Richard Rodgers Was the First Person to EGOT—Here’s How
For those who work in the entertainment industry, there’s no greater honor than being recognized by peers and fellow entertainers. Undoubtedly, the greatest reward bestowed on those entertainers is the EGOT—the distinctive honor of winning an Emmy, a Tony, a Grammy, and an Oscar.
While there have been a few celebrity EGOT winners over the years, one man, in particular, is worthy of recognition. Richard Rodgers is the first man in history to EGOT, setting a historic precedent that would not only define his career but make waves in Hollywood for decades to come.
What is an EGOT?
While winning either an Oscar, a Tony, an Emmy, or a Grammy is enough of an honor in itself, winning all four of those awards truly means that an artist has achieved excellence across genres and categories. Becoming an EGOT winner is the distinction of winning all four coveted awards and something that only a select few artists have ever achieved.
Over the course of history, only 16 people have achieved EGOT status. Most recently, composer Alan Menken joined the ranks of EGOT winners when he made the list in 2020. He was preceded by singer John Legend, who was one of the youngest recipients of the EGOT in 2018. It’s incredibly rare to join the ranks of EGOT winners, which makes the story of the very first EGOT winner that much more special.
When did Richard Rodgers become an EGOT winner?
Rodgers, the very first man to be named an EGOT winner, had a long, historic career in show business. Born in 1902, Rodgers worked primarily in musical theater, crafting music and lyrics that would live on for generations. Rodgers is best known for his contributions to the musical partnership Rodgers & Hammerstein.
Along with his partner, Oscar Hammerstein II, Rodgers was instrumental in creating stage productions like South Pacific, Carousel, The King and I, and the perennial classic, The Sound of Music. These productions would later become popular feature films.
According to Mental Floss, Rodgers received his EGOT before the acronym was even in use, becoming the first-ever EGOT winner in 1962. Rodgers won his Oscar in 1945, for the song “It Might as Well Be Spring” from the movie State Fair, while his Grammy Awards came in 1960 and 1962, for cast recordings of the films The Sound of Music and No Strings. Rodgers won a total of six Tony Awards between 1950 and 1962, including three awards in 1950 alone. His Emmy came for the television documentary Winston Churchill: The Valiant Years.
When did Richard Rodgers die?
Rodgers has the distinct honor of not just being the first man to achieve EGOT status but being a Pulitzer Prize winner as well. This makes Rodgers one of only two people in history to have won all five prestigious awards. Rodgers’ contributions to the world of entertainment were innumerable, but he was never content to rest on his laurels. He continued working well through the ’60s, writing original compositions even after his writing partner, Oscar Hammerstein, died. Rodgers himself passed in 1979, at the age of 77.
These days, Rodgers is widely considered to be one of the most important and influential composers in American history, with a songbook that inspired generations of composers and songwriters that followed him. It seems fitting that Rodgers, whom many believe to be the founding father of American musical theater, should be the very first man to EGOT.
