Mike Nichols Biography (3)

Mike Nichols is a multi-faceted leader in the entertainment industry who has been honored for his contributions to both stage and screen. His accolades include an Oscar(R) , an Emmy, seven Tony Awards and a Directors Guild Award.

Nichols directed his first film, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, in 1966, for which Elizabeth Taylor won an Academy Award(R) for Best Actress. The following year, he received the Oscar(R) for Best Director as well as the Directors Guild Award and the New York Film Critics Award for The Graduate, which propelled Dustin Hoffman to instant stardom and an Academy Award(R) nomination. The Graduate also garnered an Academy Award(R) nomination for Best Picture and, nearly three decades later, remains one of the seminal films of a generation. Known as an actor's director, Nichols has directed 15 performances cited for Oscar(R) nominations.

Nichols has gone on to direct numerous critically and commercially successful motion pictures including Silkwood and Working Girl, both nominated for Academy Awards(R) for Best Director, Catch 22, Carnal Knowledge, Heartburn, Biloxi Blues, Postcards from the Edge, Regarding Henry, Wolf and The Birdcage and Primary Colors, both of which were adapted by Elaine May.

Nichols was born in Berlin, Germany to a Russian father and German mother. His family immigrated to the United States when he was seven, and he was brought up in New York City. He attended the University of Chicago where, together with Elaine May and Paul Sills, he founded the comedy group The Compass, later renamed Second City.

In 1957, the now legendary team of Nichols and May was formed. Starting at the Blue Angel in New York, they performed in nightclubs all over the country. The team created numerous television specials and appeared as guests on 'Omnibus,' 'The Dinah Shore Show' and 'The Jack Paar Show.' In 1960, they brought 'An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May' to Broadway, where it ran for a year. Although Nichols and May continued to perform to sell-out crowds, they decided to end the run and pursue separate careers. Consequently, Nichols turned to directing.

He began directing for the stage, making his Broadway debut in 1963 with the Neil Simon comedy 'Barefoot in the Park.' Starring Robert Redford, the play earned Nichols the first of seven Tony Awards. Nichols went on to win Tony Awards as Best Director for 'Luv,' 'The Odd Couple,' 'Plaza Suite,' 'Prisoner of Second Avenue' and 'The Real Thing.'

Additionally, Nichols directed an unprecedented staging of hits that includes 'The Knack,' 'The Apple Tree,' the 1978 Pulitzer Prize-winning 'The Gin Game' and the winner of the New York Drama Critics Award, 'Streamers.' He also directed the highly successful revivals of 'The Little Foxes' and 'Uncle Vanya,' the U.S. production of 'Comedians' and 'Hurlyburly,' 'Social Security,' 'Waiting for Godot' and 'Death and the Maiden.' As a theatrical producer, Nichols presented 'Whoopi Goldberg on Broadway' and the smash Broadway musical 'Annie,' which received seven Tony Awards.

The Film Society of Lincoln Center honored Nichols for its 26th annual gala tribute in May 1999. In 1987, he received the George Abbott Award and in 1990 was honored by the American Museum of the Moving Image for his contribution to the film industry.

Nichols also teaches acting at the New Actors Workshop, a Manhattan-based school he founded in 1988 with George Morrison and Paul Sills.

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