5 Black EGOT Winners And 7 More Talented Black Actors Who Are Getting Close
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It's not every day that anyone reaches the esteemed EGOT status.
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For those who don't know, EGOT winners are the rare group who have had the honor of winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony award in their career.
NBC / Via giphy.com
There are only 16 people who have EVER achieved the honor. Of them, only two are Black.
Love Has No Labels / Via giphy.com
Whoopi Goldberg was the first Black actor to achieve the honor, with her eventful year in 2002.
Whoopi Goldberg won a Grammy for Best Comedy Recording in 1985 for Whoopi Goldberg: Original Broadway Show Recording. In 1990, she won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for Ghost. In 2002, she won a Tony for producing the Best Musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie. The same year, she won the Emmy for Best Special Class Special for Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel.
There wouldn't be another Black winner until John Legend secured his EGOT with his 2018 Tony win.
John Legend won the Grammy for Best New Artist, Best R&B Album, and Best R&B Vocal in 2005. She won the Oscar for Best Original Song, "Glory," from Selma. In 2017, he won a Tony for serving as producer of Best Play Revival August Wilson's Jitney. The Emmy for Jesus Christ: Superstar Live In Concert sealed the deal.
Aside from Goldberg and Legend, there are another three "unofficial" Black EGOTs.
While these talented artists have reached EGOT status, one of the awards was given in an honorary or non-competitive fashion.
James Earl Jones secured EGOT status after winning an Honorary Academy Award in 2011.
James Earl Jones started his road to unofficial EGOT with a Tony in 1969 for Best Leading Actor in a Play for The Great White Hope. In 1977, he won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Recording for Great American Documents. In 1991, he won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Gabriel's Fire and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for Heat Wave.
Harry Belafonte became an EGOT winner in 2014 after winning the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Awards at the Oscars.
Harry Belafonte won a Tony in 1954 for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for John Murray Anderson's Almanac. In 1960, he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program for Tonight with Belafonte - The Revlon Revue. The next year, he won the Grammy for Best Folk Performance for Swing Dat Hammer.
Quincy Jones' 2016 Tony win for Best Revival of a Musical for The Color Purple made him an EGOT recipient.
The legendary Quincy Jones began winning Grammys in 1964. Jones added a Primetime Emmy to his self in 1977 for Outstanding Music Composition for a series for Roots. He took another step toward unofficial EGOT with his Oscar win in 1994 when he was honored with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.
Next up, we have the contenders. These people are getting close to calling an EGOT their own.
Common is just a single Tony Award win away.
Common won his first Grammy in 2003 for "Love Of My Life: An Ode To Hip-Hop." In 2015, he won the Oscar alongside John Legend for the song "Glory" from Selma. Two years later, he won a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for Letter To The Free" from 13th.
Viola Davis can secure the EGOT if she gets a Grammy.
Viola Davis won a Tony in 2001 for Best Featured Actress in a Play for King Hedley II. She historically became the first woman of color to win an Emmy for Best Actress in a Drama in 2015. In 2017, she took home an Oscar for her performance in Fences.
Cynthia Erivo is just an Oscar-winning performance away from her EGOT.
Playing Celie Harris Johnson in The Color Purple changed the game for Cynthia Erivo, who won a Tony, a Grammy, and a Daytime Emmy in relation to the role.
Audra McDonald needs an Oscar to enter EGOT territory.
Audra McDonald won her first Tony for Best Featured Actress in a Play for Master Class in 1996. She's won another five since. She added two Grammys to her collection in 2019 for her work on Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny in the Best Classical Album and Best Opera Recording categories. In 2015, she won a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Special Class Program in Live From Lincoln Center.
Billy Porter also needs an Oscar win to make the EGOT his.
In 2013, Billy Porter got on his way with a Tony win for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for Kinky Boots. The next year, he won a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album. Then, he won an Emmy in 2019 for Pose, bringing him one win from the coveted title.
H.E.R is halfway to an EGOT with a Grammy and an Oscar under her belt.
H.E.R. won two Grammys for Best R&B Album and Best R&B Performance in 2019. In 2021, she was shocked to win the Oscar for Best Original Song for "Fight For You."
She's open about chasing the EGOT, telling Variety, “I ain’t gonna put a deadline on it ... Maybe before I’m 30. I’ve got seven years.”
Lupita Nyong'o is also halfway there.
Lupita Nyong'o became the first Kenyan to be nominated for and win an Oscar in 2014 for12 Years A Slave. In 2021, she won a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Limited Performance in a Children's Program for Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices. Now, she just needs a Grammy and a Tony to seal the deal.
What Black talents would you love to see reach EGOT status? Tell us in the comments.
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