We all know Steven Spielberg is a special filmmaker, but he’s truly cemented his legendary status during this year’s awards season – and we haven’t even got to the Oscars ceremony yet.
Spielberg could win big thanks to Hamnet at the 98th Academy Awards in March, but he’s already bagged another prize to add to his glittering collection. Obviously, he’s best known for his achievements in the movie industry, but it’s the musical world that has recognised his talents now. And, in doing so, it’s helped Spielberg gain entry into a very prestigious group of creatives.
Steven Spielberg Just Achieved EGOT Status
At the 2026 Grammys ceremony, Spielberg picked up the award for Best Music Film for the documentary Music by John Williams. Spielberg was a producer on that project, which, as you may have guessed, is all about his good friend, long-time collaborator, and legendary composer, John Williams.
By winning that Grammy, Spielberg now has EGOT status, which means he’s won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony (hence the acronym). Those are the four highest honours across the performing arts, spanning TV, music, film, and stage.
Spielberg’s most famous wins, of course, are at the Oscars. He’s won Best Director twice, for Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan. He also won Best Picture for the former, but was controversially denied a second time in 1999 when Shakespeare in Love took the big award on the night.
On the small screen, Spielberg’s work on animated shows such as Pinky and the Brain, Animaniacs, and Tiny Toon Adventures, as well as his acclaimed war epic, Band of Brothers, have earned him a whopping 12 Emmys.
Interestingly, Spielberg was only halfway towards EGOT status as recently as 2022. But with his Tony win for A Strange Loop that year, and this latest success at the Grammys, he’s unlocked the holy grail.
Who Else Is in the EGOT Club?
Spielberg becomes the 22nd member of the EGOT club, with some truly incredible names already on the list.
Composer Richard Rodgers was the first to claim the accolade back in 1962, largely thanks to his work on The Sound of Music for both film and stage. The likes of Rita Moreno, Audrey Hepburn, Mel Brooks, and Mike Nichols followed, though for the latter, there was a 34-year wait to complete the set, having won an Oscar for The Graduate in 1967, before bagging the elusive Emmy in 2001.
More recently, a far more diverse range of performers joined the club. Notable Black talent like Whoopi Goldberg, who won an Oscar for Ghost in 1991, and Viola Davis, for her work on Fences, have EGOT status, as does Jennifer Hudson, who worked with Spielberg on A Strange Loop.
Hudson is the youngest woman to break into the EGOT club, while John Legend is the joint-youngest male recipient (level with songwriter Robert Lopez). Legend won an Oscar for Best Original Song in 2015’s Selma.
Currently, four performers are just one award away from EGOT status. Hugh Jackman, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Cynthia Erivo all need to win an Oscar – easier said than done – and they’ll have completed the set. Meanwhile, the iconic Julie Andrews is still waiting for a Tony Award.
Until then, Steven Spielberg is the new kid on the block – which he doesn’t get to say very often these days!
