breakthrough role in 1985 in Steven Spielberg's The Color Purple, which earned her first Oscar nomination. Goldberg would later become one of the most iconic actors of the '90s, starring in acclaimed films like Ghost and Sister Act.
Goldberg is the first Black performer to achieve EGOT status. She won the 1986 Grammy for Best Comedy Album for Whoopi Goldberg's recording and the 1991 Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Ghost. Goldberg would win her remaining two awards in the new millennium, receiving the Emmy and the Tony in the same year, albeit for different projects: she won the Emmy for the special Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel and the Tony for producing the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie.
