Who was the first woman to achieve EGOT status?

Helen Hayes was the first woman to achieve EGOT status. EGOT means winning at least one Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award, and Hayes completed that quartet in 1977 with a Grammy for the spoken-word recording Great American Documents.

Her EGOT capped an unusually broad career. She won an Oscar for The Sin of Madelon Claudet in 1932, a Tony for Happy Birthday in 1947, and an Emmy in 1953 for Schlitz Playhouse of Stars. She was only the second person overall to complete the four-award set, after composer Richard Rodgers.

Hayes is also famous for being the first performer to win the Triple Crown of Acting: competitive acting victories at the Oscars, Emmys, and Tonys. That achievement is related to, but not identical with, an EGOT, because EGOT winners can earn awards for producing, songwriting, narration, or other work. Rita Moreno also completed an EGOT in 1977, but Hayes did it first among women.