Editing Mike Nichols

{{Short description|American film and theatre director (1931–2014)}}
{{other people|Mike Nichols}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Mike Nichols
| image              = Mike Nichols.jpg
| caption            = Nichols in 1958
| birth_name         = Igor Mikhail Peschkowsky
| birth_date         = {{birth date|1931|11|6}}
| death_date         = {{nowrap|{{Death date and age|2014|11|19|1931|11|6}}}}
| birth_place        = Berlin, Germany
| death_place        = New York City, U.S.
| citizenship        = {{plainlist|
* Germany (until [[Nuremberg Laws|1935]])
* [[Statelessness|Stateless]] (1935–1944)
* U.S. (from 1944)
}}
| alma_mater         = [[University of Chicago]]
| occupation         = {{hlist|Director|producer|comedian}}
| years_active       = 1955–2014
| spouse             = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Patricia Scott|1957|1960|end=div}}
* {{marriage|Margot Callas|1963|1974|end=div}}
* {{marriage|[[Annabel Davis-Goff]]|1975|1986|end=div}}
* {{marriage|[[Diane Sawyer]]|1988}}
}}
| children           = 3
| relatives          = [[Rachel Nichols (journalist)|Rachel Nichols]] (daughter-in-law)
| signature          = Mike Nichols signature.svg
}}

'''Mike Nichols''' (born '''Igor Mikhail Peschkowsky'''; November 6, 1931 – November 19, 2014) was an American<!--DO NOT ADD "German", SEE [[MOS:NATIONALITY]].--> film and theatre director and comedian.<!--Keep most notable occupation in lead per [[MOS:ROLEBIO]].--> He worked across a range of genres and had an aptitude for getting the best out of actors regardless of their experience. He is one of 21 people to have won all four of the major American entertainment awards: [[EGOT|Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony]] (EGOT). His other honors included three [[British Academy Film Awards|BAFTA Awards]], the [[Lincoln Center Gala Tribute]] in 1999, the [[National Medal of Arts]] in 2001,<ref>{{cite web|title=National Medal of Arts|url=http://arts.gov/honors/medals/mike-nichols|publisher=National Endowment for the Arts|access-date=November 21, 2014}}</ref> the [[Kennedy Center Honors]] in 2003 and the [[AFI Life Achievement Award]] in 2010. His films received a total of 42 Academy Award nominations, and seven wins.

Nichols began his career in the 1950s with the comedy [[Improvisational theatre|improvisational]] troupe [[Compass Players|The Compass Players]], predecessor of [[The Second City]], in Chicago. He then teamed up with his improv partner, [[Elaine May]], to form the comedy duo [[Nichols and May]]. Their live improv act was a hit on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]], and each of their three albums was nominated for the [[Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album]]; their second album, ''[[An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May]]'', won the award in 1962. After they disbanded, he began directing plays, and quickly became known for his innovative theatre productions.

His Broadway directing debut was [[Neil Simon]]'s ''[[Barefoot in the Park]]'' in 1963, with [[Robert Redford]] and [[Elizabeth Ashley]]. He continued to direct plays on Broadway, including ''[[Luv (play)|Luv]]'' (1964), and ''[[The Odd Couple (play)|The Odd Couple]]'' (1965) for each of which he received [[Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play|Tony Awards]]. He won his sixth [[Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play]] with a revival of [[Arthur Miller]]'s ''[[Death of a Salesman]]'' (2012) starring [[Philip Seymour Hoffman]]. His final directing credit was the revival of [[Harold Pinter]]'s ''[[Betrayal (play)|Betrayal]]'' (2013). Nichols directed and/or produced more than 25 Broadway plays throughout his prolific career.

[[Warner Bros.]] invited Nichols to direct his first film, ''[[Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (film)|Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?]]'' (1966), followed by ''[[The Graduate]]'' (1967) for which Nichols won the [[Academy Award for Best Director]]. Nichols also directed ''[[Catch-22 (film)|Catch-22]]'' (1970), ''[[Carnal Knowledge (film)|Carnal Knowledge]]'' (1971), ''[[The Day of the Dolphin]]'' (1973), ''[[Silkwood]]'' (1983), ''[[Working Girl]]'' (1988), ''[[Postcards from the Edge (film)|Postcards from the Edge]]'' (1990), ''[[Wolf (1994 film)|Wolf]]'' (1994), ''[[The Birdcage]]'' (1996), ''[[Primary Colors (film)|Primary Colors]]'' (1998), ''[[Closer (2004 film)|Closer]]'' (2004), and ''[[Charlie Wilson's War (film)|Charlie Wilson's War]]'' (2007). Nichols also directed the [[HBO]] television film ''[[Wit (film)|Wit]]'' (2001), and miniseries ''[[Angels in America (miniseries)|Angels in America]]'' (2003), both of which won him the [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie]].

==Early life==
Nichols was born Igor Mikhail Peschkowsky<ref name="facssf1">{{cite book|last1=Carter|first1=Ash|title=Life Isn't Everything: Mike Nichols, As Remembered by 150 of His Closest Friends|date=2019|publisher=Henry Holt and Co|location=New York|isbn=978-1250112873|pages=Chapter 2}}</ref> on November 6, 1931, in Berlin, [[Weimar Republic|Germany]]. He was a son of Brigitte Claudia (née Landauer) and Pavel Peschkowsky, a physician.<ref name="facssf1" /> His father was born in [[Vienna]], Austria, to a [[Russian-Jewish]] immigrant family. Nichols's father's family had been wealthy and lived in [[Siberia]], leaving after the [[Russian Revolution]], and settling in Germany around 1920.<ref name="facssf1" /> Nichols's mother's family were [[German Jews]].<ref name="facssf1" /> His maternal grandparents were [[Gustav Landauer]],<ref name="Weber" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/mike-nichols-mike-nichols-biography-and-career-timeline/6155/|title=Mike Nichols - Timeline|author=American Masters|date=5 January 2016|website=pbs.org|access-date=28 July 2018}}</ref> a leading theorist on [[anarchism]], and author [[Hedwig Lachmann]].

Around age four, Nichols had lost his hair following an allergic reaction to an inoculation for [[whooping cough]]; consequently, when he reached adulthood he wore wigs and false eyebrows for the rest of his life.<ref name="Weber">{{cite news|last1=Weber|first1=Bruce|title=Mike Nichols, Urbane Director Loved by Crowds and Critics, Dies at 83|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/21/movies/mike-nichols-celebrated-director-dies-at-83.html |access-date=November 21, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141211025703/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/21/movies/mike-nichols-celebrated-director-dies-at-83.html|archive-date=2014-12-11|work=The New York Times |date=November 20, 2014}}</ref><ref>Callow, Simon (September 24, 2020). "Charm Defensive". ''The New York Review of Books'' '''67''' (14): 40–42.</ref>

In April 1939, when the Nazis were arresting Jews in Berlin, seven-year-old Mikhail and his three-year-old brother Robert were sent alone to the United States to join their father, who had fled months earlier. His mother joined the family by escaping through Italy in 1940.<ref name="PBS">{{cite web|title=Faces of America: Mike Nichols|date=January 4, 2010|url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/facesofamerica/profiles/mike-nichols/5/|publisher=Public Broadcasting Service|access-date=November 21, 2014}}</ref> The family moved to New York City on April 28, 1939.<ref name="facssf1" /><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-dec-16-ca-nichols16-story.html |title= Mike Nichols' life in the trenches |first= Glenn |last= Kenny |newspaper= [[Los Angeles Times]] |date= December 16, 2007|access-date=November 21, 2014}}</ref> His father, whose original name was Pavel Nikolaevich Peschkowsky, changed his name to Paul Nichols, Nichols derived from his Russian [[patronymic]]. Before Paul Nichols had received his U.S. medical license, he was employed by a union on 42nd Street, X-raying union members.<ref name="archive.org">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/25/opinion/sunday/dowd-how-oedipus-wrecks.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130220421/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/25/opinion/sunday/dowd-how-oedipus-wrecks.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 30, 2018|title=How Oedipus Wrecks - The New York Times|website=[[The New York Times]]|date=January 30, 2018|access-date=July 27, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BQsVCgAAQBAJ&q=union&pg=PA20|title=Faces of America: How 12 Extraordinary People Discovered Their Pasts|first=Henry Louis Jr.|last=Gates|date=July 6, 2010|publisher=NYU Press|isbn=9780814732649|access-date=July 27, 2018|via=Google Books}}</ref> He later had a successful medical practice in [[Manhattan]], enabling the family to live near [[Central Park]].<ref>{{citation| url=https://www.npr.org/2012/03/09/148305666/mike-nichols-salesman-by-day-always-an-artist | publisher=National Public Radio| date=March 9, 2012 |title= Mike Nichols: 'Salesman' By Day, Artist Always | newspaper=NPR.org|access-date= September 24, 2012}}</ref><ref name= "autogenerated1988">{{cite book|last1=Wakeman|first1=John|title=World Film Directors 2 : 1945–1985|date=1988|publisher=H.W. Wilson|location=New York|isbn=978-0-8242-0763-2|pages=704–710}}</ref>

