With The Greatest Showman‘s soundtrack Grammy win this year, Hugh Jackman is now one Oscar away from the exclusive EGOT club.
But tall poppy syndrome must be alive and well, because the Showman himself isn’t even one down when it comes to the Aussie equivalent.
To EGOT, as 30 Rock taught us, you must win an Emmy (TV), Grammy (music/recording), Oscar (movies) and Tony (stage).
To LAHA, you must win a Logie (TV/popularity contest), ARIA (music/recording), Helpmann (stage) and AACTA (film, and yes, these used to be known as the AFI Awards so they still count as one of the As).
Jackman has been nominated for the AACTAs and one Helpmann, but somehow no Logies or ARIAs.
In fact, LAHA is an even more exclusive club than the EGOTs.
It’s so exclusive, it seems nobody has done it yet.
Four Aussie stars are just one award away, though.
Deborah Mailman, Pamela Rabe, John Doyle (AKA Roy of Roy & HG) and the one and only Kylie have all won three out of the four.
Mailman and Rabe are both missing an ARIA, Doyle is yet to nab a Helpmann, and Kylie has 16 ARIAs but is one AFI/AACTA short. (She was snubbed for Street Fighter, and you know it.)
So who’s most likely to nab the first ever LAHA?
You can never rule out any of the legends above – an ARIA for Cast Album, Comedy Release or a featured sample on a Hilltop Hoods song would all count, and Kylie actually has art-cinema cred.
Noni Hazlehurst is the only person we could find who’s actually been nominated for all four awards, and has four AFI/AACTAs and two Logies on her mantel.
Delta Goodrem has nine ARIAs and a Logie under her belt, and while she didn’t bring home any AACTAs for her Olivia Newton-John biopic last year, she’s got a long career ahead of her.
(And before you ask: ONJ herself somehow has just one single ARIA.)
International stars like Hugo Weaving and Cate Blanchett have plenty of acting awards, but aren’t being tempted back for a guest arc on the latest Underbelly to lock down that Logie, it seems.
Some other strong potentials who are still hitting their professional stride:
- Tim Minchin: four Helpmanns, a Logie, and an ARIA nomination
- Jessica Mauboy: two ARIAs, one AACTA, one Logie nomination
- Nick Cave: seven ARIAs, one AFI, and my write-in candidate for the Gold Logie every damn year he appears on a TV screen for half a second.
But much as the Oscar remains just out of Our Wolverine’s reach, the LAHA is a Grand Slam yet to be slammed.
Have we missed anyone? Email hello@goat.com.au with your fancy facts.