Editing Mike Nichols (section)

==Career as a director==
===1960–1970: Broadway debut and film breakthrough ===
[[File:Neil Simon - 1974.jpg|thumb|right|160px|Nichols directed several of [[Neil Simon]]'s plays]]
'''Pre-film stage career'''

After the professional split with May, Nichols went to [[Vancouver]], British Columbia, to work in the theater directing a production of [[Oscar Wilde]]'s ''[[The Importance of Being Earnest]]'' and acted in a revival of [[George Bernard Shaw]]'s ''[[Saint Joan (play)|St. Joan]]''.<ref name="autogenerated1988"/> In 1963, Nichols was chosen to direct [[Neil Simon]]'s play ''[[Barefoot in the Park]]''.  He realized at once that he was meant to be a director, saying in a 2003 interview: "On the first day of rehearsal, I thought, 'Well, look at this. Here is what I was meant to do.' I knew instantly that I was home".<ref name="latimes">{{cite news|last1=McLellan|first1=Dennis|title=Mike Nichols, acclaimed director of 'The Graduate,' dies at 83|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-mike-nichols-dies-at-83-20141120-story.html#page=1|access-date=November 20, 2014|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=November 20, 2014}}</ref> ''Barefoot in the Park'' was a big hit, running for 1,530 performances and earning Nichols a [[18th Tony Awards|Tony Award]] for his direction.<ref name="autogenerated1988"/>

This began a series of highly successful plays on Broadway (often from works by Simon) that would establish his reputation. After directing an off-Broadway production of [[Ann Jellicoe]]'s ''[[The Knack ...and How to Get It|The Knack]]'', Nichols directed [[Murray Schisgal]]'s play ''[[Luv (play)|Luv]]'' in 1964. Again the show was a hit and Nichols won a [[19th Tony Awards|Tony Award]] (shared with ''The Odd Couple''). In 1965 he directed another play by [[Neil Simon]], ''[[The Odd Couple (play)|The Odd Couple]]''. The original production starred [[Art Carney]] as Felix Ungar and [[Walter Matthau]] as Oscar Madison. The play ran for 966 performances and won [[19th Tony Awards|Tony Awards]] for Nichols, Simon and Matthau.<ref name="autogenerated1988"/> Overall, Nichols won nine [[Tony Award]]s:<ref name="suntimes">{{cite news|last1=Thomas|first1=Mike|title=The best of Mike Nichols|url=http://www.suntimes.com/news/obituaries/31194296-418/the-best-of-mike-nichols.html#.VG91T4vF98E|access-date=November 21, 2014|newspaper=Chicago Sun Times|date=November 21, 2014}}</ref><ref name="telegraph">{{cite news|title=Mike Nichols – obituary|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/11243432/Mike-Nichols-obituary.html|access-date=November 21, 2014|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=November 20, 2014}}</ref> including six for Best Director of either a play or a musical, one for Best Play, and one for Best Musical.

'''''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'''''

In 1966, Nichols was a star stage director and ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine called him "the most in-demand director in the American theatre."<ref name="autogenerated1988"/> Although he had no experience in filmmaking, after befriending<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/09/remembering-director-mike-nichols|title=Mike Nichols's Life and Career: The Definitive Oral History|first=Sam|last=Kashner|magazine=Vanity Fair|date=September 11, 2015|issue=October|access-date=29 July 2018}}</ref> [[Elizabeth Taylor]] and [[Richard Burton]], [[Warner Bros.]] invited Nichols to direct a screen adaptation of [[Edward Albee]]'s ''[[Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?]]'' starring [[Elizabeth Taylor]], [[Richard Burton]], [[George Segal]], and [[Sandy Dennis]] for which he received a fee of $400,000.<ref name=fee/> The film was critically acclaimed, with critics calling Nichols "the new Orson Welles",<ref name="autogenerated1988"/> and a financial success,<ref>"Big Rental Pictures of 1966", ''Variety'', January 4, 1967 p 8</ref><ref name="Clooney71">{{cite book |last1=Clooney |first1=Nick |author-link1=Nick Clooney |title=The Movies That Changed Us: Reflections on the Screen |date=November 2002 |publisher=Atria Books, a trademark of Simon & Schuster |location=New York |isbn=978-0-7434-1043-4 |page=[https://archive.org/details/moviesthatchange00cloo/page/71 71] |quote=Nichols's golden touch was intact. He pulled it off. Virginia Woolf was a critical success and, more important to the studio, a financial success. |url=https://archive.org/details/moviesthatchange00cloo/page/71 }}</ref> the number 1 film of 1966.<ref>Clooney, p. 90</ref>