<blockquote>Before he established his practice, he was a union doctor, and part of his job was X-raying union members. They didn't know about shielding X-ray machines, and he died of leukemia at 44. [in 1944<ref>''Becoming Mike Nichols'' (2016, Documentary)</ref>]
:– Mike Nichols<ref name="archive.org"/></blockquote>

In 1944, Mike Nichols became a naturalized citizen of the United States and attended public elementary school in Manhattan ([[List of public elementary schools in New York City#Region 2: The Bronx|PS 87]]).<ref>Stated on an episode of ''[[Faces of America (PBS series)|Faces of America]]'', in 2010</ref> After graduating from the [[Walden School (New York City)|Walden School]], a private progressive school on Central Park West, Nichols briefly attended [[New York University]] before dropping out. In 1950, he enrolled in the pre-med program at the [[University of Chicago]].<ref name="autogenerated1988"/> He later described this college period as "paradise", recalling how "I never had a friend from the time I came to this country until I got to the University of Chicago."<ref name="Weber" />

While in Chicago in 1953, Nichols joined the staff of struggling classical music station [[WFMT]], 98.7 FM, as an announcer. Co-owner Rita Jacobs asked Nichols to create a folk music program on Saturday nights, which he named ''[[The Midnight Special (radio)|The Midnight Special]]''. He hosted the program for two years before leaving for New York City. Nichols frequently invited musicians to perform live in the studio and eventually created a unique blend of "folk music and farce, showtunes and satire, odds and ends", along with his successor Norm Pellegrini. The program celebrated its 70th anniversary in the same time slot in 2023.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Cohen|first1=Ronald D.|title=Rainbow Quest: The Folk Music Revival and American Society, 1940–1970|url=https://archive.org/details/rainbowquestfolk00cohe|url-access=registration|date=2002|publisher=University of Massachusetts press|location=Amherst|isbn=978-1-55849-348-3|page=[https://archive.org/details/rainbowquestfolk00cohe/page/115 115]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wfmt.com/about-us/our-history|title= WFMT history|access-date= May 21, 2023}}</ref>

==Comedy career==
{{main|Nichols and May}}
[[File:Elaine May and Mike Nichols 1960.JPG|thumb|[[Nichols and May]], {{circa|1960}}]]
Nichols first saw [[Elaine May]] when she was sitting in the front row while he was playing the lead in a Chicago production of ''[[Miss Julie]],'' and they made eye contact.<ref name="Coleman" /> {{rp|39}} Weeks later he ran into her in a train station where he started a conversation in an assumed accent, pretending to be a spy, and she played along, using another accent.<ref name="Nachman" /> {{rp|325}} They hit it off immediately, which led to a brief romance. Later in his career, he said "Elaine was very important to me from the moment I saw her."<ref name="Nachman" />{{rp|325}}

In 1953, Nichols left Chicago for New York City to study [[method acting]] under [[Lee Strasberg]], but was unable to find stage work there.<!--LAT ref is for the entire paragraph--><ref name="latimes" /> He was invited back to join Chicago's [[Compass Players]] in 1955, the predecessor to Chicago's [[The Second City|Second City]], whose members included May, [[Shelley Berman]], [[Del Close]], and Nancy Ponder,<ref name="autogenerated1988"/><ref name="Coleman">{{cite book|last1=Coleman|first1=Janet|title=The Compass: The Improvisational Theatre That Revolutionized American Comedy|date=1991|publisher=University of Chicago Press|location=Chicago|isbn=978-0-226-11345-6}}</ref> directed by [[Paul Sills]]. In Chicago, he started doing improvisational routines with May, which eventually led to the formation of the [[comedy duo]] [[Nichols and May]] in 1958, first performing in New York City.

They performed live [[satire|satirical]] comedy acts and eventually released three records of their routines, which became best-sellers. They also appeared in nightclubs and were on radio and television. [[Jack Rollins (producer)|Jack Rollins]], who later became [[Woody Allen]]'s manager and producer, invited them to audition and was most impressed: "Their work was so startling, so new, as fresh as could be. I was stunned by how really good they were, actually as impressed by their acting technique as by their comedy ... I thought, My God, these are two people writing hilarious comedy on their feet!"<ref name="Nachman">{{cite book |last1= Nachman |first1=Gerald |author-link1= Gerald Nachman (journalist) |title=Seriously Funny: The Rebel Comedians of the 1950s and 1960s|year= 2003 |url=https://archive.org/details/seriouslyfunnyre00nach |url-access= registration |location=New York, NY |publisher=Pantheon Books |publication-date=2003 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/seriouslyfunnyre00nach/page/659 659] |isbn= 978-0-375-41030-7 |oclc=50339527 }}</ref>{{rp|340}}

In 1960, Nichols and May opened the [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] show ''An Evening With Mike Nichols and Elaine May'', directed by [[Arthur Penn]]. The LP album of the show won the 1962 [[Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album]]. Personal idiosyncrasies and tensions, such as on the unsuccessful ''A Matter of Position'', a play written by May and starring Nichols, eventually drove the duo apart to pursue other projects in 1961. About their sudden breakup, director [[Arthur Penn]] said, "They set the standard and then they had to move on,"<ref name="Nachman" />{{rp|351}} while talk show host [[Dick Cavett]] said "they were one of the comic meteors in the sky."<ref name="Nachman" />{{rp|348}} Comedy historian [[Gerald Nachman (journalist)|Gerald Nachman]] describes the effect of their break-up on American comedy:

{{blockquote|Nichols and May are perhaps the most ardently missed of all the satirical comedians of their era. When Nichols and May split up, they left no imitators, no descendants, no blueprints or footprints to follow. No one could touch them.<ref name="Nachman" /> {{rp|319}} }}

They later reconciled and worked together many times. They appeared together at President [[Jimmy Carter]]'s inaugural gala, in 1977, and in a 1980 New Haven stage revival of ''[[Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?]]'' with [[Swoosie Kurtz]] and [[James Naughton]].<ref>{{cite web | first=Lee |last=Hill | title=Great Directors Critical Database: Mike Nichols | url=http://www.sensesofcinema.com/2003/great-directors/nichols/ | work=Senses of Cinema| date=June 2003 | access-date=October 12, 2008}}</ref> May scripted Nichols's films ''[[The Birdcage]]'' (1996) and ''[[Primary Colors (film)|Primary Colors]]'' (1998). In 2010, at the [[American Film Institute|AFI]]'s "Life Achievement Award" ceremony, May gave a humor-filled tribute to Nichols.<ref>video clip: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgjBxiDmJyU "Elaine May Salutes Mike Nichols at the AFI Life Achievement Award"], American Film Institute</ref>

==Career as a director==
===1960–1970: Broadway debut and film breakthrough ===
[[File:Neil Simon - 1974.jpg|thumb|right|160px|Nichols directed several of [[Neil Simon]]'s plays]]
'''Pre-film stage career'''

After the professional split with May, Nichols went to [[Vancouver]], British Columbia, to work in the theater directing a production of [[Oscar Wilde]]'s ''[[The Importance of Being Earnest]]'' and acted in a revival of [[George Bernard Shaw]]'s ''[[Saint Joan (play)|St. Joan]]''.<ref name="autogenerated1988"/> In 1963, Nichols was chosen to direct [[Neil Simon]]'s play ''[[Barefoot in the Park]]''.  He realized at once that he was meant to be a director, saying in a 2003 interview: "On the first day of rehearsal, I thought, 'Well, look at this. Here is what I was meant to do.' I knew instantly that I was home".<ref name="latimes">{{cite news|last1=McLellan|first1=Dennis|title=Mike Nichols, acclaimed director of 'The Graduate,' dies at 83|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-mike-nichols-dies-at-83-20141120-story.html#page=1|access-date=November 20, 2014|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=November 20, 2014}}</ref> ''Barefoot in the Park'' was a big hit, running for 1,530 performances and earning Nichols a [[18th Tony Awards|Tony Award]] for his direction.<ref name="autogenerated1988"/>

This began a series of highly successful plays on Broadway (often from works by Simon) that would establish his reputation. After directing an off-Broadway production of [[Ann Jellicoe]]'s ''[[The Knack ...and How to Get It|The Knack]]'', Nichols directed [[Murray Schisgal]]'s play ''[[Luv (play)|Luv]]'' in 1964. Again the show was a hit and Nichols won a [[19th Tony Awards|Tony Award]] (shared with ''The Odd Couple''). In 1965 he directed another play by [[Neil Simon]], ''[[The Odd Couple (play)|The Odd Couple]]''. The original production starred [[Art Carney]] as Felix Ungar and [[Walter Matthau]] as Oscar Madison. The play ran for 966 performances and won [[19th Tony Awards|Tony Awards]] for Nichols, Simon and Matthau.<ref name="autogenerated1988"/> Overall, Nichols won nine [[Tony Award]]s:<ref name="suntimes">{{cite news|last1=Thomas|first1=Mike|title=The best of Mike Nichols|url=http://www.suntimes.com/news/obituaries/31194296-418/the-best-of-mike-nichols.html#.VG91T4vF98E|access-date=November 21, 2014|newspaper=Chicago Sun Times|date=November 21, 2014}}</ref><ref name="telegraph">{{cite news|title=Mike Nichols – obituary|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/11243432/Mike-Nichols-obituary.html|access-date=November 21, 2014|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=November 20, 2014}}</ref> including six for Best Director of either a play or a musical, one for Best Play, and one for Best Musical.

