A 'Frozen' Oscar win may land Fil-Am songwriter EGOT spot

FAMILY AFFAIR. Actor/writer/ composer Robert Lopez, writer/ lyricist Kristen Anderson-Lopez (R) and their children attend The Cinema Society's special screening of Walt Disney Animation Studios' "Frozen" at the Tribeca Grand Hotel. AFP Photo

MANILA, Philippines – A Frozen win in the upcoming Academy Awards does not only mean more glory for the latest Disney film but an EGOT spot for Filipino-American songwriter Robert Lopez.

Robert, along with his wife Kristen Anderson-Lopez, behind the film's hit song "Let it Go," are nominated for Best Original Song in this year's Oscars. If they do win, Robert will be joining the EGOT circle as its 12th member.

But what is EGOT, really? It's actually considered as one of the coveted milestones in someone's showbiz career – a Grand Slam, some might even say. The elite circle is composed of a handful of people who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony (EGOT). It is also sometimes called GATE (Grammy, Academy, Tony, Emmy).

At 39, Robert may also be the youngest person to joing the EGOT circle, taking the title from current record holder, West Side Story actress Rita Moreno, who won an Emmy when she was 45, making her a part of the elite group.

Robert also revealed to reporters in New York that his father was born on a ship en route to the US from Manila. The ship was reportedly the last GI boat that left Manila right after World War II. His grandmother was Filipina-Scottish-American while his grandfather is pure Filipino.

Robert first won a Tony for Avenue Q in 2004 and The Book of Mormon in 2011, for which he also snagged a Grammy. He got two Daytime Emmy Awards for Wonder Pets in 2008 and 2010; now all he needs is that Oscar.

Here's a list of the 11 members of the elite club:

Audrey Hepburn

Emmy: Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn (1993)

Grammy: Audrey Hepburn’s Enchanted Tales (1994)

Oscar: Roman Holiday (1953)

Tony: Ondine (1954)

Helen Hayes

Emmy: Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (1953)

Grammy: Great American Documents (1976)

Oscar: The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1932)

Tony: Happy Birthday (1947)

John Gielgud

Emmy: Summer’s Lease (1991)

Grammy: Ages of Men (1979)

Oscar: Arthur (1981)

Tony: Big Fish, Little Fish (1961)

Jonathan Tunick

Emmy: Night of 100 Stars (1982)

Grammy: No One Is Alone (1988)

Oscar: A Little Night Music (1977)

Tony: Titanic (1997)

Marvin Hamlisch

Emmy: Barbra Streisand: The Concert (1995)

Grammy: The Way We Were (1974)

Oscar: The Way We Were and The Sting (1973)

Tony: A Chorus Line (1976)

Mel Brooks

Emmy: The Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner, Howard Morris Special (1967)

Grammy: The 2000 Year Old Man in the Year 2000 (1998)

Oscar: The Producers (1968)

Tony: The Producers (2001)

Mike Nichols

Emmy: Wit (2001)

Grammy: An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May (1961)

Oscar: The Graduate (1967)

Tony: Barefoot in the Park (1964)

Richard Rodgers

Emmy: Winston Churchill: The Valiant Years (1962)

Grammy: The Sound of Music (1960)

Oscar: It Might as Well Be Spring from State Fair (1945)

Tony: South Pacific (1950)

Rita Moreno

Emmy: The Muppet Show (1977)

Grammy: The Electric Company (1972)

Oscar: West Side Story (1961)

Tony: The Ritz (1975)

Scott Rudin

Emmy: He Makes Me Feel Like Dancing (1984)

Grammy: The Book of Mormon (2011)

Oscar: No Country for Old Men (2007)

Tony: Passion (1994)

Whoopi Goldberg

Emmy: Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel (2002)

Grammy: Whoopi: Original Broadway Recording

Oscar: Ghost (1990)

Tony: Thoroughly Modern Millie (2002)

Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli, and James Earl Jones are also considered as EGOT honorary members due to their special and honorary awards from the awards-giving bodies.

Frozen's "Let It Go" is competing for the Best Original Song award in this year's Oscars with Alone Yet Not Alone, Despicable Me 2, Her, and "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom."

Watch Robert's Academy Award-nominated song Let it Go in this clip from Disney's Frozen:

– Rappler.com