Mike Nichols dies of cardiac arrest at 83
Oscar-winning director Mike Nichols has died of cardiac arrest on November 19 at the age of 83.
Mike Nichols won an Oscar for directing the 1967 film The Graduate.
The German-born director was also Oscar nominated for his work on Working Girl, The Remains of the Day, Silkwood and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.
MikeNichols was one of only 12 stars to win all four major US entertainment awards – an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony.
His last film was 2007’s Charlie Wilson’s War, starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts.
The director was married to ABC News presenter Diane Sawyer – his fourth wife – whom he wed in 1988.
Mike Nichols had been working on an HBO film adaptation of Master Class – the Terrence McNally play about opera star Maria Callas – starring Meryl Streep in the lead role.
The film was to reunite the director with Meryl Streep, having previously worked together on 1983’s Silkwood and on stage in a 2001 production of The Seagull.
Mike Nichols began his career in the late 1950s as part of a comedy duo with Elaine May.
The pair released three best-selling records, one of which won the Grammy for best comedy album in 1962.
Switching to directing, Mike Nichols made his Broadway debut with Neil Simon’s Barefoot In The Park, starring Robert Redford. The show was a hit and earned Mike Nichols his first Tony award in 1964.
The following year he picked up Tonys for productions of Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple and Luv.
Moving to the big screen, his first directorial project was 1966’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, the film brought Mike Nichols his first Oscar nomination.
In 1967, Mike Nichols won his first Oscar for directing The Graduate, featuring Dustin Hoffman in his breakout role.
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