'''''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'''''

In 1966, Nichols was a star stage director and ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine called him "the most in-demand director in the American theatre."<ref name="autogenerated1988"/> Although he had no experience in filmmaking, after befriending<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/09/remembering-director-mike-nichols|title=Mike Nichols's Life and Career: The Definitive Oral History|first=Sam|last=Kashner|magazine=Vanity Fair|date=September 11, 2015|issue=October|access-date=29 July 2018}}</ref> [[Elizabeth Taylor]] and [[Richard Burton]], [[Warner Bros.]] invited Nichols to direct a screen adaptation of [[Edward Albee]]'s ''[[Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?]]'' starring [[Elizabeth Taylor]], [[Richard Burton]], [[George Segal]], and [[Sandy Dennis]] for which he received a fee of $400,000.<ref name=fee/> The film was critically acclaimed, with critics calling Nichols "the new Orson Welles",<ref name="autogenerated1988"/> and a financial success,<ref>"Big Rental Pictures of 1966", ''Variety'', January 4, 1967 p 8</ref><ref name="Clooney71">{{cite book |last1=Clooney |first1=Nick |author-link1=Nick Clooney |title=The Movies That Changed Us: Reflections on the Screen |date=November 2002 |publisher=Atria Books, a trademark of Simon & Schuster |location=New York |isbn=978-0-7434-1043-4 |page=[https://archive.org/details/moviesthatchange00cloo/page/71 71] |quote=Nichols's golden touch was intact. He pulled it off. Virginia Woolf was a critical success and, more important to the studio, a financial success. |url=https://archive.org/details/moviesthatchange00cloo/page/71 }}</ref> the number 1 film of 1966.<ref>Clooney, p. 90</ref>

The film was considered groundbreaking for having a level of profanity and sexual innuendo unheard of at that time.<ref>{{cite web | author=Jack Valenti| title=How It All Began | url=http://www.mpaa.org/Ratings_HowItAllBegan.asp | publisher=Motion Picture Association of America | access-date=June 17, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080521023225/http://www.mpaa.org/Ratings_HowItAllBegan.asp <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = May 21, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title='Virginia Woolf' Not For Kids|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4PhRAAAAIBAJ&pg=6178,4267811&dq=who%27s+afraid+of+virginia+woolf&hl=en|access-date=February 20, 2013|newspaper=[[St. Petersburg Times]]|date=May 27, 1966}}</ref><ref>Clooney, p. 82–84, 90</ref> It won five [[39th Academy Awards|Academy Awards]] and garnered thirteen nominations (including Nichols's first nomination for Best Director), earning the distinctions of being one of only two films nominated in every eligible category at the Oscars (the other being ''[[Cimarron (1931 film)|Cimarron]]''), and the first film to have its entire credited cast nominated for acting Oscars. It also won three [[20th British Academy Film Awards|BAFTA Awards]] and was later ranked No. 67 in ''[[AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition)]]''.

'''''The Graduate'''''
[[File:Dustin Hoffman - 1968.jpg|thumb|left|160px|[[Dustin Hoffman]] (1968) appeared in the Nichols-directed film ''[[The Graduate]]'']]
His next film was ''[[The Graduate]]'' (1967), starring [[Dustin Hoffman]], [[Anne Bancroft]] and [[Katharine Ross]] for which he was paid $150,000, a deal he had made four years earlier with producer [[Joseph E. Levine]].<ref name=fee>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=April 17, 1968|page=1|title=Nichols' $1-Mil. To Direct His Next}}</ref> It became the [[1967 in film#Highest-grossing films|highest-grossing film of 1967]] and one of the [[List of highest-grossing films|highest-grossing films in history]] up to that date,<ref>[https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=graduate.htm ''The Graduate''], Box Office Mojo</ref> with Nichols receiving {{frac|16|2|3}}% of the profits, making him a millionaire.<ref name=fee/> It was nominated for seven [[40th Academy Awards|Academy Awards]], including Best Picture, with Nichols winning as [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]]. In 2007, it was ranked #17 in ''[[AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition)]]''.

However, getting the film made was difficult for Nichols, who, while noted for being a successful Broadway director, was still an unknown in Hollywood. Producer [[Lawrence Turman]], who wanted only Nichols to direct it, was continually turned down for financing. He then contacted Levine, who said he would finance the film because he had associated with Nichols on ''The Knack'',<ref name=fee/> and because he heard that Elizabeth Taylor specifically wanted Nichols to direct her and Richard Burton in ''Virginia Woolf''.<ref name="Kashner" /> With financing assured, Nichols suggested [[Buck Henry]] for screenwriter, although Henry's experience had also been mostly in improvised comedy, and had no writing background. Nichols said to Henry, "I think you could do it; I think you ''should'' do it."<ref name="Kashner" />

Nichols also took a chance on using [[Dustin Hoffman]], who had no film experience, for the lead, when others had suggested using known star [[Robert Redford]]. Hoffman credits Nichols for having taken a great risk in giving him, a relative unknown, the starring role: "I don't know of another instance of a director at the height of his powers who would take a chance and cast someone like me in that part. It took tremendous courage."<ref name="Kashner">{{cite magazine|last1=Kashner|first1=Sam|title=Here's to You, Mr. Nichols: The Making of The Graduate|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2008/03/graduate200803|magazine=Vanity Fair|access-date=November 21, 2014|date=March 2008}}</ref> The quality of the [[cinematography]] was also influenced by Nichols, who chose Oscar winner [[Robert Surtees (cinematographer)|Robert Surtees]] to do the photography. Surtees, who had photographed major films since the 1920s, including ''[[Ben-Hur (1959 film)|Ben-Hur]]'', said later, "It took everything I had learned over 30 years to be able to do the job. I knew that Mike Nichols was a young director who went in for a lot of camera. We did more things in this picture than I ever did in one film."<ref name="Kashner" />

[[File:Simon & Garfunkel 919-3036.jpg|thumb|right|Nichols chose [[Simon & Garfunkel]] to write the music for ''The Graduate'']]
Nichols also chose the music by [[Simon and Garfunkel]]. When Paul Simon was taking too long to write new songs for the film, he used existing songs, originally planning to replace them with newly written ones. In the end only one new song was available, and Nichols used the existing previously released songs. At one point, when Nichols heard [[Paul Simon]]'s song, "Mrs. Roosevelt", he suggested to Simon that he change it to "[[Mrs. Robinson]]". The song won a Grammy after the film was released and became America's number 1 pop song. Nichols selected all the numerous songs for the film and chose which scenes they would be used in. The placement and selection of songs would affect the way audiences understood the film. Even actor [[William Daniels]], who played Hoffman's father, remembers that after first hearing the songs, especially "[[The Sound of Silence]]", he thought, "Oh, wait a minute. That changed the whole idea of the picture for me," suddenly realizing the film would not be a typical comedy.<ref name="Kashner" />

Nichols had previously returned to Broadway to direct ''[[The Apple Tree]]'', starring [[the Second City|Second City]] alumna, [[Barbara Harris (actress)|Barbara Harris]]. After doing ''The Graduate'', he again returned to the Broadway stage with a revival of [[Lillian Hellman]]'s ''[[The Little Foxes]]'' in 1967, which ran for 100 performances.<ref name="vault2">{{cite web| title=The Little Foxes| url=http://www.playbillvault.com/Show/Detail/4355/The-Little-Foxes| publisher=Playbill Vault| access-date=April 24, 2014}}</ref> He then directed Neil Simon's ''[[Plaza Suite]]'' in 1968, earning him another [[22nd Tony Awards|Tony Award]] for Best Director. He also directed the short film ''[[Teach Me!]]'' (1968), which starred actress [[Sandy Dennis]]. In 1969 his film production company, Friwaftt, was acquired by [[Avco Embassy]], the distributor of ''The Graduate'', who also appointed him to the board of directors.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=March 19, 1969|page=1|title=Mike Nichols On Avco Embassy Board; Joe Levine's Peace With Ponti-Loren|first=Abel|last=Green|author-link=Abel Green}}</ref> Friwaftt stood for "Fools rush in where angels fear to tread."<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=March 19, 1969|page=28|title=What's Friwaftt}}</ref>

Nichols's next film was a big-budget adaptation of [[Joseph Heller]]'s novel ''[[Catch-22 (film)|Catch-22]]'' (1970), followed by ''[[Carnal Knowledge (film)|Carnal Knowledge]]'' (1971) starring [[Jack Nicholson]], [[Ann-Margret]], [[Art Garfunkel]] and [[Candice Bergen]]. ''Carnal Knowledge'' was highly controversial upon release because of the casual and blunt depiction of sexual intercourse.<ref name="library">{{cite web|title=Censored Films and Television II|url=http://explore.lib.virginia.edu/exhibits/show/censored/walkthrough/film2|publisher=University of Virginia Library|access-date=November 27, 2014}}</ref> In Georgia, a theatre manager was convicted in 1972 of violating the state's obscenity statutes by showing the film, a conviction later overturned by the [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]] in ''[[Jenkins v. Georgia]]''.<ref name="justia">{{cite web|title=Jenkins v. Georgia 418 U.S. 153 (1974)|url=https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/418/153/case.html|publisher=JUSTIA US Supreme Court|access-date=November 27, 2014}}</ref>

