List of 9 EGOT Color Winners in Entertainment Awards History

In 1977, Puerto Rican actress, dancer and singer Rita Moreno became the third and first Latin American to receive EGOT status.

EGOT is an acronym for Emmy, Grammy, Academy Award and Tony Award and is considered the most coveted achievement of an entertainer. By 2023, Eighteen people have accomplished the feat. Five others also won all four major awards, though at least one of their awards was in honors or other non-competitive categories.

In 1961, Moreno won an Academy Award for his portrayal of Anita in “West Side Story.” She won a Grammy Award in 1972 for her recording of the children’s educational television show “The Electric Company” and a Tony Award in 1975 for her performance in “The Ritz”. Moreno won an Emmy in 1977 for his performance on “The Muppet Show,” and again in 1978 for his starring role in an episode of “The Rockford Files.”

It wasn’t until another 25 years later that another person of color achieved EGOT status, when Whoopi Goldberg won an Emmy and a Tony in 2002. Goldberg won an Emmy for hosting “Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Heidi McDaniel,” about the “Gone with the Wind” actress who became the first black Oscar winner.

In 1990, Goldberg won her first EGOT when she won an Academy Award for her role in “Phantom.” The actress, comedian and television personality won a Grammy for Best Comedy Album in 1986 and won another Emmy in 2009 for Outstanding Talk Show Host on “The View.”

Filipino-American composer Robert Lopez became the 12th person and the first Asian-American to receive EGOT status in 2013. At 39, Lopez was also the youngest EGOT winner and the fastest person to achieve the feat in 10 years. He is also the only person to have won multiple EGOTs.

Lopez has won 12 EGOT Awards for writing songs in a variety of hit films, television and Broadway shows, including “Let It Go” from “Frozen,” “Remember” from “Coco.” I” and “The Book of Mormon.”

In 2018, John Legend became the 15th EGOT winner and the first African American to achieve that status.

Legend first won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2006 and went on to win 11 Grammy Awards. The singer-songwriter also won an Academy Award for his song “Glory” in the 2015 film “Selma,” which chronicles the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

In 2022, Jennifer Hudson will become the second black woman to receive EGOT status.

The singer-actress won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2006 for “Dreamgirls,” starring Beyoncé. In 2022, she won a Tony Award for “Strange Loop,” making her the youngest female EGOT winner in history.

February 2023 Viola Davis Wins Grammy for Her “Find Me” AudiobookJoin an elite group of 17 other entertainers who have achieved EGOT status.

Davis is the third black woman to achieve the coveted status.

The actress was one of many black performers celebrated at this year’s Grammys, with beyoncéQuestlove and Dr. Dre.

Davis won Tony Awards in 2001 and 2010 for his roles in the plays Hedley II and Fences, followed by an Oscar in 2016 for the film adaptation of Fences. She also won an Emmy for her starring role in 2015’s How To Get Away With Murder.

In addition to the six EGOT winners, five other artists also received all four major awards, although at least one of them was an honorable mention or non-competitive award. Three of the five were black, including actor James Earl Jones.

Widely considered one of the greatest actors in American history, Jones has appeared in a string of screen and stage credits, including Dr. Strangelove, The Lion King and the voice of Darth Vader in Star Wars ”

Jones won Tony Awards for “The Great White Hope” in 1969 and “Fences” in 1987. The non-competitive award makes him an EGOT winner.

One of the most successful Jamaican-American pop stars, Harry Belafonte popularized the Trinbagna Caribbean style of music in the ’50s.

Belafonte won two Grammy Awards for Best Folk Performance, in 1961 and 1966, and was honored with a Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 2000. He also became the first black performer to win an Emmy in 1960.

In 2014, Belafonte received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for his activism work, including organizing the “We Are the World” song by various artists to help raise money for Africa, and his political activism work to end apartheid in the South Africa.

Musician and producer Quincy Jones has the most awards among EGOT winners, with 28 Grammys between 1964 and 2019.

Jones was the lead producer on Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and “Beat It” albums, and he also recorded his own jazz music, including “Birdland.” In 1977, he won an Emmy for his work on the TV show “Roots,” about enslaved black families in America, and a Tony in 2016 for his songwriting for “The Color Purple.”

Jones also received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Academy Awards in 1994 for his social activism. He was a supporter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and was a co-founder of the African American Music Association, which raised funds for the National Library of African American Art and Music.