“The Graduate” director Mike Nichols has passed away at the age of 83.
His death was announced by James Goldston, president of ABC News, who shared the news with his staff this morning. Nichols was married to ABC News veteran Diane Sawyer. He died of cardiac arrest, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Nichols earned a Best Director Oscar for “The Graduate.” He’s also known for directing such films as “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” “Closer,” “Charlie Wilson’s War,” “Primary Colors,” “The Birdcage” and HBO’s miniseries event “Angels in America,” which won him an Emmy. Nichols was next set to reunite with his “Angels in America” star Meryl Streep for the HBO movie “Master Class,” in which Streep was to play opera singer Maria Callas.
“He was a true visionary, winning the highest honors in the arts for his work as a director, writer, producer and comic and was one of a tiny few to win the EGOT — an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony,” Goldston said in a
statement.
Nichols leaves behind three children, four grandchildren and Sawyer, to whom he was married for 26 years.
Update:
Paris Barclay, President of the Directors Guild of America, issued the following statement in response to the news of Nichols’ passing:
“Mike Nichols was a cinematic legend and a one of a kind storyteller. He was funny and honest and a tremendous observer of human behavior, qualities that informed his working life as a director. Actors loved working with him; his loyal crew spent decades with him; and audiences thrilled at the prickle of recognition they felt when they watched his movies. There will never be another director quite like Mike Nichols — few have crossed the genres and styles from classic dramas like ‘The Graduate,’ to broad comedies like ‘The Birdcage,’ to the dark night of the soul that was ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’ Mike believed that filmmaking is a collaborative art, and he worked long and hard to put together a team that shared his sensibilities, even candidly telling us in his DGA Quarterly cover interview in 2006 that his prime rule for casting and putting together a crew was, ‘No assholes. It’s an amazing thing what a difference it makes.’ We have lost a chameleon, an icon, and a hero to us. Our deepest condolences to his family and friends, and the many people who loved him.”
Nichols was not only a member of the DGA, but also served on its board from 1969-1971, as well as on the Eastern Directors Council for two terms beginning in 1973. Over the course of his career, Nichols has been nominated multiple times for DGA awards, taking home the trophy twice: for “The Graduate” and “Angels in America.” In 2004, Nichols was presented with the DGA Lifetime Achievement Award, for his contributions to the craft.
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