===1971–1989: Rise to prominence and stardom ===
[[File:Mike Nichols (4506109932).jpg|thumb|left|Nichols at the National Film Society in 1979]]
Nichols returned to Broadway to direct [[Neil Simon]]'s ''[[The Prisoner of Second Avenue]]'' in 1971. The play won Nichols another [[26th Tony Awards|Tony Award]] for Best Director. In 1973, Nichols directed a revival of [[Anton Chekhov]]'s ''[[Uncle Vanya]]'' on Broadway starring [[George C. Scott]] and with a new translation by himself and Albert Todd.<ref name="autogenerated1988"/> In 1973 Nichols directed the film ''[[The Day of the Dolphin]]'' starring [[George C. Scott]], based on the French novel ''[[The Day of the Dolphin (book)|Un animal doué de raison]]'' (lit. ''A Sentient Animal'') by [[Robert Merle]] and adapted by [[Buck Henry]]. The film was not successful financially and received mixed reviews from critics.<ref name="autogenerated1988"/> Nichols next directed ''[[The Fortune]]'' (1975), starring [[Warren Beatty]], [[Jack Nicholson]] and [[Stockard Channing]]. Again, the film was a financial failure and received mostly negative reviews. In 1975, Nichols began filming ''Bogart Slept Here'', an original screenplay by Neil Simon. The film starred [[Robert De Niro]] and Simon's wife, [[Marsha Mason]]. After one week of filming, displeased with the results, Nichols and the studio fired De Niro and shut the production down. Simon would retool the script two years later as ''[[The Goodbye Girl]]''.<ref name="bogart">{{cite web|title=When Mike Nichols Fired Robert De Niro: Excerpt from 'De Niro: A Life'|date=December 28, 2014|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2014/12/when-mike-nichols-fired-robert-de-niro-excerpt-from-de-niro-a-life-66703/|publisher=Indiewire|access-date=May 21, 2021}}</ref> Nichols would not direct another narrative feature film for eight years.<ref name="autogenerated1988"/>

Nichols returned to the stage with two moderately successful productions in 1976; [[David Rabe]]'s ''[[Streamers (play)|Streamers]]'' opened in April and ran for 478 performances.<ref>{{cite web|title=Streamers|url=http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=13520|publisher=The Broadway League|access-date=November 21, 2014}}</ref> [[Trevor Griffiths]]'s ''[[Comedians (play)|Comedians]]'' ran for 145 performances.<ref>{{cite web|title=Comedians|url=http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=3875|publisher=The Broadway League|access-date=November 21, 2014}}</ref> In 1976 Nichols also worked as Executive Producer to create the television drama ''[[Family (1976 TV series)|Family]]'' for [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]. The series ran until 1980. In 1977, Nichols produced the original Broadway production of the hugely successful musical ''[[Annie (musical)|Annie]]'', which ran for 2,377 performances until 1983. Nichols won the Tony Award for Best Musical.<ref name="Morrison">{{cite book|last1=Morrison|first1=William|title=Broadway Theatres: History and Architecture|date=1999|publisher=Dover Publications|location=Mineola, N.Y.|isbn=978-0-486-40244-4|pages=154–155}}</ref> Later in 1977, Nichols directed D.L. Coburn's ''[[The Gin Game]]''. The play ran for 517 performances and won a Tony Award for Best Actress for [[Jessica Tandy]].<ref>{{cite web|title=The Gin Game|url=http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=4017|publisher=The Broadway League|access-date=November 21, 2014}}</ref>

In 1980, Nichols directed the documentary ''[[Gilda Live]]'', a filmed performance of comedian [[Gilda Radner]]'s one-woman show ''Gilda Radner Live on Broadway''. It was released at the same time as the album of the show, both of which were successful. Nichols was then involved with two unsuccessful shows: he produced ''[[Billy Bishop Goes to War]]'', which opened in 1980 and closed after only twelve performances,<ref>[http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=3957 Billy Bishop Goes to War]. The Broadway League. Retrieved March 12, 2010</ref> and directed [[Neil Simon]]'s ''[[Fools (play)|Fools]]'', in 1981, which closed after forty performances.<ref name="rich">Rich, Frank (April 7, 1981).  [http://theater.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?res=9503E7DC1139F934A35757C0A967948260 "Theater Review. 'Fools' by Simon' "] ''The New York Times''</ref> Returning to Hollywood, Nichols's career rebounded in 1983 with the film ''[[Silkwood]]'', starring [[Meryl Streep]], [[Cher]] and [[Kurt Russell]], based on the life of whistleblower [[Karen Silkwood]]. The film was a financial and critical success, with film critic [[Vincent Canby]] calling it "the most serious work Mike Nichols has yet done."<ref name="autogenerated1988"/> The film received five [[Academy Award]] nominations, including a Best Director nomination for Nichols.

That same year, Nichols and [[Peter Stone (writer)|Peter Stone]] helped to fix up and rewrite the musical ''[[My One and Only (musical)|My One and Only]]'' just days before its Boston premiere.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Shewey|first1=Don|title=How 'My One and Only' came to Broadway|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/05/01/theater/how-my-one-and-only-came-to-broadway.html|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 21, 2014|date=May 1, 1983}}</ref> The show eventually went to Broadway and ran for 767 performances, winning [[Tony Awards]] for Best Actor, Best Choreography (both for [[Tommy Tune]]) and Best Supporting Actor ([[Charles Coles|Charles "Honi" Coles]]). In 1984, Nichols directed the Broadway premiere of [[Tom Stoppard]]'s ''[[The Real Thing (play)|The Real Thing]]''. ''[[The New York Times]]'' critic [[Frank Rich]] wrote that "The Broadway version of ''The Real Thing''—a substantial revision of the original London production—is not only Mr. Stoppard's most moving play, but also the most bracing play that anyone has written about love and marriage in years."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://theater.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?res=9407E7D81338F935A35752C0A962948260|title=Tom Stoppard's ''Real Thing''|last=Rich|first=Frank|date=January 6, 1984|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 15, 2011}}</ref> The play was nominated for seven [[38th Tony Awards|Tony Awards]] and won five, including a Best Director Tony for Nichols. Nichols followed the success with the Broadway premiere of [[David Rabe]]'s ''[[Hurlyburly]]'', also in 1984. It was performed just two blocks away from the theater showing ''The Real Thing''. It was nominated for three [[39th Tony Awards|Tony Awards]] and won Best Actress for [[Judith Ivey]].<ref name="autogenerated1988"/>

[[File:Whoopi Goldberg by John Mathew Smith.jpg|thumb|right|160px|[[Whoopi Goldberg]] credits Nichols with discovering her after seeing her perform her one woman show in 1983]]
In 1983, Nichols had seen comedian [[Whoopi Goldberg]]'s one woman show, ''The Spook Show'', at Dance Theater Workshop and wanted to help her expand it. Goldberg's self-titled Broadway show opened in October 1984 and ran for 156 performances. [[Rosie O'Donnell]] later said that Nichols had discovered Goldberg while she was struggling as a downtown artist: "He gave her the entire beginning of her career and recognized her brilliance before anyone else."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Rivera|first1=Zayda|title=Mike Nichols dead at 83: Whoopi Goldberg breaks down on 'The View' when talking about her 'mentor'|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/whoopi-goldberg-breaks-talking-mike-nichols-article-1.2017875|newspaper=New York Daily News|access-date=November 21, 2014|date=November 20, 2014}}</ref> In 1986 Nichols directed the Broadway premiere of [[Andrew Bergman]]'s ''[[Social Security (play)|Social Security]]'' and in 1988 directed ''[[Waiting for Godot]]'', starring [[Robin Williams]] and [[Steve Martin]].<ref>Kornbluth, Jesse. "Robin Williams's Change of Life", ''New York Magazine'', November 22, 1993</ref> Williams cited Nichols and May as among his early influences for performing intelligent comedy.<ref>Herbert, Emily. ''Robin Williams: When the Laughter Stops 1951–2014'', John Blak Publishing (2014) e-bk</ref>

In 1986, Nichols directed the film ''[[Heartburn (film)|Heartburn]]'', which received mixed reviews, and starred Meryl Streep and [[Jack Nicholson]]. In 1988, Nichols completed two feature films. The first was an adaptation of [[Neil Simon]]'s autobiographical stage play ''[[Biloxi Blues (film)|Biloxi Blues]]'' starring [[Matthew Broderick]], also receiving mixed critical reviews. Nichols directed one of his most successful films, ''[[Working Girl]]'', which starred [[Melanie Griffith]], [[Harrison Ford]] and [[Sigourney Weaver]]. The film was a huge hit upon its release, and received mostly positive reviews from critics. It was nominated for six [[61st Academy Awards|Academy Awards]] (including Best Director for Nichols) and won the [[Academy Award for Best Song]] for [[Carly Simon]]'s "[[Let the River Run]]". At one point in the 1980s, Nichols—prone to bouts of depression—reported that he had considered suicide, a feeling apparently brought on by a psychotic episode he experienced after taking the drug [[Halcion]].<ref name="Weber" />

