American Fiction‘s Cliff Ellison—the flashy surgeon brother to Jeffrey Wright‘s Monk, who is letting his freak flag fly as a newly out gay man after divorcing his wife—ranks high among Sterling K. Brown’s best performances, earning the actor his first Oscar nomination. But will it be the one to score the multihyphenate talent that coveted EGOT?
Of course, that “EGOT” distinction is given to those illustrious few who have won all four of the major American performing arts awards: the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. The most recent recipients of the honor include music icon Elton John (in 2024), acting legend Viola Davis (in 2023) and world-famous belter and talk-show host Jennifer Hudson (in 2022). Brown, who is accomplished across both stage and screen, recently revealed his wish to one day join those EGOT winners with a few extra trophies of his own. He told The Hollywood Reporter:
After getting a few Emmys or whatnot, you realize, all right, that’s a quarter of the way to the EGOT, let’s see if we can figure out ways to get the other ones. But I didn’t think that it was going to necessarily be from this role or this film. I’m fully aware that it is a marathon and not a sprint. I’m here for the long haul. And so the fact that the nomination came with this project is very pleasing because I think the project is awesome. I think what Cord did with this script and with this film is absolutely wonderful in terms of expanding the collective consciousness and imagination of what Black life on screen can be. I was just happy to be a part of it and see the film be recognized and to see Jeffrey be recognized. I didn’t think that it was going to be my turn, but I would love to one day, if I’m blessed enough, be considered amongst the people who get the EGOT. I would not be upset.
The 47-year-old actor already has a few high-profile awards under his belt. He has three Primetime Emmy Awards: the first, a 2016 Supporting Actor win for his portrayal of Christopher Darden in American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson,. That was followed by a Lead Actor trophy a year later for his role as Randall Pearson in the beloved NBC drama This Is Us, and most recently in 2021 for Outstanding Narrator for Lincoln: Divided We Stand. He also scored Emmy nominations for his work in Brooklyn Nine-Nine and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
On his metaphorical mantle, he’s also got a Golden Globe, a Critics’ Choice and several SAG Awards, both individual and ensemble, for his work on This Is Us, and another SAG as part of the Black Panther cast.
Given his popularity with awards bodies, it would be a safe bet that Brown will see several more awards in his professional future, but he’s also got the performing bonafides to back it up. Along with being an acclaimed actor, the dude can really sing, as he displayed in both The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, as well as Frozen II. A stage musical with a handy little cast album should be more than enough to nab the guy a Tony and Grammy!
You can see if Sterling K. Brown will add an Oscar to his already considerable Emmy collection, and get halfway through that EGOT acronym, when the 96th Academy Awards take place on March 10.