Jewish World Records emblemJewish World Records
Back to the registry
PersonJewish Eligibility — Verified by JWR

Richard Rodgers

American composer, songwriter and playwright; the first person in history to achieve a competitive EGOT.

New York City, United States

Richard Rodgers at the St. James Theatre in 1948

Al Aumuller / New York World-Telegram and the Sun / Library of Congress / Wikimedia CommonsSourcePublic domain

Biography

Richard Charles Rodgers (1902–1979) was an American composer whose collaborations with Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II produced major works of musical theatre. In 1962 he became the first person to complete the competitive EGOT. American composer, songwriter and playwright; the first person in history to achieve a competitive EGOT. In Jewish World Records, Richard Rodgers is connected to the record “First Person to Achieve EGOT,” based on the stored achievement of First person to achieve competitive EGOT. Richard Rodgers became the first person to complete a competitive EGOT, with each award tied to a specific body of work. His Academy Award came for the song “It Might as Well Be Spring” from State Fair; his Tony success included South Pacific; his Grammy recognition included The Sound of Music; and his Emmy for Winston Churchill: The Valiant Years completed the four-award set in 1962.

Public links

Records held by Richard Rodgers

Richard Rodgers at the St. James Theatre in 1948
JWR VerifiedFounding Record
Awards · EGOTFirst

First Person to Achieve EGOT

Record holder

Richard Rodgers

Record value

First person to achieve competitive EGOT

Richard Rodgers became the "First person to achieve competitive EGOT" on 22 May 1962 in New York City. The record is defined as being the first person in history to win qualifying individual competitive Emmy, Grammy, Academy Award (Oscar), and Tony awards. Rodgers's achievement marks him as the first person to complete this set of four major American entertainment prizes, as verified by sources including Guinness World Records.

Country represented
United States
Achievement location
New York City, New York, United States
Achievement date
22 May 1962
View full record