Celebrating Near-EGOTs: The Impact of Honorary Awards on Remarkable Careers
Barbra Streisand
EGOT Awards: Five Emmys (four Primetime, one Daytime); Eight Grammys; Two Oscars
Missing Award: Tony, despite two nominations for I Can Get It for You Wholesale (1962) and Funny Girl (1964). The Tonys awarded her a Special Tony Award in 1970 as “Star of the Decade.”
Notes: Streisand achieved notable milestones, winning an Emmy for her first TV special, two Grammys for her debut studio album, and an Oscar for her initial film. Had she won a Tony for I Can Get It for You Wholesale, she would have achieved EGOT status at age 26, making her the youngest to do so. This record is currently held by Robert Lopez, who was just past his 39th birthday when he completed his EGOT.
Staging another historic achievement, Streisand remains the only individual in Oscar history to win for both acting (for Funny Girl) and songwriting (for composing “Evergreen” from A Star Is Born).
Alongside her competitive Grammy wins, Streisand has secured two honorary awards from the Recording Academy: the Grammy Legend Award (1992) and a Lifetime Achievement Award (1995).
Liza Minnelli
EGOT Awards: One Emmy (Primetime); One Oscar; Three Tonys
Missing Award: Grammy, despite two nominations for best traditional pop vocal album for Gently (1997) and Liza at the Palace (2010). She received a Grammy Legend Award in 1990.
Notes: In addition to her competitive Tony wins, Minnelli garnered a special Tony in 1974 for “adding luster to the Broadway season.” Notably, her mother, the legendary Judy Garland, achieved her only EGOT-level awards competitively with two Grammys for Judy at Carnegie Hall. Together, they represent a unique EGOT legacy.
Quincy Jones
EGOT Awards: One Emmy (Primetime); 28 Grammys; One Tony
Missing Award: Oscar, despite seven nominations—six in music categories and one for producing the best picture nominee The Color Purple. He received two honorary Oscars: the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award (1994) and an honorary Governor’s Award (2024) “for his artistic genius, relentless creativity and trailblazing legacy in film music.” The latter was announced before his death and presented posthumously to his children.
Notes: In addition to his record number of Grammys, he has also been honored with a trustees award from the Recording Academy in 1989 and a Grammy Legend Award in 1992. Jones passed away in 2024 at the age of 91.
Harry Belafonte
EGOT Awards: One Emmy (Primetime); Two Grammys; One Tony
Missing Award: Oscar. Belafonte was never nominated for a competitive Oscar but received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 2014.
Notes: Belafonte achieved a historic milestone with his first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 in 1956 with Belafonte. He was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy in 2000. Belafonte passed away in 2023 at age 96. In 2025, as a tribute, the Recording Academy named their Best Song for Social Change Award after him.
James Earl Jones
EGOT Awards: Three Emmys (two Primetime, one Daytime); One Grammy; Two Tonys
Missing Award: Oscar, despite one nomination for The Great White Hope in 1971. He received an honorary Governor’s Award in 2011.
Notes: In addition to his competitive Tony wins, Jones received a special Tony in 2017 for lifetime achievement in the theatre. He passed away in 2024 at age 93.
Frank Marshall
EGOT Awards: One Emmy (Sports); Two Grammys; One Tony
Missing Award: Oscar, despite five nominations for best picture: Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Color Purple, The Sixth Sense, Seabiscuit, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. He received the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 2019.
Notes: Marshall won his Sports Emmy in 2023 for outstanding long documentary for The Redeem Team, which chronicled the 2008 U.S. men’s basketball team’s journey during the Beijing Summer Olympics.
