Mike Nichols was an American film and theater 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. Nichols began his career in the 1950s with the comedy improvisational troupe The Compass Players, predecessor of The Second City, in Chicago. He then teamed up with his improv partner, Elaine May, to form the comedy duo Nichols and May. Their live improv act was a hit on Broadway, and each of their three albums was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album; their second album, An Evening With Mike Nichols and Elaine May, won the award in 1960.
After Nichols and May disbanded in 1961, he began directing plays, and quickly became known for his innovative productions and ability to elicit polished performances. His Broadway directing debut was Neil Simon's Barefoot in the Park in 1963, with Robert Redford and Elizabeth Ashley. He continued to direct plays on Broadway, including Luv (1964), and The Odd Couple (1965) for each of which he received Tony Awards. In 2012, he won his sixth Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play with a revival of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman starring Philip Seymour Hoffman. Nichols directed and/or produced more than 25 Broadway plays throughout his prolific career.
In 1966, Warner Brothers invited Nichols 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 Nichols 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, became the highest-grossing film of the year, and received seven Academy Award nominations, winning Nichols the Academy Award for Best Director. Among the other films Nichols directed were 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). Nichols also was known for work on television, directing HBO's Wit (2001) with Emma Thompson and Angels in America (2003) starring Meryl Streep.
Along with an Academy Award, Nichols won a Grammy Award (the first for a comedian born outside the United States), four Emmy Awards, nine Tony Awards, and three BAFTA Awards. His other honors included the Lincoln Center Gala Tribute in 1999, the National Medal of Arts in 2001, the Kennedy Center Honors in 2003 and the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2010. His films received a total of 42 Academy Award nominations, and seven wins. He is one of 16 people to have won all four of the major American entertainment awards: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (EGOT).
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Some of their strengths
Mike Nichols has many admirable traits.
Based on spiritual traditions from around the world, they are someone who can be described as Hardworking, Generous, Intense, Passionate, Kind, Loyal, and Optimistic.
Intense and Passionate
According to Mysticism’s Astrology tradition, Mike Nichols is someone who is an intense, passionate, and intuitive person who is fiercely independent, authentic and direct when engaging with others. A person who defines themself by their friends and what groups they belong to.
Adaptable and Versatile
Based on Daoism’s Ba-Zi or ‘Chinese Zodiac’ tradition, people who know Mike Nichols well know them as someone who can be adaptable, flexible, and polite, like a flower or a sapling.
Optimistic and Frank
According to Hinduism’s Jyotisha or ‘Vedic Astrology’ tradition, many would also describe Mike Nichols as someone who is optimistic, principled, adventurous, and direct.
A person who isn't shy about expressing their opinions, loves competition, loves learning things themself, who is known for being inventive and original, and who loves being surrounded by friends and loved ones.
Dynamic and Imaginative
Based on the Mayan Tzolk’in or ‘Mayan Astrology’ tradition, Mike Nichols is someone who can bring a purifying element to situations, and who is a risk-taker with vision and imagination.
They are also someone who is altruistic, tolerant, and sophisticated, and who tends to be a perfectionist who is always working to try and make everything and everyone better.
Mysterious and Methodical
According to Judaism’s Kabbalah tradition, Mike Nichols tends to be someone who can come across as mysterious and intense, who can be a complex thinker who is methodical and intuitive, and who can overcome challenges that most others would not be able to.
Some of Mike Nichols's challenges
While Mike Nichols has many strengths, nobody is perfect. They also have some challenging traits they need to manage.
For example, Mike Nichols can be Stubborn, Complicated, Brusque, Difficult, Perfectionist, Suspicious, and Pushy.
Complicated and Brusque
One of Mike Nichols's key challenges is that they are someone who can be complicated and gruff with others.
Mike Nichols must also exercise caution as they can be excessive and unrealistic.
Pushy and Restless
Mike Nichols is someone who can be arrogant and bossy, who can have difficulty concentrating and focusing, be unable to separate emotions from business decisions, and who can engage in excessive spending in support of an expensive lifestyle and habits.
Sensitive and Aggressive
Finally, Mike Nichols also can be too "touchy-feely", have a hard time expressing feelings, be too aggressive and headstrong, and be too unforgiving of others' mistakes.
