Composer Robert Lopez won his first Academy Award Sunday night, making him just the 12th person to have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony.
This was the first Oscar bid for Lopez. He and his wife Kristen Anderson-Lopez triumphed in the Best Original Song category for "Let It Go" from the Disney animated hit "Frozen." They defeated tunes from "Despicable Me 2,""Her," and "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom."
His first major award was a 2004 Tony for Best Original Score of "Avenue Q." He also earned two more Tonys for "The Book of Mormon" in 2011 for Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical.
That latter musical created by "South Park" veterans Trey Parker and Matt Stone brought Lopez a Grammy in 2012 for Best Musical Theater Album.
And he picked up Daytime Emmys in 2008 and 2010 for his music direction and composition of "The Wonder Pets."
In order of achievement, the other 11 EGOT members are: composer Richard Rodgers (1962), actress Helen Hayes (1977), actress Rita Moreno (1977), actor John Gielgud (1991), actress Audrey Hepburn (1994), composer Marvin Hamlisch (1995), orchestrator Jonathan Tunick (1997), actor/writer/composer Mel Brooks (2001), comedian/director Mike Nichols (2001), actress Whoopi Goldberg (2002), and producer Scott Rudin (2012).
At age 39, Lopez is now the youngest EGOT winner by several years. The previous record-holder was Moreno, who won her Emmy Award at age 45 to complete the grand slam.
Three people have received honorary awards but are not considered to be part of the EGOT club as they didn't win them in competition: Barbra Streisand has a honorary Tony from 1970. Liza Minnelli received a Grammy legend award in 1990, and James Earl Jones received an honorary Oscar in 2011.
Besides Jones, there are 13 other living performers who have achieved Emmy/Grammy/Tony wins and only need an Oscar to reach EGOT status. They are: actor/singer Harry Belafonte, composer Martin Charnin, writer Anne Garefino, composer John Kander, singer/songwriter Cyndi Lauper, composer John McDaniel, actress Cynthia Nixon, Parker and Stone, composer Marc Shaiman, composer Charles Strouse, actress Lily Tomlin, and actor Dick Van Dyke.
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