=== 1990–1999: Established career ===
In the 1990s, Nichols directed several more successful, well-received films including ''[[Postcards from the Edge (film)|Postcards from the Edge]]'' (1990) starring Meryl Streep and [[Shirley MacLaine]]; ''[[Primary Colors (film)|Primary Colors]]'' (1998) starring [[John Travolta]] and [[Emma Thompson]]; and ''[[The Birdcage]]'' (1996), an American remake of the 1978 French film ''[[La Cage aux Folles (film)|La Cage aux Folles]]'' starring [[Robin Williams]], [[Nathan Lane]], [[Gene Hackman]] and [[Dianne Wiest]]. Both ''The Birdcage'' and ''Primary Colors'' were written by Elaine May, Nichols's comedy partner earlier in his career. Other films directed by Nichols include ''[[Regarding Henry]]'' (1991) starring [[Harrison Ford]] and ''[[Wolf (1994 film)|Wolf]]'' (1994) starring [[Jack Nicholson]] and [[Michelle Pfeiffer]]. When he was honored by Lincoln Center in 1999 for his life's work, Elaine May—speaking once again as his friend—served up the essence of Nichols with the following:

<blockquote>So he's witty, he's brilliant, he's articulate, he's on time, he's prepared and he writes. But is he perfect? He knows you can't really be liked or loved if you're perfect. You have to have just enough flaws. And he does. Just the right, perfect flaws to be absolutely endearing.<ref name="Weber Obit">{{cite news|last1=Weber|first1=Bruce|title=Mike Nichols, 83, Acclaimed Director on Broadway and in Hollywood, Dies|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/21/movies/mike-nichols-celebrated-director-dies-at-83.html|access-date=November 20, 2014|publisher=The New York Times Company|date=November 20, 2014}}</ref></blockquote>

===2000–2016: Career expansion and later work ===
In the 2000s, Nichols directed the films ''[[What Planet Are You From?]]'' (2000), ''[[Closer (2004 film)|Closer]]'' (2004) and ''[[Charlie Wilson's War (film)|Charlie Wilson's War]]'' (2007), a political drama that was ultimately his final feature film. ''What Planet Are You From?'' received mixed reviews from critics,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/what-planet-are-you-from |title=What Planet Are You From?: Reviews |access-date=November 22, 2014 |website=[[Metacritic]]}}</ref> while ''Closer'' and ''Charlie Wilson's War'' received generally positive reviews<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/closer |title=Closer (2004): Reviews |access-date=November 22, 2014 |website=[[Metacritic]] |archive-date=April 13, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100413154352/http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/closer/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/charliewilsonswar |title=Charlie Wilson's War (2007): Reviews |access-date=November 22, 2014 |website=[[Metacritic]]}}</ref> and were both nominated for [[Academy Awards]], [[BAFTA]] and [[Golden Globe Award|Golden Globe]] awards.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0376541/awards?ref_=tt_awd|title=Closer - Awards|publisher=[[IMDb]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0472062/awards?ref_=tt_awd|title=Charlie Wilson's War - Awards|publisher=[[IMDb]]}}</ref>

Nichols also directed widely acclaimed adaptations of ''[[Wit (film)|Wit]]'' (2001) and ''[[Angels in America (miniseries)|Angels in America]]'' (2003) for television, winning [[Emmy]] Awards for both of them.<ref>{{cite web | title=Awards Search: Mike Nichols | work=Television Academy | url=http://www.emmys.com/awards/nominations/award-search?search_api_views_fulltext=Mike+Nichols | publisher=Academy Of Television Arts & Sciences | access-date=November 21, 2014}}</ref> For his direction of the Broadway musical ''[[Spamalot]]'', he won the [[Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical]] in 2005.

[[File:Mike Nichols Funny Face.jpg|thumb|Nichols in 2010]]
In 2012, Nichols won the Best Direction of a Play [[Tony Award]] for a revival of [[Arthur Miller]]'s ''[[Death of a Salesman]]''. In 2013, he directed [[Daniel Craig]] and [[Rachel Weisz]] in a Broadway revival of [[Harold Pinter]]'s ''[[Betrayal (play)|Betrayal]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Fung|first=Lisa|title=Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz heading to Broadway in 'Betrayal'|url=http://movies.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=800462&ocid=rr-mov-news|work=[[The Wrap]]|publisher=[[MSN News]]|access-date=April 5, 2013|date=April 4, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602044951/http://movies.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=800462&ocid=rr-mov-news|archive-date=June 2, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> The play began previews of its limited run on October 1, 2013<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/28/theater/reviews/daniel-craig-and-rachel-weisz-star-in-betrayal-on-broadway.html|title=Threesome to Tantalize and Behold|newspaper=The New York Times|date=October 28, 2013|last1=Brantley|first1=Ben}}</ref> at the [[Ethel Barrymore Theatre]], opened on October 27,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/culture/la-et-cm-betrayal-daniel-craig-rachel-weisz-20131028-story.html|title='Betrayal' with Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz: What did the critics think?|website=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=October 28, 2013}}</ref> and closed on January 4, 2014.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/jan/07/daniel-craig-rachel-weisz-huge-success-betrayal-broadway|title=Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz claim huge success with Betrayal on Broadway|website=[[TheGuardian.com]]|date=January 7, 2014}}</ref>

Among projects that remained uncompleted when he died, in April 2013 it was announced that Nichols was in talks to direct a film adaptation of [[Jonathan Tropper]]'s novel ''One Last Thing Before I Go''. The film was to be produced by [[J. J. Abrams]], who previously wrote the Nichols-directed film ''[[Regarding Henry]]'' (1991).<ref>{{cite web|last=Siegel|first=Tatiana|title=Mike Nichols in Talks to Direct 'One Last Thing Before I Go'|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/mike-nichols-talks-one-last-443019|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|access-date=April 24, 2013|author2=Borys Kit|date=April 23, 2013}}</ref> In July 2014, it was announced that Nichols and Streep would reunite for an HBO film of [[Terrence McNally]]'s 1985 play ''[[Master Class]]'', with Nichols directing Streep in the starring role of opera singer [[Maria Callas]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://time.com/2974463/merryl-streep-master-class-movie-hbo/|title = Meryl Streep to Star in Master Class Movie on HBO| date=July 10, 2014 }}</ref>

Nichols was a contributing blogger at ''[[The Huffington Post]]''. He was also a co-founder of [[The New Actors Workshop]] in New York City, where he occasionally taught.<ref>{{cite web | title=The Founders | url=http://www.newactorsworkshop.com | publisher=The New Actors Workshop | year=2009 | access-date=February 3, 2009}}</ref> In addition, he remained active in the [[Directors Guild of America]], interviewing fellow film director [[Bennett Miller]] on stage in October 2011 after the Guild's screening of Miller's ''[[Moneyball (film)|Moneyball]]''.

In January 2016, [[PBS]] aired ''[[Mike Nichols: American Masters]]'', an ''[[American Masters]]'' documentary about Nichols directed by his former improv partner, [[Elaine May]].<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/02/arts/television/elaine-may-to-direct-mike-nichols-documentary-for-pbs.html?_r=0 "Elaine May to Direct Mike Nichols Documentary for PBS"], ''New York Times'', November 1, 2015</ref><ref>Interview: [https://www.npr.org/2016/01/29/464781450/revisiting-the-craft-and-vision-graduate-director-mike-nichols "Revisiting The Craft And Vision 'Graduate' Director Mike Nichols"], ''NPR'', January 29, 2016</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2016/tv/reviews/american-masters-mike-nichols-review-pbs-elaine-may-1201681395/ |last=Lowry |first=Brian |title=TV Review: 'American Masters: Mike Nichols's |work=Variety |date=January 26, 2016 |access-date=January 10, 2016}}</ref> On February 22, 2016, HBO aired the documentary ''[[Becoming Mike Nichols]]''.<ref>[https://www.huffingtonpost.com/cynthia-dagnalmyron/becoming-mike-nichols-an-_b_9195744.html "Becoming Mike Nichols, an HBO Master Class in Theater, Film and TV"], ''Huffington Post'', February 11, 2016</ref>

==Directing style==
After his early successes as a stage and film director, Nichols had developed a reputation as an [[auteur]] who likes to work intimately with his actors and writers, often using them repeatedly in different films. Writer [[Peter Applebome]] noted that "few directors have such a gift for getting performances out of actors."<ref name="Whitehead">{{cite book|last1=Whitehead|first1=J.W.|title=Mike Nichols and the Cinema of Transformation|date=2014|publisher=McFarland & Company|isbn=978-0-7864-7145-4|pages=5, 90}}</ref> During a half-year period in 1967 he had four hit plays running simultaneously on Broadway, during which time his first Hollywood feature, ''[[Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (film)|Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?]]'', had also become a popular and critical success. Combined with his second film, ''The Graduate'', in 1967, the two films had already earned a total of 20 Oscar nominations, including two for Best Director, and winning it for ''The Graduate.''

