Perhaps the biggest honor for any entertainer is achieving the EGOT: winning an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony. The last person to complete this momentous achievement was John Legend, who added the final award to his collection, an Emmy, in 2018. In doing so, Legend earned the accolades of the youngest person and the first African-American man to ever earn the EGOT (per CNN). Anyone else to achieve the entertainment grand slam will the ranks of greats like Rita Moreno, Mel Brooks, and Whoopi Goldberg.
Compared to the Grammys, which have 83 categories, and the Emmys which include the Daytime, Creative Arts, and Primetime Emmys, the Oscar is one of the tougher legs of the EGOT. Many artists are almost there, just missing their Oscar.
Cyndi Lauper
Although the legendary musician is a household name for her many hits in the '80s, Cyndi Lauper doesn't have quite an impressive film resume. Her most notable cinematic contribution, the soundtrack to The Goonies, failed to earn an Oscar nomination.
Lauper's accolades span her expansive career. In the '80s, she won her first Grammy for Best New Artist, in the '90s she won an Emmy for guest-starring on Mad About You, and in the '10s she won a Tony and a second Grammy for writing the music and lyrics for the musical adaptation of Kinky Boots.
Hugh Jackman
For his performance in Tom Hooper's film adaptation of Les Misérables, Hugh Jackman received his first - and currently only - Oscar nomination for Best Actor. That year he lost to Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln.
Although he's best known for his tenure as Wolverine, Jackman has garnered most of his accolades for his musical theatre work: a Tony for Best Leading Actor in The Boy from Oz, an Emmy for hosting the 58th Tony Awards, and a Grammy for the soundtrack for The Greatest Showman.
Cynthia Erivo
Cynthia Erivo has received Rocketman.
Impressively, Erivo completed 3/4ths of the EGOT with one project. For her work in the 2015 Broadway revival of The Color Purple, she collected a Tony for Best Actress, a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album, and a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Musical Performance in a Daytime Program.
Audra McDonald
Broadway legend Audra McDonald has yet to be nominated for an Academy Award. She may be in contention later this year for playing Ella Baker in George C. Wolfe's biopic, Rustin.
McDonald is the only person to win in all four acting categories and currently holds the record for most acting Tony wins with six career wins. She also has an Emmy for hosting Live From Lincoln Center's Sweeny Todd and two Grammys for The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny.
Lily Tomlin
In her decades in the industry, Lily Tomlin has only earned a single Oscar nomination in 1976 for Robert Altman's Nashville. She lost that year to Lee Grant in Shampoo.
Over the years, Hollywood legend Lily Tomlin has collected seven Emmys for her comedic and voiceover work. She also won the Grammy for Best Comedy Album for This is a Recording in 1972, a Special Tony Award in 1977, and the Tony for Best Leading Actress in a Play for the one-woman show The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe in 1986.
Bette Midler
Bette Middler has collected two nominations for Best Actress in her career. In 1979, her work in The Rose lost to Sally Field in Norma Rae. Middler would again be nominated in 1991 for For the Boys. She would lose this time to Jodie Foster in The Silence of the Lambs.
Long after being awarded a Special Tony in 1974, Middler finally won a competitive Tony for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for the 2017 revival of Hello, Dolly! She also has three Emmys for variety show performances over the years, and three Grammys including Best New Artist in 1974 and Record of the Year in 1990 for "Wind Beneath My Wings."
Billy Porter
Billy Porter has yet to be nominated for an Academy Award. His only confirmed film role is the voice of Audrey II in the remake of Little Shop of Horrors.
For his work as drag queen Lola in the 2013 Broadway production of Kinky Boots, Billy Porter picked up the Tony for Best Leading Actor in a Musical and the Grammy for Best Musical Theatre Album. Six years later, he'd add an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series to his collection for his performance as emcee Pray Tell in the first season of Pose.
Ben Platt
Ben Platt's ventures to the silver screen have typically stayed in the musical realm with Dear Evan Hansen and the Pitch Perfect franchise. He's yet to be nominated for an Oscar, but someday may be in the conversation for Richard Linklater's ambitious adaptation of Merrily We Roll Along.
Platt is another Broadway veteran who collected 3/4ths of the EGOT with one project. After winning a Tony for his performance as the titular lead in Dear Evan Hansen, Platt also received the Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album and the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Musical Performance in a Daytime Program
Lin-Manuel Miranda
Twice has Lin-Manuel Miranda been nominated for an Oscar, both times for Best Original Song. In 2017, "How Far I'll Go" from Moana lost to La La Land's "City of Stars." More recently, "Dos Oroguitas" from Encanto lost to Billie Eilish's "No Time to Die."
With his smash hits In the Heights and Hamilton, Miranda has collected three Tonys. Both of their cast recordings translated to a Grammy along with a third Grammy for "How Far I'll Go." He also has two Emmys, one for producing the Hamilton stage recording and another for writing a song for the 67th Tony Awards.
Dick Van Dyke
Hollywood legend Dick Van Dyke dazzled audiences in classics like Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. However, the cinematic legend has never received an Oscar nomination.
Dick Van Dyke's illustrious career includes accolades for some of the most legendary works in pop culture. For the soundtrack to Mary Poppins, he won the Grammy for Best Children's Album and he won the Tony for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for the original Broadway production of Bye Bye Birdie. And of his five Emmy awards, three were for the influential The Dick Van Dyke Show.