The film was considered groundbreaking for having a level of profanity and sexual innuendo unheard of at that time.<ref>{{cite web | author=Jack Valenti| title=How It All Began | url=http://www.mpaa.org/Ratings_HowItAllBegan.asp | publisher=Motion Picture Association of America | access-date=June 17, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080521023225/http://www.mpaa.org/Ratings_HowItAllBegan.asp <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = May 21, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title='Virginia Woolf' Not For Kids|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4PhRAAAAIBAJ&pg=6178,4267811&dq=who%27s+afraid+of+virginia+woolf&hl=en|access-date=February 20, 2013|newspaper=[[St. Petersburg Times]]|date=May 27, 1966}}</ref><ref>Clooney, p. 82–84, 90</ref> It won five [[39th Academy Awards|Academy Awards]] and garnered thirteen nominations (including Nichols's first nomination for Best Director), earning the distinctions of being one of only two films nominated in every eligible category at the Oscars (the other being ''[[Cimarron (1931 film)|Cimarron]]''), and the first film to have its entire credited cast nominated for acting Oscars. It also won three [[20th British Academy Film Awards|BAFTA Awards]] and was later ranked No. 67 in ''[[AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition)]]''.

'''''The Graduate'''''
[[File:Dustin Hoffman - 1968.jpg|thumb|left|160px|[[Dustin Hoffman]] (1968) appeared in the Nichols-directed film ''[[The Graduate]]'']]
His next film was ''[[The Graduate]]'' (1967), starring [[Dustin Hoffman]], [[Anne Bancroft]] and [[Katharine Ross]] for which he was paid $150,000, a deal he had made four years earlier with producer [[Joseph E. Levine]].<ref name=fee>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=April 17, 1968|page=1|title=Nichols' $1-Mil. To Direct His Next}}</ref> It became the [[1967 in film#Highest-grossing films|highest-grossing film of 1967]] and one of the [[List of highest-grossing films|highest-grossing films in history]] up to that date,<ref>[https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=graduate.htm ''The Graduate''], Box Office Mojo</ref> with Nichols receiving {{frac|16|2|3}}% of the profits, making him a millionaire.<ref name=fee/> It was nominated for seven [[40th Academy Awards|Academy Awards]], including Best Picture, with Nichols winning as [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]]. In 2007, it was ranked #17 in ''[[AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition)]]''.

However, getting the film made was difficult for Nichols, who, while noted for being a successful Broadway director, was still an unknown in Hollywood. Producer [[Lawrence Turman]], who wanted only Nichols to direct it, was continually turned down for financing. He then contacted Levine, who said he would finance the film because he had associated with Nichols on ''The Knack'',<ref name=fee/> and because he heard that Elizabeth Taylor specifically wanted Nichols to direct her and Richard Burton in ''Virginia Woolf''.<ref name="Kashner" /> With financing assured, Nichols suggested [[Buck Henry]] for screenwriter, although Henry's experience had also been mostly in improvised comedy, and had no writing background. Nichols said to Henry, "I think you could do it; I think you ''should'' do it."<ref name="Kashner" />

Nichols also took a chance on using [[Dustin Hoffman]], who had no film experience, for the lead, when others had suggested using known star [[Robert Redford]]. Hoffman credits Nichols for having taken a great risk in giving him, a relative unknown, the starring role: "I don't know of another instance of a director at the height of his powers who would take a chance and cast someone like me in that part. It took tremendous courage."<ref name="Kashner">{{cite magazine|last1=Kashner|first1=Sam|title=Here's to You, Mr. Nichols: The Making of The Graduate|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2008/03/graduate200803|magazine=Vanity Fair|access-date=November 21, 2014|date=March 2008}}</ref> The quality of the [[cinematography]] was also influenced by Nichols, who chose Oscar winner [[Robert Surtees (cinematographer)|Robert Surtees]] to do the photography. Surtees, who had photographed major films since the 1920s, including ''[[Ben-Hur (1959 film)|Ben-Hur]]'', said later, "It took everything I had learned over 30 years to be able to do the job. I knew that Mike Nichols was a young director who went in for a lot of camera. We did more things in this picture than I ever did in one film."<ref name="Kashner" />

