Mike Nichols

MIKE NICHOLS d2014. American film and theatre director, producer, actor and comedian. He was noted for his ability to work across a range of genres and for his aptitude for getting the best out of actors regardless of their experience. In 1966, Warner Brothers invited him to direct his first film, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. The groundbreaking film inspired some critics to declare him the "new Orson Welles". It won five Academy Awards (out of 13 nominations) and was the top-grossing film of 1966. His next film, The Graduate (1967) starred then unknown actor Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft. It was another critical and financial success, it became the highest-grossing film of the year and received seven Academy Award nominations, winning him the Academy Award for Best Director. Among the other films he directed are ; Catch-22 (1970) / Carnal Knowledge (1971) / Silkwood (1983) / Working Girl (1988) / Postcards from the Edge (1990) / The Birdcage (1996) / Primary Colors (1998) / Closer (2004) and Charlie Wilson's War (2007). He died in New York aged 83 on November 19th 2014