These stars are close to EGOT status

Considered by many to be one of the greatest songwriters of his generation, Lin-Manuel Miranda is missing the "O" in EGOT. His work on Hamilton, In the Heights, and Encanto has made him a household name, the first of those even earning him a Pulitzer Prize. He’s got plenty of time left to score movies, so we figure it’s only a matter of time before he’s officially among the ranks of other musical greats like Richard Rodgers and Andrew Lloyd Weber. 

Helen Mirren is still very active in Hollywood. The Dame has won an Emmy as recently as 2022. She received her Tony and her Oscar a few years prior, so she’s just missing a Grammy to complete her EGOT. The famed actress has never received a Grammy nomination, but we think her best bet would be narrating an audiobook because her speaking voice is near perfect.

Jessica Lange is one of Hollywood’s finest actors. The American Horror Story star has been steadily winning major awards since the ‘70s, continually proving she’s in a class of talent all her own. Lange is without a Grammy Award or nomination, but she might not have room on her shelf for the gramophone thanks to her multiple Emmys and Oscars. 

Audra McDonald is theater royalty. She’s been nominated for a whopping 10 Tony Awards, and she’s taken home six of them. She’s got one Emmy and two Grammys to her name, making an Oscar the only award she needs to fulfill EGOT. McDonald has yet to be nominated for an Oscar, but the right role could change that. 

Al Pacino doesn’t need to reach EGOT status for the world to respect his talent, but nonetheless, he’s missing a letter. Pacino’s acronym is "EOT," but unlike many who are close, he’s actually been nominated for his missing initial. Pacino was nominated in 2001 in the Best Spoken Word Album category, responsible for the "G" for multiple EGOT winners, including Helen Hayes and James Earl Jones. 

Cynthia Erivo is so close to EGOT that she can almost taste it. She’s missing an Oscar, but she’s been nominated twice for the award. Erivo will soon hit the big screen as Elphaba in the film adaptation of Wicked, and a good enough performance could secure her a spot on the EGOT winners list. 

Hugh Jackman is another actor who’s awfully close to EGOT. Jackman was nominated for an Oscar for his work in the film adaptation of Les Misérables, but he lost to Daniel Day-Lewis. Jackman is still steadily working in Hollywood, so there’s plenty of time to complete the elusive acronym. 

Cyndi Lauper won her first Grammy Award in 1985 for Best New Artist, and she went 10 years before winning another major award. She took home an Emmy in 1995, then went another 18 years before taking home her third major award, a Tony for her work on Kinky Boots.

Bette Midler has multiple awards in most EGOT categories, but she has yet to win an Oscar. Her nominated work includes The Rose and For the Boys, which earned her a Best Actress nod. Still, the biggest travesty in Midler’s work is that she was only nominated for a Saturn Award for her work in Hocus Pocus.

Ben Platt has taken the theater world by storm with his work in productions like Dear Evan Hansen, but his work in film has left a lot to be desired. In fact, for his work in the film adaptation of the same musical, Platt was nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst Actor. It’s safe to say he hasn’t been nominated for an Oscar yet. 

Lily Tomlin has been working in Hollywood for decades, and she’s racked up quite a list of awards. Though she has yet to win an Oscar, she’s got plenty of other tiny statues to look at. A true television star, the bulk of her nominations and wins have come from the Emmy Awards. 

While most artists say that it’s all about the art and not at all about the awards, most are pretty thrilled when they get the awards. Some, however, genuinely don’t care about specific awards, like Adele, who, despite being one letter away from EGOT, has stated she doesn’t think she’ll ever achieve it, nor does she care to. Adele is missing a Tony but is not a musical theater fan. Too bad because an Adele-written musical would be fantastic. 

Eminem might just be the most surprising person on this list. The rapper has won several Grammys and an Academy Award for Best Original Song, and in 2022, he earned an Emmy for his work in the 2022 Super Bowl Halftime Show, making him just a Tony away from EGOT. Perhaps a collaboration with Lin-Manuel Miranda could get him there. 

Practically perfect in every way, Julie Andrews is, mind-bogglingly, without a Tony Award. But because she’s a true treasure, the reason for her missing letter is admirable. Andrews was the favorite to win for her work in Victor/Victoria, but she withdrew her name from contention because the production wasn’t nominated in any other categories — a solidarity queen. 

Paul McCartney doesn’t need to reach EGOT. Being a Beatle is award enough. Still, if he wants to achieve that status, he’s going to need a Tony Award. The Brit has yet to be nominated, but we have full confidence that he has the skills to earn one. 

Kate Winslet is about as talented of an actress as they come. She’s missing a Tony but has the rest of the EGOT categories nailed down. Amazingly, her first major award was a Grammy. She won the award in 2000 for Best Spoken Word Album for Children. Now, if she could just make her way to Broadway. 

Like many others close to EGOT, Cher is just a Tony away. The pop music icon secured her Grammy, Oscar, and Emmy long ago, but her time on Broadway has never garnered her a major nomination. She did have a Broadway musical created for her discography, which is a distinct honor very few people have. 

Cynthia Nixon is just missing her Oscar. The star, best known for playing Miranda on Sex and the City, hasn’t been nominated for an Academy Award, but she has two Emmys and two Tonys, proving she certainly has the acting chops. It seems she just needs the right role. 

One of the youngest stars to be close to EGOT, H.E.R. is only missing a Tony. The artist has spent the bulk of her career writing and recording music, so it seems well within her capabilities to create some outstanding music for a stage production. We’d love to see it. 

Billy Porter is another "EGT" winner. And though he’s never been nominated for an Academy Award, he did make Oscars history when he wore a gown instead of a tuxedo to the 2019 ceremony. If he can make that big of an impact on the red carpet, he certainly could on the screen.