Nichols was able to get the best out of actors regardless of their acting experience, whether an unknown such as Dustin Hoffman or a major star like Richard Burton. For his first film, ''[[Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (film)|Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?]]'', each of the four actors was nominated for an [[Academy Awards|Oscar]], with [[Elizabeth Taylor]] and [[Sandy Dennis]] winning. Burton later said, "I didn't think I could learn anything about comedy—I'd done all of Shakespeare's. But from him I learned," adding, "He conspires with you to get your best."<ref name="Weber Obit"/>

However, it was Taylor who chose Nichols to be their director, because, writes biographer [[David Bret]], "she particularly admired him because he had done a number of ad-hoc jobs to pay for his education after arriving in America as a seven-year-old Jewish refugee."<ref name="bret">{{cite book|last1=Bret|first1=David|title=Elizabeth Taylor : the lady, the lover, the legend : 1932–2011 : a new biography|date=2011|publisher=Greystone Books|location=Vancouver|isbn=978-1-55365-440-7|page=[https://archive.org/details/elizabethtaylorl0000bret/page/176 176]|url=https://archive.org/details/elizabethtaylorl0000bret/page/176}}</ref> Producer [[Ernest Lehman]] agreed with her choice: "He was the only one who could handle them," he said. "The Burtons were quite intimidating, and we needed a genius like Mike Nichols to combat them."<ref name="Kelley">{{cite book|last1=Kelley|first1=Kitty|title=Elizabeth Taylor : the last star|date=2011|publisher=Simon and Schuster|location=New York|isbn=978-1-4516-5676-3|page=222}}</ref> Biographer [[Kitty Kelley]] says that neither Taylor nor Burton would ever again reach the heights of acting performance they did in that film.<ref name="Kelley" />

The same style of directing was used for ''The Graduate'', where, notes film historian [[Peter Biskind]], Nichols took Dustin Hoffman, with no movie acting experience, along with Anne Bancroft, Katharine Ross and others, and managed to get some of their finest acting on screen. This ability to work closely with actors would remain consistent throughout his career. Hoffman credits Nichols for permitting the realistic acting needed for the satirical roles in that film:

{{blockquote|It's Nichols's style—he walks that edge of really going as far as he can without falling over the cliff, into disbelief. It's not caricature. That's the highest compliment for satire.<ref name="Whitehead" /> }}

In a similar way, [[Jeremy Irons]], who acted in the play ''[[The Real Thing (play)|The Real Thing]]'', said that Nichols creates a very "protective environment: he makes you feel he's only there for you,"<ref name="latimes" /> while [[Ann-Margret]], for her role in ''[[Carnal Knowledge (film)|Carnal Knowledge]]'', felt the same: "What's wonderful about Mike is that he makes you feel like you're the one that's come up with the idea, when it's actually his."<ref name="crane">{{cite book|last1=Crane|first1=Robert|last2=Fryer|first2=Christopher|title=Jack Nicholson : the early years|date=2012|publisher=University Press of Kentucky|location=Lexington|isbn=978-0-8131-3615-8|page=101}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Nichols was married four times; the first three ended in divorce, the last upon his death.<ref name="TDT">{{cite web|title=Mike Nichols - obituary|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|date=November 20, 2014|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/11243432/Mike-Nichols-obituary.html}}</ref>

Nichols's first marriage was to Patricia Scot; they were married from 1957 to 1960. His second was to Margot Callas, a former "[[muse]]" of the poet [[Robert Graves]], from 1963 to 1974.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/sep/26/alastair-reid New Yorker essayist Alastair Reid obituary] The Guardian newspaper, publish date September 24, 2014</ref> The couple had a daughter together, Daisy Nichols. His third marriage, in 1975, to [[Annabel Davis-Goff]], produced two children, Max Nichols and Jenny Nichols; it ended in divorce in 1986.<ref name="Bloom">{{Cite web |last= Bloom |first= Nate |title= American Olympic Medal Hopefuls |publisher= InterfaithFamily.com |date= February 2, 2010 |url= https://www.interfaithfamily.com/arts_and_entertainment/popular_culture/interfaith_celebrities_olympic_athletes_and_american_faces/ |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180715195720/https://www.interfaithfamily.com/arts_and_entertainment/popular_culture/Interfaith_Celebrities_Olympic_Athletes_and_American_Faces/ |url-status= dead |archive-date= July 15, 2018 |quote= Nichols and his third wife, Annabel Davis-Goff, who were married between 1975 and 1986, had two children: a daughter, Jenny, now around 32, and a son, Max, now 35. Davis-Goff is of Irish Protestant background and she has become a well known novelist in the last two decades. }}</ref> His fourth was to former ''[[Good Morning America]]'' and ''[[ABC World News Tonight|ABC World News]]'' anchor [[Diane Sawyer]], whom he married on April 29, 1988.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Krishnadev|first1=Calamur|title=Award-Winning Director Mike Nichols Dies At 83|newspaper=NPR|url=https://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/11/20/365403720/award-winning-director-mike-nichols-dies-at-83|publisher=National Public Radio|access-date=November 21, 2014|date=November 20, 2014}}</ref> None of his wives were Jewish and his children were not brought up according to a religion, but they identify as Jewish.<ref>[https://www.jewishtampa.com/jews-in-the-news/jews-in-the-news-mike-nichols-dominic-fumusa-and Tampa Jewish Federation: "Jews in the News: Mike Nichols, Yael Grobglas and Dominic Fumusa"] retrieved March 18, 2017 |"''Nichols told Pogrebin that his parents were not religious observant at all. He said he was connected to his Jewish heritage, but did not practice Judaism or any other religion. His three children, he told her, were not raised in any faith. Despite their secular upbringing, Nichols said, all three of his children ultimately came to see themselves as Jewish. Nichols told Pogrebin that his daughter, Jenny, once said to him, "In the end you pick Jewish because it is harder.''"</ref> His son Max married former [[ESPN]] journalist [[Rachel Nichols (journalist)|Rachel Nichols]].

Nichols had a lifelong interest in [[Arabian horse]]s. From 1968 to 2004, he owned a farm in Connecticut and was a noted [[horse breeder]]. He also imported quality Arabian horses from [[Janów Podlaski Stud Farm]] in Poland, some of which sold for record-setting prices.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Cochran|first1=Marsha|title=They Sell Horses, Don't They? Not the Spectacular Way Mike Nichols Does It|url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20066540,00.html|work=[[People (magazine)|People]]|access-date=November 21, 2014|date=June 7, 1976}}</ref> While in high school, Nichols had been an instructor at the [[Claremont Riding Academy]] in Manhattan's Upper West Side and also had "ridden in horse shows in Chicago."<ref name="TheNewYorker">{{cite magazine |last1=McCarten |first1=John |title=November 12, 1960 Nichols, May and Horses |magazine=The New Yorker |date=Sep 4, 2023 |issue=Animals |pages=9–10}}</ref>

In 2009, Nichols signed a petition in support of releasing director [[Roman Polanski]], who had been detained while traveling to a film festival in relation to his 1977 [[Roman Polanski sexual abuse case|sexual abuse charges]], which the petition argued would undermine the tradition of film festivals as a place for works to be shown "freely and safely", and that arresting filmmakers traveling to neutral countries could open the door "for actions of which no-one can know the effects."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-06-04 |title=Le cinéma soutient Roman Polanski / Petition for Roman Polanski - SACD |url=http://www.sacd.fr/Le-cinema-soutient-Roman-Polanski-Petition-for-Roman-Polanski.1340.0.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120604100742/http://www.sacd.fr/Le-cinema-soutient-Roman-Polanski-Petition-for-Roman-Polanski.1340.0.html |archive-date=2012-06-04 |access-date=2022-04-20 |website=archive.ph}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Shoard |first1=Catherine |author2=Agencies |date=September 29, 2009 |title=Release Polanski, demands petition by film industry luminaries |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/sep/29/roman-polanski-petition |url-status=live |access-date=June 12, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190628013652/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/sep/29/roman-polanski-petition |archive-date=June 28, 2019}}</ref>

