The EGOTs are a clear definition in celebrating the prestigious accomplishments of actors and artists throughout their career. EGOT stands for winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award.
The EGOT legacy started in 1962 with the first EGOT winner, Richard Rodgers. For Rodgers’ Oscar, he won for best original song “It might as well be spring” from State Fair the musical in 1946. He was popular in winning Tony awards for musicals, and won a Grammy for best show album in “The Sound of Music.”
Lastly, he won an Emmy for outstanding achievement in Original Music Composed for TV of docuseries Winston Churchill.
These award winners inspire many people today, including those of the Riordan community. Drama director of the musical “Hello, Dolly!,” Greg Callaghan is impressed by another EGOT winner, Rita Moreno.
She is the first Latina of Puerto Rican descent to win an EGOT in 1977 and is an inspiration for the Latino community.
“She won the Oscar in 1962 for ‘West Side Story’ and everyone expected her to play a variation of that character, a Puerto Rican immigrant, for the rest of her career,” Callaghan said.
“Instead, she refused to take those roles and the offers dried up until she made the switch to TV,” Callaghan explained.
An actor in “Hello, Dolly!” Julia O’Neill ’26 was motivated by outstanding EGOT winner Barbra Streisand. Streisand has expanded her career to songwriting, singing, film making, and acting.
O’Neill shared, “I really liked the song Barbra Streisand sang, “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” from her Oscar winning movie, ‘Funny Girl’. She was the first performer to win the EGOTs and was the first woman to produce, write and star in a movie.”
Art club president Benjamin Reyes ’26 believes there are candidates for upcoming EGOT winners in the future. He expressed, “I believe that Cynthia Erivo is the next potential winner because she is close to receiving an Oscar for her performance in the next Wicked movie”
Callaghan was also interested in Erivo’s performances and impressed by her talents. “I was lucky enough to see her on Broadway in ‘The Color Purple’ which won her the Tony, Grammy, and Emmy. I love when Broadway performers crossover into ‘mainstream’ media and I think she’s a powerhouse,” Callaghan said.
The EGOTs encourage artists to diversify their career to different forms of media such as singing, acting, songwriting, television, Broadway theatre, etc. These artists motivate audiences, and encourage them to pursue their dreams through the inspiration of the EGOT winners.
