Sad news this morning as we have learned that Mike Nichols, one of the all-time greats of American filmmaking, has died at the age of 83. Nichols, who directed films such as The Graduate, Primary Colors and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, was married to ABC news anchor Diane Sawyer. It was the head of ABC News, Jeff Goldston, who broke the news this morning in a staff note that read:
"I am writing with the very sad news that Diane's husband, the incomparable Mike Nichols, passed away suddenly on Wednesday evening. In a triumphant career that spanned over six decades, Mike created some of the most iconic works of American film, television and theater — an astonishing canon ranging from The Graduate, Working Girl and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? to Closer, Charlie Wilson's War, Annie, Spamalot, The Birdcage and Angels in America. 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."
Nichols reportedly died quite suddenly on Wednesday night, Nov. 19, after suffering cardiac arrest. The director did not always envision himself knee-deep in a Hollywood career. Instead, after coming to the U.S. from Germany at age 7, Nichols decided to study medicine at the University of Chicago. He accidentally found himself working with a comedy group that eventually won a Grammy for best comedy performance. He then went on to win an Oscar in 1968 for directing The Graduate, and after that a string of other awards followed.
Nichols's family is expected to hold a small, private service later this week with a memorial expected to be scheduled at a later date.
Readers: What are your favorite Nichols works? Why? Comment below.
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