An EGOT is an acronym that refers to the four major performing-arts awards in North America: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony. Winning all of the honors is one of the most coveted achievements in entertainment. However, that was not always the case. In fact, the feat was largely unrecognized until 1984, when Philip Michael Thomas, an actor in the TV series Miami Vice (1984–89), came up with the term EGOT to describe his aspirations. He even wore a necklace with the acronym engraved on a medallion. However, the EGOT remained little more than a curiosity until 2009, when the term—and Thomas’s necklace—was a storyline in an episode of the sitcom 30 Rock (2006–13). The EGOT subsequently captured the public’s imagination and became a goal for many entertainers.
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