Grand slam

Mark Zurolo ’01MFA

View full image

What do Sir John Gielgud, Whoopi Goldberg, and Mel Brooks have in common? They’re among the dozen people who have achieved a rare entertainment industry feat: winning a competitive Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (collectively known as EGOT to awards watchers) over the course of their careers. The 12th and newest member of that club is also the youngest person—and the first Yalie—to join. Robert Lopez ’97 completed the feat at this year’s Academy Awards, when he and his wife Kristen Anderson-Lopez won the Oscar for Best Original Song (the ubiquitous empowerment ballad “Let It Go,” from the Disney movie Frozen). Lopez, 39, won three Tonys as the composer of the Broadway shows Avenue Q and The Book of Mormon, a Grammy for the Book of Mormon cast album, and two Emmys for the music on the children’s series Wonder Pets. The former Yale Spizzwink shrugged off the accomplishment, telling Time: “I’m really honored to be part of it, but I know it’s just a statistical coincidence.”