[[File:Simon & Garfunkel 919-3036.jpg|thumb|right|Nichols chose [[Simon & Garfunkel]] to write the music for ''The Graduate'']]
Nichols also chose the music by [[Simon and Garfunkel]]. When Paul Simon was taking too long to write new songs for the film, he used existing songs, originally planning to replace them with newly written ones. In the end only one new song was available, and Nichols used the existing previously released songs. At one point, when Nichols heard [[Paul Simon]]'s song, "Mrs. Roosevelt", he suggested to Simon that he change it to "[[Mrs. Robinson]]". The song won a Grammy after the film was released and became America's number 1 pop song. Nichols selected all the numerous songs for the film and chose which scenes they would be used in. The placement and selection of songs would affect the way audiences understood the film. Even actor [[William Daniels]], who played Hoffman's father, remembers that after first hearing the songs, especially "[[The Sound of Silence]]", he thought, "Oh, wait a minute. That changed the whole idea of the picture for me," suddenly realizing the film would not be a typical comedy.<ref name="Kashner" />

Nichols had previously returned to Broadway to direct ''[[The Apple Tree]]'', starring [[the Second City|Second City]] alumna, [[Barbara Harris (actress)|Barbara Harris]]. After doing ''The Graduate'', he again returned to the Broadway stage with a revival of [[Lillian Hellman]]'s ''[[The Little Foxes]]'' in 1967, which ran for 100 performances.<ref name="vault2">{{cite web| title=The Little Foxes| url=http://www.playbillvault.com/Show/Detail/4355/The-Little-Foxes| publisher=Playbill Vault| access-date=April 24, 2014}}</ref> He then directed Neil Simon's ''[[Plaza Suite]]'' in 1968, earning him another [[22nd Tony Awards|Tony Award]] for Best Director. He also directed the short film ''[[Teach Me!]]'' (1968), which starred actress [[Sandy Dennis]]. In 1969 his film production company, Friwaftt, was acquired by [[Avco Embassy]], the distributor of ''The Graduate'', who also appointed him to the board of directors.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=March 19, 1969|page=1|title=Mike Nichols On Avco Embassy Board; Joe Levine's Peace With Ponti-Loren|first=Abel|last=Green|author-link=Abel Green}}</ref> Friwaftt stood for "Fools rush in where angels fear to tread."<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=March 19, 1969|page=28|title=What's Friwaftt}}</ref>

Nichols's next film was a big-budget adaptation of [[Joseph Heller]]'s novel ''[[Catch-22 (film)|Catch-22]]'' (1970), followed by ''[[Carnal Knowledge (film)|Carnal Knowledge]]'' (1971) starring [[Jack Nicholson]], [[Ann-Margret]], [[Art Garfunkel]] and [[Candice Bergen]]. ''Carnal Knowledge'' was highly controversial upon release because of the casual and blunt depiction of sexual intercourse.<ref name="library">{{cite web|title=Censored Films and Television II|url=http://explore.lib.virginia.edu/exhibits/show/censored/walkthrough/film2|publisher=University of Virginia Library|access-date=November 27, 2014}}</ref> In Georgia, a theatre manager was convicted in 1972 of violating the state's obscenity statutes by showing the film, a conviction later overturned by the [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]] in ''[[Jenkins v. Georgia]]''.<ref name="justia">{{cite web|title=Jenkins v. Georgia 418 U.S. 153 (1974)|url=https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/418/153/case.html|publisher=JUSTIA US Supreme Court|access-date=November 27, 2014}}</ref>

===1971–1989: Rise to prominence and stardom ===
[[File:Mike Nichols (4506109932).jpg|thumb|left|Nichols at the National Film Society in 1979]]
Nichols returned to Broadway to direct [[Neil Simon]]'s ''[[The Prisoner of Second Avenue]]'' in 1971. The play won Nichols another [[26th Tony Awards|Tony Award]] for Best Director. In 1973, Nichols directed a revival of [[Anton Chekhov]]'s ''[[Uncle Vanya]]'' on Broadway starring [[George C. Scott]] and with a new translation by himself and Albert Todd.<ref name="autogenerated1988"/> In 1973 Nichols directed the film ''[[The Day of the Dolphin]]'' starring [[George C. Scott]], based on the French novel ''[[The Day of the Dolphin (book)|Un animal doué de raison]]'' (lit. ''A Sentient Animal'') by [[Robert Merle]] and adapted by [[Buck Henry]]. The film was not successful financially and received mixed reviews from critics.<ref name="autogenerated1988"/> Nichols next directed ''[[The Fortune]]'' (1975), starring [[Warren Beatty]], [[Jack Nicholson]] and [[Stockard Channing]]. Again, the film was a financial failure and received mostly negative reviews. In 1975, Nichols began filming ''Bogart Slept Here'', an original screenplay by Neil Simon. The film starred [[Robert De Niro]] and Simon's wife, [[Marsha Mason]]. After one week of filming, displeased with the results, Nichols and the studio fired De Niro and shut the production down. Simon would retool the script two years later as ''[[The Goodbye Girl]]''.<ref name="bogart">{{cite web|title=When Mike Nichols Fired Robert De Niro: Excerpt from 'De Niro: A Life'|date=December 28, 2014|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2014/12/when-mike-nichols-fired-robert-de-niro-excerpt-from-de-niro-a-life-66703/|publisher=Indiewire|access-date=May 21, 2021}}</ref> Nichols would not direct another narrative feature film for eight years.<ref name="autogenerated1988"/>

