Mike Nichols

Born Mikhail Igor Peschkowsky on November 6, 1931, in Berlin, Germany, Mike Nichols was the son of Brigitte and Pavel Peschkowsky, a physician. Fleeing the Nazis, his family arrived in America in 1938 and settled in New York City by April 1939. He married Patricia Scott (1957–1960), then Margot Callas (1963–1974), with whom he had a daughter, Daisy Nichols. His third marriage, to Annabel Davis-Goff, lasted until 1986 and produced two children: Max Nichols and Jenny Nichols. In 1988 he married ABC World News anchor Diane Sawyer, who survived him.

Film and TV credits span decades. His films include "Charlie Wilson's War," "Closer," "What Planet Are You From?," "Primary Colors," "The Birdcage," "Wolf," "Regarding Henry," "Postcards from the Edge," "Working Girl," "Biloxi Blues," "Heartburn," "Silkwood," "Gilda Live," "The Fortune," "The Day of the Dolphin," "Carnal Knowledge," "Catch-22," "Teach Me!," "The Graduate," and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?." For television he directed "Angels in America" and "Wit."

An EGOT winner, Nichols took home Emmy Awards for "Angels in America" and "Wit" and an Academy Award for "The Graduate." He also won three BAFTA Awards. Among his many honors: the Lincoln Center Gala for lifetime achievement in 1999, the National Medal of Arts in 2001, the Kennedy Center Honors in 2003, and the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2010.

Nichols and Elaine May first formed their comedy duo in 1958, performing satirical acts that culminated in An Evening With Mike Nichols and Elaine May on Broadway; the LP album won the 1962 Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album. He belonged to a rare group of directors — alongside Orson Welles and Elia Kazan — who achieved popular and artistic acclaim in both theatre and film. In 1967, he launched the film career of the then-unknown Dustin Hoffman with "The Graduate."

Broadway theatre marquees were dimmed in his honor on November 21, 2014.