The EGOT — an acronym for Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony — is the greatest honor in entertainment. These stars are (or were) close to achieving it. Viola Davis has an opportunity to EGOT this Sunday if she wins a Grammy.
Ellen Burstyn (1932 – )
Emmy: Guest Actress in Drama Series, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (2009); Supporting Actress in Miniseries or Movie, “Political Animals” (2013)
Oscar: Actress, “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” (1974)
Tony: Actress in a Play, “Same Time, Next Year” (1975)
Maggie Smith (1934 – )
Emmy: Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
“My House in Umbria” (2003); Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie, “Downton Abbey” (2011, 2012 and 2016)
Oscar: Actress, “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” (1969); Supporting Actress, “California Suite” (1978)
Tony: Actress, “Lettice and Lovage” (1990)
Glenda Jackson (1936 – )
Emmy (2):
Outstanding Single and Continued Performance by a Lead Actress, “Elizabeth R” (1971)
Oscar (2): Best Actress, “Women in Love” (1970) and “A Touch of Class” (1973)
Tony: Best Actress in a Play, “Three Tall Women” (2018)
Vanessa Redgrave (1937 – )
Emmy (2): Actress in a Limited Series or a Special, “Playing for Time” (1981); Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie, “If These Walls Could Talk 2” (2000)
Oscar: Supporting Actress, “Julia” (1977)
Tony: Actress, “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” (2003)
Al Pacino (1940 -)
Emmy: Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie, “Angels in America” (2004) and “You Don’t Know Jack” (2010)
Oscar: Actor, “Scent of a Woman” (1992)
Tony: Supporting Actor in a Play, “Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?” (1969); Actor, “The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel” (1979)
Helen Mirren (1945 – )
Emmy: Actress in a Miniseries or a Special, “Prime Suspect” (1996); Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie, “The Passion of Ayn Rand” (1999); Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie, “Elizabeth I” (2006); Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie, “Prime Suspect: The Final Act” (2007)
Oscar: Actress, “The Queen” (2006)
Tony: Actress in a Play, “The Audience” (2015)
Liza Minnelli (1946 – )
Emmy: Single Program – Variety and Popular Music, “Liza With a Z” (1973)
Oscar: Actress, “Cabaret” (1973)
Tony: Actress in a Musical, “Flora, the Red Menace” (1965); Actress, “The Act” (1978)
Jeremy Irons (1948 – )
Emmy: Voiceover Performance, “The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century” (1997); Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie, “Elizabeth I” (2006); Narrator, “Big Cat Week” (2014)
Oscar: Actor, “Reversal of Fortune” (1990)
Tony: Actor in a Play, “The Real Thing” (1984)
Jessica Lange (1949 – )
Emmy (3): Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie, “Grey Gardens” (2009); “American Horror Story” (2012 and 2014)
Oscar (2): Supporting Actress, “Tootsie” (1982); Actress, “Blue Sky” (1994)
Tony: Actress, “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” (2016)
Geoffrey Rush (1951 – )
Emmy: Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie,
“The Life and Death of Peter Sellers” (2005)
Oscar: Actor, “Shine” (1996)
Tony: Actor in a Play, “Exit the King” (2009)
Frances McDormand (1957 – )
Emmy: 2 prizes for producing and starring in Limited Series or a Movie, “Olive Kitteridge” (2015)
Oscar (2): Actress, “Fargo” (1996); “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (2017)
Tony: Actress in a Play, “Good People” (2011)
Thomas Mitchell (1892-1962)
Emmy: Actor, NBC (1953)
Oscar: Supporting Actor, “Stagecoach” (1939)
