Director Mike Nichols was born in Berlin, Germany and at the age of seven he and his family fled to the United States, becoming a naturalized citizen in 1944. He began his career in the 1950s with The Compass Players, then teamed up with his improv partner, Elaine May, to form the comedy duo Nichols and May. After they disbanded, he began directing, first on Broadway, then in 1966 his first film Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? He has won all four of the major American entertainment awards: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony, no small accomplishment.
Mike Nichols died of a heart attack in his Manhattan apartment at the age of 83
