Actress and singer Jennifer Hudson has received her first Tony Award. The award was presented yesterday, June 12, and was for her work as a co-producer for “A Strange Loop,” which won the prize for best musical.
The victory cemented the singer’s place among the greats, and she joined an elite club known as the EGOT club. An EGOT is someone who has won each of the four major American entertainment awards, including an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony.
Jennifer Hudson‘s first major award came back in 2007 when she won the Oscar for the best-supporting actress when she portrayed Effie White in “Dreamgirls.” A performance that is still viewed as the catalyst for her film career.
In 2009, she won the Grammy for best R&B album for her self-titled debut album: “Here I Am (Singing My Way Home).” The self-titled debut was released in 2008, landing at No. 2 on the Billboard 2008, and it also earned her multiple GRAMMY nominations. She also won another GRAMMY eight years later with “The Color Purple,” for the best musical theatre album.
Jennifer Hudson EMMY came just a year ago when she was honored with a Daytime Emmy for best interactive media as an executive producer for “Baba Yaga,” a virtual-reality animated film.
Hudson joins a select group of just 16 other celebrities who have reached EGOT status, starting with composer Richard Rogers in 1962. The small list also includes another R&B singer as John Legend is an EGOT member as well.
On top of that, she has made quite an achievement as she becomes just the second black woman to join the EGOT elites. The other member is Whoopi Goldberg, who became a member of the esteemed group in 2002. At 40-years-old she is also the third-youngest EGOT winner.
She’s continued to work tirelessly even after losing Season 3 of American Idol in 2004. She lost to Fantasia Barrino but wowed audiences worldwide with her flawless delivery of sultry vocals.
Hudson also has a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a BAFTA, which all came from her acting debut in “Dreamgirls.” She’s also received multiple NAACP Image Awards over the years, one of which came for her portrayal as Aretha Franklin in the movie musical “Respect.”
