Mike Nichols: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Winner

Mike Nichols (1931–2014) has won awards in four major media, which is particularly noteworthy since English was not his native language. He was born in Germany, escaped the Nazis when he was 7, traveling alone with just his 3-year-old brother to New York.  He and Elaine May formed an act that led to their successful Broadway run and a Grammy for their recording An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May. They went on to their separate careers; Mike Nichols was nominated for 5 Best Director Oscars (he won for The Graduate, 16 Tony Awards nominations (he won 8); and two Emmy Awards for best director (Wit and Angels in America). During the semester, we will be looking at clips of his career highlights and discussing how the immigrant Michael Igor Peschkowsky became the American Mike Nichols who became a major cultural influence.