Mike Nichols
A master of human comedy who translated the electric energy of theater into era-defining films, winning every major entertainment award.
1931–2014 (age 83)·American film and theatre director·Birthday: November 6·The Silent Generation
Biography
Born Mikhail Igor Peschkowsky in Berlin, Mike Nichols fled Nazi Germany as a child and remade himself in America. His sharp wit first found an audience in the improv comedy duo Nichols and May, a partnership that skewered modern anxieties. He then pivoted to theater, directing Neil Simon's 'Barefoot in the Park' and 'The Odd Couple,' shaping them into smash hits with an uncanny feel for timing and character. Hollywood beckoned, and his film debut, 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,' was a seismic event, capturing the brutal poetry of marital combat. He followed it with 'The Graduate,' a film that didn't just depict a generation's alienation but became its anthem, making a star of Dustin Hoffman and defining a new cinematic language. Nichols navigated genres with ease, from the political satire of 'Primary Colors' to the HBO adaptation of 'Angels in America,' always focusing on the intricate, often painful, mechanics of how people connect and collide. His career was a sustained lesson in how to listen to actors and material, making him a central architect of 20th-century American culture.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Mike was born in 1931, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Mike Was Born
The biggest hits of 1931
#1 Movie
Frankenstein
Best Picture
Cimarron
Mike's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1931Born
The Empire State Building opens as the world's tallest
Gas: $0.17/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Minnie the Moocher" — Cab CallowayBest Picture: Cimarron
1936Started school
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1944Became a teenager
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1947Could drive
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1949Could vote
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1952Turned 21
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1961Turned 30
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1971Turned 40
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1981Turned 50
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1991Turned 60
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 70
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 80
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2014Died at 83
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
Key Achievements
- Won the Academy Award for Best Director for his second film, 'The Graduate' (1967).
- Became one of the few individuals to achieve the EGOT, winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony.
- Directed the film adaptation of 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,' which received 13 Oscar nominations.
- Won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play for both 'Barefoot in the Park' (1964) and 'The Odd Couple' (1965).
- His television film 'Wit' (2001) and miniseries 'Angels in America' (2003) earned him multiple Emmy Awards.
Did You Know?
He was originally part of the famed improvisational comedy duo 'Nichols and May' with Elaine May.
He directed the Broadway production of 'Monty Python's Spamalot,' which won the Tony for Best Musical in 2005.
Nichols was married to television journalist Diane Sawyer from 1988 until his death.
He lost all his hair at age four due to a reaction to a whooping cough vaccine.
““There's a moment when you have to choose whether to be silent or to stand up.””
