Mike Nichols was an American comedian, director, and producer of the stage and screen. He began his career in the 1950s as a comedian alongside Elaine May doing improvisational comedy. Together they formed the comedy duo Nichols and May. Their live improv act was a hit sensation on Broadway, and the first of their three albums won a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album in 1962. Nichols also became known as a director of plays on the Broadway stage including Neil Simon's Barefoot in the Park (1963), The Odd Couple (1965), and Plaza Suite (1968). He also directed acclaimed revival productions of Anton Chekov's The Seagull (2002), Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman (2012) and Harold Pinter's Betrayal (2013).
Nichols was also known as a film director breaking out with Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, and The Graduate (1967) starring Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft. Nichols continued directing acclaimed films such as the war film Catch-22 (1970), the sexual coming of age drama Carnal Knowledge (1971), the drama Silkwood (1983), the romantic comedy Working Girl (1988), the farce comedy The Birdcage (1996), the political drama Primary Colors (1998), the romantic drama Closer (2004), and biographical drama Charlie Wilson's War (2007). Nichols also became known for his work on television directing HBO adaptations of Margaret Edson's Wit (2001) and Tony Kushner's Angels in America (2003) starring Meryl Streep and Al Pacino.
Year | Title | Director | Producer | Writer | Performer | Venue | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1960 | An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May | No | No | Yes | Yes | John Golden Theatre | [1] |
1963 | Barefoot in the Park | Yes | No | No | No | The Biltmore Theatre | [1] |
1964 | The Knack | Yes | No | No | No | New Theatre | [1] |
Luv | Yes | No | No | No | Helen Hayes Theatre | [2] | |
1965 | The Odd Couple | Yes | No | No | No | Plymouth Theatre | [3] |
1966 | The Apple Tree | Yes | No | No | No | Shubert Theatre | [4] |
1967 | The Little Foxes | Yes | No | No | No | Ethel Barrymore Theatre | [3] |
1968 | Plaza Suite | Yes | No | No | No | Plymouth Theatre | [3] |
1971 | The Prisoner of Second Avenue | Yes | No | No | No | Eugene O'Neill Theatre | [3] |
1973 | Uncle Vanya | Yes | No | No | No | Circle in the Square Theatre | [5] |
1976 | Streamers | Yes | No | No | No | Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre | [5] |
Comedians | Yes | No | No | No | Music Box Theatre | [5] | |
1977 | Annie | No | Yes | No | No | Eugene O'Neill Theatre | [5] |
The Gin Game | Yes | Yes | No | No | John Golden Theatre | [5] | |
1978 | Drinks Before Dinner | Yes | No | No | No | Public Theater | [1] |
1980 | Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? | No | No | No | Yes | Long Wharf Theatre | |
Billy Bishop Goes to War | No | Yes | No | No | Morosco Theatre | [5] | |
Lunch Hour | Yes | No | No | No | Ethel Barrymore Theatre | [5] | |
1981 | Fools | Yes | No | No | No | Eugene O'Neill Theatre | [5] |
Grown Ups | No | Yes | No | No | Lyceum Theatre | [5] | |
1984 | The Real Thing | Yes | No | No | No | Plymouth Theatre | [5] |
Hurlyburly | Yes | No | No | No | Ethel Barrymore Theatre | [5] | |
Whoopi Goldberg | No | Yes | No | No | Lyceum Theatre | [5] | |
1986 | Social Security | Yes | No | No | No | Ethel Barrymore Theatre | [5] |
1987 | Standup Shakespeare | Yes | No | No | No | Theatre 890 | [1] |
1988 | Waiting for Godot | Yes | Yes | No | No | Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater at Lincoln Center | [5] |
1990 | Eliot Loves | Yes | Yes | No | No | Goodman Theatre | [3] |
1992 | Death and the Maiden | Yes | No | No | No | Brooks Atkinson Theatre | [5] |
1996 | The Designated Mourner | No | No | No | Yes | Royal National Theatre | [3] |
1999 | James Naughton: Street of Dreams | Yes | No | No | No | Promenade Theatre | [5] |
2001 | The Seagull | Yes | No | No | No | The Public Theater, Off-Broadway | [5] |
2003 | The Play What I Wrote | No | Yes | No | No | Lyceum Theatre | [5] |
2004 | Whoopi: The 25th Anniversary Show | No | Yes | No | No | [5] | |
2005 | Spamalot | Yes | No | No | No | Shubert Theatre | [5] |
2008 | The Country Girl | Yes | No | No | No | Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre | [5] |
2012 | Death of a Salesman | Yes | No | No | No | Ethel Barrymore Theatre | [5] |
2013 | Betrayal | Yes | No | No | No | [5] |
Year | Title | Director | Producer | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1966 | Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? | Yes | No | |
1967 | The Graduate | Yes | No | |
1968 | Teach Me! | Yes | No | Short film |
1970 | Catch-22 | Yes | No | |
1971 | Carnal Knowledge | Yes | Yes | |
1973 | The Day of the Dolphin | Yes | No | |
1975 | The Fortune | Yes | Yes | |
1980 | Gilda Live | Yes | No | Documentary |
1983 | Silkwood | Yes | Yes | |
1986 | Heartburn | Yes | Yes | |
1988 | Biloxi Blues | Yes | No | |
Working Girl | Yes | No | ||
1990 | Postcards from the Edge | Yes | Yes | |
1991 | Regarding Henry | Yes | Yes | |
1993 | The Remains of the Day | No | Yes | |
1994 | Wolf | Yes | No | |
1996 | The Birdcage | Yes | Yes | |
1998 | Primary Colors | Yes | Yes | |
2000 | What Planet Are You From? | Yes | Yes | |
2004 | Closer | Yes | Yes | |
2007 | Charlie Wilson's War | Yes | No | |
Executive producer
Performer
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1957–1958 | The Steve Allen Show | Himself | 2 episodes | [6] |
1958 | Omnibus | Performer | Episode: "The Suburban Review" | |
The DuPont Show of the Month | Rod Carter | Episode: "The Red Mill" | ||
1959–1960 | The Jack Paar Tonight Show | Himself | 5 episodes | |
1960 | Playhouse 90 | Arthur Millman | Episode: "Journey to the Day" | |
What's My Line? | Himself | Episode: "Elaine May & Mike Nichols" | ||
1962 | President Kennedy's Birthday Salute | Himself | Television special | |
1964–1965 | The Jack Paar Program | Himself (guest) | 6 episodes | |
1976 | Family | Producer Television series | ||
1986 | Looney Tunes 50th Anniversary Special | Himself (cameo) | Television special | |
2001 | Wit | Director, writer, and executive producer Television movie | ||
2003 | Angels in America | Director and executive producer Miniseries, 6 episodes |
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