==Death and legacy==
Nichols died of a heart attack on November 19, 2014, at his apartment in [[Manhattan]].<ref name="BBC">{{cite news|author=Staff|title=Mike Nichols, Graduate director, dies at 83|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-30129848|work=BBC News|date=November 20, 2014|access-date=November 20, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Dennis McLellan|title=Mike Nichols, groundbreaking director of 'The Graduate,' dies at 83|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-mike-nichols-dies-at-83-20141120-story.html#page=1|work=Los Angeles Times|date=November 20, 2014|access-date=November 20, 2014}}</ref> During the 87th annual Academy Awards on 22 February 2015, Nichols was featured in the ''In Memoriam'' segment, in anchor position.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://decider.com/2015/02/22/oscars-in-memoriam-montage/|title=Which Dead Celebrity Will Anchor The Oscars "In Memoriam" Montage?|date=22 February 2015|website=decider.com|access-date=28 July 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/video/oscars-2015-watch-memoriam-tribute-776937|title=Oscars 2015: Watch In Memoriam Tribute with Robin Williams|website=hollywoodreporter.com|date=February 22, 2015|access-date=28 July 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://oscar.go.com:80/news/oscar-news/150222-oscars-2015-in-memoriam|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160220073021/http://oscar.go.com/news/oscar-news/150222-oscars-2015-in-memoriam|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 20, 2016|title=Oscars 2015: In Memoriam - Oscars 2015 - 87th Academy Awards|date=20 February 2016|access-date=28 July 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.laist.com/2014/02/27/which_fallen_star_will_anchor_this.php|title=Which Fallen Star Will Anchor This Year's Oscars 'In Memoriam' Segment?|website=laist.com|access-date=28 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180729012811/http://www.laist.com/2014/02/27/which_fallen_star_will_anchor_this.php|archive-date=July 29, 2018|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Nichols left [[John Frederick Herring Sr.]]'s painting "Horse with Groom" to his son Max.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bmcestateplanning.com/taking-look-estate-plan-filmmaker-mike-nichols/|title='The Graduate' Director Mike Nichols Excellent Estate Planning|date=13 February 2015|website=bmcestateplanning.com|access-date=28 July 2018|archive-date=August 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804010016/http://www.bmcestateplanning.com/taking-look-estate-plan-filmmaker-mike-nichols/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/249081117/Mike-Nichols-Will|title=Mike Nichols' Will|website=Scribd|access-date=28 July 2018}}</ref>

When Nichols died, many celebrities paid tribute to him, including [[Whoopi Goldberg]], [[Steven Spielberg]], [[Tom Hanks]], [[Meryl Streep]], [[Kevin Spacey]] and [[Tom Stoppard]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-30131781|title= Mike Nichols: Stars pay tribute to director|work= BBC News|date= November 21, 2014|access-date= May 10, 2020}}</ref> On November 8, 2015, stars and artists gathered at New York's [[IAC Building]] to pay tribute to Nichols. Hosts for the private event included [[Elaine May]] and [[Lorne Michaels]]. [[Eric Idle]] and [[John Cleese]] performed. Guests included Streep, [[Robert De Niro]], [[Al Pacino]], [[Natalie Portman]], [[Carly Simon]], [[Nathan Lane]] and [[Christine Baranski]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.playbill.com/article/starry-group-pays-tribute-to-late-director-producer-mike-nichols-com-370600|title= Starry Group Pays Tribute to Late Director-Producer Mike Nichols|website= [[Playbill]].com|date=May 10, 2020}}</ref>

In 2017, during an Oscars Actress Roundtable with ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'', [[Amy Adams]], [[Natalie Portman]], and [[Annette Bening]] spoke about the effect Nichols had on their lives.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/IaZVY7O2Ku0 Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20170201231048/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaZVY7O2Ku0 Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaZVY7O2Ku0|title= THR Full Oscar Actress Roundtable: Emma Stone, Natalie Portman, Taraji P. Henson, & More|website= YouTube.com|date= January 30, 2017|access-date= May 10, 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In 2020 [[Woody Allen]] described Nichols as "maybe the best comedy director ever on the stage."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/life-isnt-everything-review-a-rare-rapport-with-actors-11578067266|title= 'Life Isn't Everything' Review: A Rare Rapport With Actors|newspaper= The Wall Street Journal|date= January 3, 2020|access-date= March 18, 2021|last1= Allen|first1= Brooke}}</ref>

== Filmography and theatre credits ==
{{main|Mike Nichols on screen and stage}}
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+Directed features
!scope="col" | Year
!scope="col" | Title
!scope="col" | Distribution
|-
| 1966
!scope="row"|''[[Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (film)|Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?]]''
| [[Warner Bros.]]
|-
| 1967
!scope="row"|''[[The Graduate]]''
| [[Embassy Pictures]]
|-
| 1970
!scope="row"| ''[[Catch-22 (film)|Catch-22]]''
| [[Paramount Pictures]]
|-
| 1971
!scope="row"| ''[[Carnal Knowledge (film)|Carnal Knowledge]]''
| rowspan=2|Embassy Pictures
|-
| 1973
!scope="row"|''[[The Day of the Dolphin]]''
|-
| 1975
!scope="row"| ''[[The Fortune]]''
| [[Columbia Pictures]]
|-
| 1980
!scope="row"| ''[[Gilda Live]]''
| Warner Bros.
|-
| 1983
!scope="row"| ''[[Silkwood]]''
| [[20th Century Fox]]
|-
| 1986
!scope="row"| ''[[Heartburn (film)|Heartburn]]''
| Paramount Pictures
|-
|rowspan=2| 1988
!scope="row"|''[[Biloxi Blues (film)|Biloxi Blues]]''
| [[Universal Pictures]]
|-
!scope="row"| ''[[Working Girl]]''
| 20th Century Fox
|-
| 1990
!scope="row"| ''[[Postcards from the Edge (film)|Postcards from the Edge]]''
| Columbia Pictures
|-
| 1991
!scope="row"| ''[[Regarding Henry]]''
| Paramount Pictures
|-
| 1994
!scope="row"| ''[[Wolf (1994 film)|Wolf]]''
| Columbia Pictures
|-
| 1996
!scope="row"|''[[The Birdcage]]''
| [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]]
|-
| 1998
!scope="row"| ''[[Primary Colors (film)|Primary Colors]]''
| Universal Pictures
|-
| 2000
!scope="row"| ''[[What Planet Are You From?]]''
|rowspan=2| [[Sony Pictures Releasing]]
|-
| 2004
!scope="row"|''[[Closer (film)|Closer]]''
|-
| 2007
!scope="row"|''[[Charlie Wilson's War (film)|Charlie Wilson's War]]''
| Universal Pictures
|-
|}

==Discography==
*''[[Improvisations to Music]]'' (1958) Mercury<ref name="bb1958">{{cite magazine|author=Anon.|date=December 15, 1958|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7AoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA17|title=Sold Out|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|page=17|access-date=June 5, 2018}}</ref> {{ASIN|B000W0V9BW}}
*''[[An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May]]'' (1960) Mercury {{ASIN|B000W06CCS}}
*''[[Mike Nichols & Elaine May Examine Doctors]]'' (1961) Mercury MG 20680/SR 60680 {{ASIN|B000W0AGDY}}
*''[[In Retrospect (Nichols and May album)|In Retrospect]]'' (1962) Polygram, [[Compilation album|compilation]], re-released as compact disc in 1996 {{ASIN|B000001EKT}}

==Awards and honors==
{{main|List of awards and nominations received by Mike Nichols}}

Nichols is one of the few entertainers to have won the [[EGOT]], the [[Emmy Awards|Emmy]], [[Grammy Awards|Grammy]], [[Academy Awards|Oscar]], and [[Tony Awards|Tony]].<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/awards/egot-winners/ |title=16 stars who are EGOT winners |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=July 27, 2020 |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|access-date=July 28, 2020}}</ref>

Nichols received five [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] nominations, winning [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]] for ''[[The Graduate]]'' (1967). He was also nominated for his work on ''[[Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (film)|Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?]]'' (1966), ''[[Silkwood]]'' (1983), ''[[Working Girl]]'' (1988) and for producing ''[[The Remains of the Day (film)|The Remains of the Day]]'' (1993). For his collaborations with [[Elaine May]], Nichols was nominated for three [[Grammy Awards]] winning for [[Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album|Best Comedy Album]] in 1962. Nichols also known for his extensive work on Broadway and received 16 [[Tony Awards|Tony Award]] nominations, winning eight times for ''[[Barefoot in the Park]]'' (1964), ''[[Luv (play)|Luv]]''/''[[The Odd Couple (play)|The Odd Couple]]'' (1965), ''[[Plaza Suite]]'' (1968), ''[[The Prisoner of Second Avenue]]'' (1972), ''[[Annie (musical)|Annie]]'' (1977), ''[[The Real Thing (play)|The Real Thing]]'' (1984), ''[[Monty Python's Spamalot]]'' (2005), and ''[[Death of a Salesman]]'' (2012). Nichols also received [[Primetime Emmy Awards]] for directing and producing the [[HBO]] television film ''[[Wit (film)|Wit]]'' (2001) and miniseries ''[[Angels in America (miniseries)|Angels in America]]'' (2003).

