Hollywood hands out thousands of awards every single year. But only a small group of actors have truly dominated the trophy case across film, television, stage, and music. These performers set the bar impossibly high.
Winning just one Oscar is already a remarkable career achievement. Winning multiple major awards across multiple platforms is a completely different level entirely.
Meryl Streep, the undisputed queen of Hollywood
Meryl Streep holds a record that may never be broken. She has received 21 Academy Award nominations, more than any other performer in Oscar history. That number alone tells the whole story of her dominance.
Beyond Oscars, Streep has won nine Golden Globe Awards, four Emmy Awards, and more than 200 career honors in total. She is widely regarded as the most awarded actress the entertainment industry has ever produced.
Frances McDormand, three Oscars from six shots
Frances McDormand has one of the most efficient Oscar records in history. She earned three Best Actress wins from just six acting nominations, a conversion rate that rivals even the greatest names in the industry.
Her wins came for Fargo, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, and Nomadland. She also holds a Tony Award and two Emmy Awards, making her one of the rare Triple Crown of Acting winners in Hollywood.
Viola Davis, the first black EGOT woman in drama
Viola Davis made history in 2023 when she won a Grammy for narrating her memoir Finding Me. That win completed her EGOT, making her the third Black woman to win Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony.
Davis won her Emmy in 2015 for How to Get Away with Murder and her Oscar in 2017 for Fences. She holds two Tony Awards, cementing her place among the most decorated performers alive today.
Whoopi Goldberg, Hollywood’s first black EGOT winner
Whoopi Goldberg became the first Black performer to achieve EGOT status back in 2002. She completed the sweep with a Tony Award as a producer of Thoroughly Modern Millie, which won Best Musical that year.
Her Oscar came in 1991 for Best Supporting Actress in Ghost, and her Grammy arrived in 1986 for Best Comedy Recording. Goldberg remains one of the most versatile and celebrated entertainers in American history overall.
Jennifer Hudson, the youngest female EGOT winner
Jennifer Hudson achieved EGOT status in 2022 when A Strange Loop won the Tony Award for Best Musical. She served as a producer on the show, becoming the youngest woman ever to earn that honor.
Her Oscar came in 2007 for Dreamgirls and she holds two Grammys to her name. Hudson also has a Daytime Emmy, showing that her extraordinary talent has fully translated across every single major entertainment format.
Cate Blanchett, Australia’s most honored screen actor
Cate Blanchett has won two Academy Awards, four BAFTA Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards over a career spanning three full decades. She has collected nearly 180 award wins from over 360 career nominations worldwide.
She won her first Oscar in 2005 for The Aviator and her second in 2014 for Blue Jasmine. Blanchett remains the only performer ever nominated for playing the same historical figure twice at the Oscars.
Bryan Cranston, the Emmy titan of modern television
Bryan Cranston is one of the most Emmy decorated actors in television history. He has won seven total Primetime Emmy Awards in all, including four consecutive drama wins for playing Walter White on Breaking Bad.
Cranston also holds two Tony Awards and a Golden Globe Award. In 2025, he added a comedy Emmy for The Studio, proving his range extends well beyond the gritty dramatic roles that made him famous.
Denzel Washington, two Oscars and a Tony legend
Denzel Washington has won two Academy Awards across ten career nominations, one of the strongest records in modern Oscar history. He won Best Supporting Actor for Glory in 1990 and Best Actor for Training Day.
Washington also won a Tony Award for the Broadway revival of Fences in 2010. The Cecil B. DeMille honoree remains one of the most consistently awarded actors across both film and stage in the world.
John Legend, the youngest male EGOT winner in history
John Legend achieved EGOT status in 2018 at age 39, becoming the first Black man to win an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award. He was also one of the youngest entertainers to complete the rare achievement.
Legend’s music career powered most of those wins. He won his first three Grammys in 2006 for his debut album Get Lifted, including Best R&B Album and Best New Artist. He later earned an Oscar for co-writing “Glory” from the Selma soundtrack alongside Common.
Rita Moreno, the first Latina EGOT winner ever
Rita Moreno made history in 1977 as the first Latina to complete the EGOT by winning Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony. She was only the third person in history ever to achieve that remarkable feat.
Her Oscar came in 1962 for West Side Story, where she played Anita in a groundbreaking performance. Moreno has never stopped working, proving that generational talent and relentless dedication always outlast any passing Hollywood trend.
Featured Image: Photo by CaseyJNewell on Wikimedia Commons
