Mike Nichols died suddenly Wednesday of cardiac arrest. He was 83. Nichols was an admired and award-winning director. His genius earned him Oscar, Emmy and Grammy awards. He won nine Tony awards.

Stars loved him: Jack Nicholson, Harrison Ford, Julia Roberts, Ron Silver, Anne Bancroft, Candice Bergen and Gene Hackman all worked with Mr. Nichols more than once.

His work includes: “The Graduate,” “Whose Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” “Carnal Knowledge” on the screen.  He won an Oscar for “The Graduate.” He directed theater successes “Barefoot in the Park,” “The Odd Couple” and “Death of a Salesman” on stage.

Nichols’ unparalleled success spans decades.  

Mike Nichols was born Mikhail Igor Peschkowsky in Berlin, on Nov. 6, 1931. His dad, A Jewish doctor from Russia, escaped the Nazis and fled to America in 1938; Mike and his brother followed the next year. Mike’s mother arrived in 1941.

Longtime friend, Elaine May once said: “So he’s witty, he’s brilliant, he’s articulate, he’s on time, he’s prepared and he writes. But is he perfect? He knows you can’t really be liked or loved if you’re perfect. You have to have just enough flaws. And he does. Just the right, perfect flaws to be absolutely endearing.”

Mike Nichols is survived by wife Diane Sawyer, daughters Daisy and Jenny and his son Max, his brother, Bob and four grandchildren. 

(S-R archive photo: Director Mike Nichols at the premiere of "Closer" in the Westwood area of Los Angeles, in 2004.)

---

---