In 1989 Nichols was presented the Golden Plate Award of the [[Academy of Achievement|American Academy of Achievement]] by Awards Council member [[Diane Sawyer]].<ref>{{cite web|title= Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement |website=www.achievement.org|publisher=[[American Academy of Achievement]]|url= https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Looking Up to The Stars |publisher= San Francisco Chronicle, June 26, 1989|url= https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/San-Francisco-Chronicle-June-26-1989.pdf}}</ref> He also received a Gala tribute from [[Film Society of Lincoln Center]] in 1999.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.thewrap.com/mike-nichols-to-be-honored-by-lincoln-center-thursday-night/|title= Mike Nichols to Be Honored by Lincoln Center Thursday Night|website= [[TheWrap]]|date= November 20, 2014|accessdate= May 27, 2023}}</ref> In 2001, he received the [[Peabody Awards|Peabody Award]] for his [[HBO]] television film ''[[Wit (film)|Wit]]'' which starred [[Emma Thompson]]. In 2003 he was awarded with the [[Kennedy Center Honors]] where he was honored by [[Elaine May]], [[Meryl Streep]], [[Candice Bergen]], and [[Tom Stoppard]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://playbill.com/article/carol-burnett-and-mike-nichols-to-receive-2003-kennedy-center-honors-com-114664|title= Carol Burnett and Mike Nichols to Receive 2003 Kennedy Center Honors|website= Playbill|accessdate= May 27, 2023}}</ref> In 2010 he was honored with the [[AFI Life Achievement Award|American Film Institute Lifetime Achievement Award]] where he was honored by Elaine May, [[Nora Ephron]], [[Meryl Streep]], [[Emma Thompson]], [[Julia Roberts]], Candice Bergen, [[Jack Nicholson]], [[Dustin Hoffman]], [[Tom Hanks]], [[Robin Williams]], [[Harrison Ford]], and [[Shirley MacLaine]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-afi-mike-nichols-photos-photogallery.html|title= AFI Lifetime Achievement Award honoring Mike Nichols|website= [[Los Angeles Times]]|date= June 11, 2010|accessdate= May 27, 2023}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+Awards and nominations received by Nichols' films
|-
! rowspan="2" | Year
! rowspan="2" | Title
! colspan="2" style="background-color:#aaaade; text-align:center;" width=160| Academy Awards
! colspan="2" style="background-color:#aa0; text-align:center;" width=160| BAFTA Awards
! colspan="2" style="background-color:#fe1; text-align:center;" width=160| Golden Globe Awards
|-
! Nominations
! Wins
! Nominations
! Wins
! Nominations
! Wins
|-
| 1966
| ''[[Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (film)|Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?]]''
|align=center| 13
|align=center| 5
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 7
| 
|-
| 1967
| ''[[The Graduate]]''
|align=center| 7
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 7
|align=center| 5
|align=center| 7
|align=center| 5
|-
| 1970
| ''[[Catch-22 (film)|Catch-22]]''
| 
| 
|align=center| 2
| 
|
|
|-
| 1971
| ''[[Carnal Knowledge (film)|Carnal Knowledge]]''
|align=center| 1
| 
| 
| 
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 1
|-
| 1973
| ''[[The Day of the Dolphin]]''
|align=center| 2
| 
| 
| 
|align=center| 1
| 
|-
| 1975
| ''[[The Fortune]]''
|
| 
| 
|
|align=center| 1
| 
|-
| 1983
| ''[[Silkwood]]''
|align=center| 5
|
|align=center| 2
|
|align=center| 5
|align=center| 1
|-
| 1988
| ''[[Working Girl]]''
|align=center| 6
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 3
|
|align=center| 6
|align=center| 4
|-
| 1990
| ''[[Postcards from the Edge (film)|Postcards from the Edge]]''
|align=center| 2
|
|align=center| 3
|
|align=center| 3
| 
|-
| 1996
| ''[[The Birdcage]]''
|align=center| 1
|
| 
|
|align=center| 2
| 
|-
| 1998
| ''[[Primary Colors (film)|Primary Colors]]''
|align=center| 2
|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 2
| 
|-
| 2001
| ''[[Wit (film)|Wit]]''
| 
| 
|
|
|align=center| 2
| 
|-
| 2003
| ''[[Angels in America (miniseries)|Angels in America]]''
| 
|
|
|
|align=center| 7
|align=center| 5
|-
| 2004
| ''[[Closer (2004 film)|Closer]]''
|align=center| 2
| 
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 5
|align=center| 2
|-
| 2007
| ''[[Charlie Wilson's War (film)|Charlie Wilson's War]]''
|align=center| 1
| 
|align=center| 1
|
|align=center| 5
| 
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!align=center|43
!align=center|7
!align=center|27
!align=center|10
!align=center|56
!align=center|17
|}

===Direction for Oscar-related performances===
Nichols has directed multiple Oscar winning and nominated performances.
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Performer
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Film
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Result
|-
| colspan="4" style="background-color:#DDDAFE; text-align:center;"|'''[[Academy Award for Best Actor]]'''
|-
| [[39th Academy Awards|1967]]
| [[Richard Burton]]
| ''[[Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (film)|Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?]]''
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[40th Academy Awards|1968]]
| [[Dustin Hoffman]]
| ''[[The Graduate]]''
| {{nom}}
|-
| colspan="4" style="background-color:#DDDAFE; text-align:center;"|'''[[Academy Award for Best Actress]]'''
|-
| [[39th Academy Awards|1967]]
| [[Elizabeth Taylor]]
| ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?''
| {{won}}
|-
| [[40th Academy Awards|1968]]
| [[Anne Bancroft]]
| ''The Graduate''
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[56th Academy Awards|1984]]
| [[Meryl Streep]]
| ''[[Silkwood]]''
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[61st Academy Awards|1989]]
| [[Melanie Griffith]]
| ''[[Working Girl]]''
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[63rd Academy Awards|1991]]
| Meryl Streep 
| ''[[Postcards from the Edge (film)|Postcards from the Edge]]''
| {{nom}}
|-
| colspan="4" style="background-color:#DDDAFE; text-align:center;"|'''[[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor]]'''
|-
| [[39th Academy Awards|1967]]
| [[George Segal]]
| ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?''
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[77th Academy Awards|2005]]
| [[Clive Owen]]
| ''[[Closer (film)|Closer]]''
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[80th Academy Awards|2008]]
| [[Philip Seymour Hoffman]]
| ''[[Charlie Wilson's War (film)|Charlie Wilson's War]]''
| {{nom}}
|-
| colspan="4" style="background-color:#DDDAFE; text-align:center;"|'''[[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress]]'''
|-
| [[39th Academy Awards|1967]]
| [[Sandy Dennis]]
| ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?''
| {{won}}
|-
| [[40th Academy Awards|1968]]
| [[Katharine Ross]]
| ''The Graduate''
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[44th Academy Awards|1972]]
| [[Ann-Margret]]
| ''[[Carnal Knowledge (film)|Carnal Knowledge]]''
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[56th Academy Awards|1984]]
| [[Cher]]
| ''Silkwood''
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[61st Academy Awards|1989]]
| [[Joan Cusack]]
| rowspan="2"|''Working Girl''
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Sigourney Weaver]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[71st Academy Awards|1999]]
| [[Kathy Bates]]
| ''[[Primary Colors (film)|Primary Colors]]''
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[77th Academy Awards|2005]]
| [[Natalie Portman]]
| ''Closer''
| {{nom}}
|-
|}

==See also==
* [[Mike Nichols' unrealized projects]]
* [[EGOT|List of people who have won Academy, Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Awards]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book|last1=Carter|first1=Ash|last2=Kashner|first2=Sam|date=2019|title=Life isn't everything: Mike Nichols, as remembered by 150 of his closest friends.|location=New York|publisher=Henry Holt & Company|pages=368|isbn=9781250112873}}
* {{cite book|last1=Harris|first1=Mark|title=Mike Nichols: A Life|date=2021|publisher=Penguin Press|location=New York|isbn=9780399562242|pages=688|edition=First}}
* {{cite book|last=Schuth|first=H. Wayne|title=Mike Nichols|publisher=Twayne Publishers|year=1978|location=Boston|isbn=9780805792553|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/mikenichols0000schu}}
* {{cite book|last=Stevens|first=Kyle|title=Mike Nichols: Sex, Language and the Reinvention of Psychological Realism|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2015|isbn=9780199375813}}
* {{cite book|last1=Whitehead|first1=J. W.|title=Mike Nichols and the Cinema of Transformation|date=2014|publisher=McFarland|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|isbn=9780786471454|url=https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/mike-nichols-and-the-cinema-of-transformation/<!--|access-date=17 March 2021-->}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikiquote|Category:Mike Nichols films|films by Mike Nichols}}
* {{YouTube|09NSBMgUwkg|Mike Nichols Accepts the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2010}} - [[American Film Institute]]
* [https://www.afi.com/laa/mike-nichols/ 2010 Life Achievement Award] - [[American Film Institute]]
* [https://nymag.com/arts/theater/profiles/mike-nichols-2012-3/ The Evolution of Mike Nichols], ''[[New York (magazine)|New York]]'' article
* {{IMDb name|1566}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* {{IOBDB name}}

{{Mike Nichols}}
{{Navboxes
|title = [[List of awards and nominations received by Mike Nichols|Awards for Mike Nichols]]
|list =
{{Academy Award Best Director}}
{{AARP Movies for Grownups Award for Best Director}}
{{AFI Life Achievement Award}}
{{BAFTA Best Film recipients}}
{{BAFTA Award for Best Direction}}
{{DirectorsGuildofAmericaAwardFeatureFilm 1960–1979}}
{{DirectorsGuildofAmericaAwardMiniseriesorTVFilm}}
{{DirectorsGuildofAmericaAwardLifetimeFilm}}
{{DramaDesk PlayDirection}}
{{EmmyAward MiniseriesDirector 2001–2025}}
{{Lincoln Center Gala Tribute}}
{{Golden Globe Award for Best Director}}
{{Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album}}
{{Kennedy Center Honorees 2000s}}
{{National Medal of Arts recipients 2000s}}
{{New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director}}
{{TonyAward MusicalDirection 2001–2025}}
{{TonyAward PlayDirection}}
}}
{{EGOT winners}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nichols, Mike}}
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