TV - Movies
The Miami
Vice Star You Likely Didn't
Know Coined
The EGOT Term
By SAM SKOPP
EGOT status is attained by the select few winners of at least one Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony. Most awards show fanatics are aware of the EGOT distinction, but some may not know that they have one of the stars of "Miami Vice" to thank for the term.
Philip Michael Thomas, who played Detective Sergeant Rico Tubbs in the original "Miami Vice," first brought the term EGOT into the popular consciousness. While not an EGOT winner, Thomas sometimes sported a necklace in public decorated with four letters, indicating his desire to win all four awards one day.
Thomas' EGOT jewelry and his discussion of it effectively introduced the term to the public, making him the inventor of the EGOT distinction. Also, Thomas' pendant appears in a Season 4 episode of "30 Rock," and it’s credited for introducing the term to many who were previously unfamiliar with it.