Tony: Actor in a Musical, “Hazel Flagg” (1953)
Melvyn Douglas (1901-1981)
Emmy: Single Performance by an Actor in Leading Role in a Drama, “CBS Playhouse” (1968)
Oscar: Supporting Actor, “Hud” (1963); Supporting Actor, “Being There” (1979)
Tony: Actor in a Play, “The Best Man” (1960)
Jack Albertson (1907-1981)
Emmy: Continuing or Single Performance by a Supporting Actor in Variety or Music, “Cher” (1975); Actor in Comedy Series, “Chico and the Man” (1976)
Oscar: Supporting Actor, “The Subject Was Roses” (1968)
Tony: Supporting Actor, “The Subject Was Roses” (1965)
Ingrid Bergman (1915-1982)
Emmy: Single Performance by an Actress, “Startime” (1960); Actress in Limited Series or Special, “A Woman Called Golda” (1982)
Oscar: Actress, “Gaslight” (1944); Actress, “Anastasia” (1956); Supporting Actress, “Murder on the Orient Express” (1974)
Tony: Actress (Dramatic), “Joan of Lorraine” (1947)
Bob Fosse (1927-1987)
Emmy: Choreography, Directing, Single Program – Variety and Popular Music, “Liza With a Z” (1973)
Oscar: Director, “Cabaret” (1972)
Tony: Choreographer, “The Pajama Game” (1955); “Damn Yankees” (1956); “Redhead” (1959); “Little Me” (1963); “Sweet Charity” (1966); “Pippin” (1973); “Dancin’” (1978); “Big Deal” (1986); Director, “Pippin” (1973)
Shirley Booth (1898-1992)
Emmy: Actress in a Series, “Hazel” (1962 and 1963)
Oscar: Actress, “Come Back, Little Sheba” (1952)
Tony: Supporting Actress in a Play, “Goodbye, My Fancy” (1949); Actress in a Play, “Come Back, Little Sheba” (1950); Actress in a Play, “Time of the Cuckoo” (1953)
Jessica Tandy (1909-1994)
Emmy: Actress in a Miniseries or a Special,
“Foxfire” (1987)
Oscar: Actress, “Driving Miss Daisy” (1989)
Tony: Actress in a Drama, “A Streetcar Named Desire” (1948); “The Gin Game” (1978); “Foxfire” (1983)
Jason Robards (1922-2000)
Emmy: Actor in a Miniseries or a Special, “Inherit the Wind” (1988)
Oscar: Supporting Actor, “All the President’s Men” (1976); Supporting Actor, “Julia” (1977)
Tony: Actor in a Play, “The Disenchanted” (1959)
Ralph Burns (1922-2001)
Emmy: Music Direction, “Baryshnikov on Broadway” (1980)
Oscar: Scoring, Adaptation and Original Song Score, “Cabaret” (1972); Original Song Score/Adaptation Score, “All That Jazz” (1979)
Tony: Orchestrations, “Fosse” (1999); Orchestrations, “Thoroughly Modern Millie” (2002)
Anne Bancroft (1931-2005)
Emmy: Variety or Musical Program – Variety and Popular Music, “Annie, The Women in the Life of a Man” (1970)
Oscar: Actress, “The Miracle Worker” (1962)
Tony: Supporting Actress in a Play, “Two for the Seesaw” (1958); Actress in a Play, “The Miracle Worker” (1960)
Maureen Stapleton (1925-2006)
Emmy: Single Performance by an Actress in a Drama, “Among the Paths to Eden” (1968)
Oscar: Supporting Actress, “Reds” (1981)
Tony: Supporting Actress in a Play, “The Rose Tattoo” (1951); Actress in a Play, “The Gingerbread Lady” (1971)
Paul Scofield (1922–2008)
Emmy: Single Performance by a Lead Actor, “Male of the Species” (1969)
Oscar: Actor, “A Man for All Seasons” (1966)
Tony: Actor in a Play, “A Man for All Seasons” (1962)
Christopher Plummer (1929-2021)
Emmy (2): Actor in a Limited Series,
“Arthur Hailey’s the Moneychangers” (1977); Voiceover Performance, “Madeline” (1994)
Oscar: Supporting Actor, “The Beginners” (2011)
Tony (2): Actor in a Musical, “Cyrano” (1974); Actor in a Play, “Barrymore” (1997)
Tony Walton (1934 – 2022)
Emmy: Art Direction for a Miniseries or a Special, “Death of a Salesman” (1986)
Oscar: Art Direction, “All That Jazz” (1979)
Tony: Scenic Designer, “Pippin” (1973); Scenic Designer, “The House of Blue Leaves” (1986); “Guys and Dolls” (1992)
So who has made the cut? Here are all of the stars who have achieved EGOT status, from Audrey Hepburn to Whoopi Goldberg.
