For most performers, winning just one major award — an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar or Tony — is a career-defining moment. But for a select group of legends, the finish line of showbiz’s ultimate achievement, the EGOT, is achingly close. From stage royalty to screen icons, these eleven stars have all three — and are just one gold-plated statue away from joining the most exclusive club in entertainment.
Cynthia Erivo, for example, is one Oscar short of EGOT status. After a breakout performance in The Color Purple, she won a Tony, a Grammy (for the cast album), and a Daytime Emmy for a live performance of the musical. She was nominated at the Oscars in both the Best Actress and Best Original Song categories for Harriet, falling just shy of the final piece.
Jeremy Irons, known for his exquisite voice and commanding presence, needs only a Grammy. With an Oscar win for Reversal of Fortune, a Tony for The Real Thing, and multiple Emmy Awards, he stands among the rare British actors who’ve conquered both sides of the Atlantic — though the Recording Academy has yet to call his name.
Hugh Jackman, the ever-versatile Australian showman, has a Tony for The Boy From Oz, a Grammy for The Greatest Showman, and an Emmy for hosting the Tonys. He came close to Oscar glory with a nomination for Les Misérables in 2013 — but the win eluded him. One more shot at film gold, and he’s in.
Few performers carry the quiet command of Frances McDormand, who already holds four Academy Awards, two Emmys and a Tony. What’s missing? A Grammy. Whether she chooses spoken word or musical narration, that final accolade might be closer than we think.
Helen Mirren, as regal off-screen as on, only needs a Grammy to complete her set. With a Tony, four Emmys and a well-earned Oscar for The Queen, Dame Helen is poised to join the ranks — if the Recording Academy finds the right category.
Cynthia Nixon, forever known as Miranda from Sex and the City, has a Tony (Rabbit Hole), an Emmy (for both Sex and the City and Law & Order: SVU), and a Grammy for narrating An Inconvenient Truth. She's one Oscar away from full EGOT — and has the dramatic range to earn it.
Al Pacino, one of cinema’s greatest, won an Oscar for Scent of a Woman, multiple Emmys, and two Tonys — all before the term EGOT became common parlance. He’s never claimed a Grammy, but if audiobooks or narration are on the horizon, who’s to say?
Geoffrey Rush stands tall among the very few to win an Oscar (Shine), Tony (Exit the King), and Emmy (The Life and Death of Peter Sellers ). All he lacks is a Grammy — a curious gap for an actor of such vocal dexterity.
And then there’s Martin Scorsese — a master of cinema who won his long-awaited Oscar for The Departed, a Grammy for No Direction Home: Bob Dylan, and two Emmys. Despite directing the musical The Act, he’s never been nominated for a Tony. Should he ever return to Broadway, history could be made.
Lastly, Kate Winslet, with her Oscar for The Reader, two Emmys, and a Grammy for Listen to the Storyteller, just needs a Tony. With her classical training and stage presence, it may only be a matter of time.
While only 21 people have officially secured EGOT status, these legends hover just outside the gates. Whether it’s a final trip to Broadway or a well-placed audiobook, that last trophy might not be far off — and when it happens, the club will be all the richer for it.
