These amazing entertainers have broken through barriers and exceeded expectations, impacting the entertainment industry.
Black EGOT recipients challenge the current quo in the prestigious entertainment industry, standing as both masters and trailblazers. These extraordinary people have broken through barriers and exceeded expectations, impacting the theater, cinema, television, and music industries.
Their paths to becoming the coveted EGOTs—winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony—tell moving stories about brilliance and an unwavering quest for creative mastery.
We honor these luminaries’ extraordinary accomplishments and acknowledge their revolutionary influence in broadening the possibilities for Black artists in the entertainment business as we honor them. They have permanently changed the face of creative achievement—and their contribution.
Here are the Defender Top 5 Black EGOT winners
Whoopi Goldberg
In the long history of the Academy Awards, Whoopi Goldberg was the first African-American actor to receive nominations for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. She became the first Black woman to achieve EGOT status. She had to wait 16 years to take home the four honors. She won her first Grammy in 1986, her first Oscar in 1990, and her first Emmy at the beginning of 2002. Her performance in “Thoroughly Modern Millie” earned her a Tony Award later that year, solidifying her EGOT title.
Viola Davis
Viola Davis kickstarted her journey by snagging Tony Awards for her outstanding performances in August Wilson’s “King Hedley II” and “Fences.” She made her mark on television, earning multiple Primetime Emmy Awards for her captivating role in the hit series “How to Get Away with Murder.” Viewers couldn’t help but connect with her compelling portrayals. Stepping onto the big screen, she wowed audiences with an extraordinary performance in “Fences,” winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She also won a Grammy for her performance on the audiobook version of “Finding Me.”
Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Hudson is the third Black individual to achieve the coveted EGOT status. She clinched a Grammy Award for Best R&B Album with her self-titled debut LP. She won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for portraying Effie White in “Dreamgirls” and secured a Daytime Emmy Award for her role as executive producer on “Baba Yaga.”She also added a Tony to her collection as a producer on “A Stranger Loop.”
John Legend
His last name speaks for itself, as Legend became the first Black man to achieve this status in 2018. In 2006 he won a Grammy for ‘Best New Artist” plus 11 more after that. He expanded his talents to the big screen, where he earned an Oscar for the song “Glory” in the movie “Selma” in 2015. He won a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play for his production of “Jitney” and an Emmy for Outstanding Variety Special as a producer for “Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert.”
Quincy Jones
The musical genius that is Quincy Jones has cemented himself as the most decorated award winner out of all the EGOT honorees. He’s won 28 Grammy Awards from 1964 to 2019. Over the past 60 years, he’s produced historic and record-breaking songs, including Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” and “Thriller” and “We Are the World” by USA for Africa in 1984. He won an Emmy for composing the iconic TV series “Roots” in 1977 and a Tony for his work on “The Color Purple” in 2016. In 1994, he earned a Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Oscars for his social activism.
James Earl Jones
Jones is considered to be one of the greatest actors in American history… PERIOD.
For decades, Jones’s signature smooth voice and dominant stage presence earned him a Tony Award for his performance in “The Great White Hope” and “Fences” in 1967 and 1987, respectively. He clinched two Emmy Awards. One was for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in “Gabriel’s Fire,” and the other for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for “Heat Wave.” James lent his voice to “Great American Documents” and earned a Grammy for his narration skills.
Harry Belafonte
Harry Belafonte was one of the most successful Jamaican-American artists in the 50s. He won Grammys for Best Folk Performance in 1961 and 1966 and a spot in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2000. He was the first Black performer to claim an Emmy award in 1960. His work on television earned him an Emmy Award for hosting “Tonight with Harry Belafonte.” Belafonte also won a Tony for Best Featured Actor in a Musical following his role in “John Murray Anderson’s Almanac.”