Mike Nichols

20 films directed 15 Awards 3 Nominations

Biography

Mike Nichols (born Mikhail Igor Peschkowsky; November 6, 1931 – November 19, 2014) was a German-born American film and theatre director, producer, actor and comedian. He was noted for his ability to work across a range of genres and an aptitude for getting the best out of actors regardless of their acting experience. Nichols began his career in the 1950s with the comedy improvisational troupe, 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 acts were a hit on Broadway resulting in three albums, with their debut album winning a Grammy Award.

After Nichols and May disbanded their act in 1961, Nichols began directing plays. He soon earned a reputation as a skilled Broadway director with a flair for creating innovative productions and the ability to elicit polished performances from actors. His debut Broadway play was Neil Simon's Barefoot in the Park in 1963, with Robert Redford and Elizabeth Ashley. He next directed Luv in 1964 and in 1965 directed another Neil Simon play, The Odd Couple. Nichols received a Tony Award for each of those plays. Nearly five decades later, he won his sixth Tony Award as best director with a revival of Death of a Salesman in 2012. During his career, he directed or produced over twenty-five Broadway plays.

In 1966, Warner Brothers invited Nichols to direct his first film, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. The groundbreaking and acclaimed film led critics to declare Nichols the "new Orson Welles". The film garnered 13 Academy Award nominations, winning five. It was also a box office hit and became the number 1 film of 1966. His next film was The Graduate in 1967, starring then unknown actor Dustin Hoffman, alongside Anne Bancroft and Katharine Ross. The film was another critical and financial success, becoming the highest-grossing film of 1967 and receiving seven Academy Award nominations, winning Nichols the Academy Award for Best Directing. Among the other films he directed were Catch-22 (1970), Carnal Knowledge (1971), Silkwood (1983), Working Girl (1988), Wolf (1994), The Birdcage (1996), Closer (2004), and Charlie Wilson's War (2007).

Most directed genres

Recurring actors

Awards and nominations

2010 AFI Life Achievement Award
2009 Vilcek Prize
2006 Great Immigrants Award
2005 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical
2004 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special
1978 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play Nominated
1969 BAFTA Award for Best Direction
1968 Academy Award for Best Director
1968 Golden Globe Award for Best Director
1967 BAFTA Award for Best Film
1967 Academy Award for Best Director Nominated
1967 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical Nominated
1965 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play
1961 Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album
— Directors Guild of America Award
— Kennedy Center Honors
— National Medal of Arts
— Drama League Award

The career in numbers

US$ 493 mi Total budget from 18 film(s) with data
US$ 1.1 bi Total box office from 16 film(s) with data
US$ 27 mi Average budget from 18 film(s) with data
US$ 71 mi Average box office from 16 film(s) with data
6.5 Average rating from 19 film(s) with data
2.4× Return on investment from 16 film(s) with data

Budget and box office do not exist for every film in our records. Averages are computed over the films that carry the figure, and the count beside each one says how many.

Films directed

Film	Year	Budget	Box office	Rating
Charlie Wilson's War	2007	US$ 75 mi	US$ 119 mi	6.5
Closer	2004	US$ 27 mi	US$ 116 mi	6.8
Wit	2001	—	—	7.3
What Planet Are You From?	2000	US$ 60 mi	US$ 14 mi	5.4
Primary Colors	1998	US$ 65 mi	US$ 52 mi	6.3
The Birdcage	1996	US$ 31 mi	US$ 185 mi	7.1
Wolf	1994	US$ 70 mi	US$ 131 mi	6.1
Regarding Henry	1991	US$ 25 mi	US$ 43 mi	6.5
Postcards from the Edge	1990	US$ 22 mi	US$ 39 mi	6.6
Working Girl	1988	US$ 28 mi	US$ 103 mi	6.6
Biloxi Blues	1988	US$ 20 mi	US$ 52 mi	6.3
Heartburn	1986	US$ 15 mi	US$ 53 mi	6.0
Silkwood	1983	US$ 10 mi	US$ 36 mi	6.9
Gilda Live	1980	—	—	6.1
The Fortune	1975	US$ 4 mi	—	5.4
The Day of the Dolphin	1973	US$ 8 mi	—	5.8
Carnal Knowledge	1971	US$ 5 mi	US$ 29 mi	6.6
Catch-22	1970	US$ 18 mi	US$ 25 mi	6.7
The Graduate	1967	US$ 3 mi	US$ 105 mi	7.6
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?	1966	US$ 8 mi	US$ 34 mi	7.7

Directors