Mike Nichols 1931-2014

[cinemabon]

German born Nichols left Europe with his family to escape the Nazis and grew up in Manhattan. In choosing Chicago where he would attend medical school, Nichols met Elaine May. He dropped out of med school and attended acting classes at New York's famed Actor's Studio. A few years later, May invited Nichols back to Chicago where their collaboration began. Once the comedy act took off, Nichols used his success to launch his true love, directing. He went on to win six Tony Awards for Best Director and received four AA nominations for Best Director, winning for The Graduate. Married to his fourth wife - Diane Sawyer - since 1988, Mike died of a heart attack November 19, 2014.

[Chris Knipp]

Back in Berlin, Germany, Mike's father was part of a young intellectual circle that included Russian immigrants such as Vladimir Nabokov's sister and Boris Pasternak's parents.
Fled from Berlin, Nazi Germany with his family in 1939.--IMDb

Some interesting post-Graduate titles: CATCH-22, CARNAL KNOWLEDGE, SILKWOOD, PRIMARY COLORS, ANGELS, ANGELS IN AMERICA (2 episodes) the excellent CHARLIE WILCON'S WAR. He had not directed a film in seven years.

[cinemabon]

Mike Nichols directed my childhood sweetheart, Judith Ivey (I used to walk her home from school) in "Hurly Burly" for which Judy won the Tony for Best Featured Actress. Judy's mother (still alive) and I converse now and then on Facebook. My mother turns 92 next week. I'm just full of useless trivia. Aren't I?

[Chris Knipp]

Youer "trivia" is always valuable. Nice and very glowing articles about Judy Ivey when she was in Hurly Burly, the David Rabe play directed on Broadway by Mike Nichols, can be found online in New York (http://books.google.com/books?id=Z-UCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA32&lpg=PA32&dq=judy+ivey+in+hurly+burly&source=bl&ots=HlTX8OFwpS&sig=Z2eGv92r6lbU6aHPv4-cp-KyN24&hl=en&sa=X&ei=0510VKi7HuarjAKKtoGQAw&ved=0CD4Q6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=judy%20ivey%20in%20hurly%20burly&f=false) magazine and People (http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20088441,00.html)from 1984. Costars in Hurly Burly included Sigourney Weaver, William Hurt and Harvey Keitel, one learns. William Hurt raves about her in the New York magazine article.

Happy birthday to your mother and Happy Thanksgiving to you and everybody.