Mike Nichols

Mike Nichols (born Mikhail Igor Peschkowsky; November 6, 1931 – November 19, 2014) was an American film and theatre director, producer, and comedian known for his versatility and ability to elicit strong performances from his actors. Recognized as one of the few people to have won all four major American entertainment awards: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (EGOT), he also received accolades such as three BAFTA Awards, the Lincoln Center Gala Tribute in 1999, the National Medal of Arts in 2001, the Kennedy Center Honors in 2003, and the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2010. His films had an impressive 42 Academy Award nominations, with seven wins. Nichols's early career took place in the 1950s where he was part of an improvisational troupe, The Compass Players. He quickly rose to fame thanks to his partnership with Elaine May, and they became one of the most successful comedy duos of the time, even earning a Grammy for Best Comedy Album in 1962. Nichols's Broadway directorial debut was Neil Simon's Barefoot in the Park, and he continued to create successful Broadway productions throughout his career. Known for his film directing, his first film being the critically acclaimed Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, he went on to direct movies such as The Graduate, Catch-22, Carnal Knowledge, The Day of the Dolphin, Silkwood, Working Girl, Postcards from the Edge, The Birdcage, Primary Colors, Closer, and Charlie Wilson's War. Nichols also directed the HBO television film Wit and the miniseries Angels in America, both of which earned him Primetime Emmy Awards.

Born as Mikhail Igor Peschkowsky in Berlin, Germany, he was the son of Brigitte Claudia (née Landauer) and Pavel Peschkowsky, a physician. His father's family were Russian-Jewish immigrants, and his maternal family were German Jews, with his grandfather being Gustav Landauer, a notable theorist on anarchism. Due to the persecution of Jews during Nazi's reign, seven-year-old Mikhail and his younger brother Robert were sent alone to the United States in April of 1939 to join their father who had fled earlier. Nichols was naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 1944. Throughout his life, Nichols wore wigs and false eyebrows due to an allergic reaction to a whooping cough vaccine that caused him to lose his hair at age four.