Nichols returned to the stage with two moderately successful productions in 1976; [[David Rabe]]'s ''[[Streamers (play)|Streamers]]'' opened in April and ran for 478 performances.<ref>{{cite web|title=Streamers|url=http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=13520|publisher=The Broadway League|access-date=November 21, 2014}}</ref> [[Trevor Griffiths]]'s ''[[Comedians (play)|Comedians]]'' ran for 145 performances.<ref>{{cite web|title=Comedians|url=http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=3875|publisher=The Broadway League|access-date=November 21, 2014}}</ref> In 1976 Nichols also worked as Executive Producer to create the television drama ''[[Family (1976 TV series)|Family]]'' for [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]. The series ran until 1980. In 1977, Nichols produced the original Broadway production of the hugely successful musical ''[[Annie (musical)|Annie]]'', which ran for 2,377 performances until 1983. Nichols won the Tony Award for Best Musical.<ref name="Morrison">{{cite book|last1=Morrison|first1=William|title=Broadway Theatres: History and Architecture|date=1999|publisher=Dover Publications|location=Mineola, N.Y.|isbn=978-0-486-40244-4|pages=154–155}}</ref> Later in 1977, Nichols directed D.L. Coburn's ''[[The Gin Game]]''. The play ran for 517 performances and won a Tony Award for Best Actress for [[Jessica Tandy]].<ref>{{cite web|title=The Gin Game|url=http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=4017|publisher=The Broadway League|access-date=November 21, 2014}}</ref>

In 1980, Nichols directed the documentary ''[[Gilda Live]]'', a filmed performance of comedian [[Gilda Radner]]'s one-woman show ''Gilda Radner Live on Broadway''. It was released at the same time as the album of the show, both of which were successful. Nichols was then involved with two unsuccessful shows: he produced ''[[Billy Bishop Goes to War]]'', which opened in 1980 and closed after only twelve performances,<ref>[http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=3957 Billy Bishop Goes to War]. The Broadway League. Retrieved March 12, 2010</ref> and directed [[Neil Simon]]'s ''[[Fools (play)|Fools]]'', in 1981, which closed after forty performances.<ref name="rich">Rich, Frank (April 7, 1981).  [http://theater.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?res=9503E7DC1139F934A35757C0A967948260 "Theater Review. 'Fools' by Simon' "] ''The New York Times''</ref> Returning to Hollywood, Nichols's career rebounded in 1983 with the film ''[[Silkwood]]'', starring [[Meryl Streep]], [[Cher]] and [[Kurt Russell]], based on the life of whistleblower [[Karen Silkwood]]. The film was a financial and critical success, with film critic [[Vincent Canby]] calling it "the most serious work Mike Nichols has yet done."<ref name="autogenerated1988"/> The film received five [[Academy Award]] nominations, including a Best Director nomination for Nichols.

That same year, Nichols and [[Peter Stone (writer)|Peter Stone]] helped to fix up and rewrite the musical ''[[My One and Only (musical)|My One and Only]]'' just days before its Boston premiere.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Shewey|first1=Don|title=How 'My One and Only' came to Broadway|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/05/01/theater/how-my-one-and-only-came-to-broadway.html|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 21, 2014|date=May 1, 1983}}</ref> The show eventually went to Broadway and ran for 767 performances, winning [[Tony Awards]] for Best Actor, Best Choreography (both for [[Tommy Tune]]) and Best Supporting Actor ([[Charles Coles|Charles "Honi" Coles]]). In 1984, Nichols directed the Broadway premiere of [[Tom Stoppard]]'s ''[[The Real Thing (play)|The Real Thing]]''. ''[[The New York Times]]'' critic [[Frank Rich]] wrote that "The Broadway version of ''The Real Thing''—a substantial revision of the original London production—is not only Mr. Stoppard's most moving play, but also the most bracing play that anyone has written about love and marriage in years."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://theater.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?res=9407E7D81338F935A35752C0A962948260|title=Tom Stoppard's ''Real Thing''|last=Rich|first=Frank|date=January 6, 1984|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 15, 2011}}</ref> The play was nominated for seven [[38th Tony Awards|Tony Awards]] and won five, including a Best Director Tony for Nichols. Nichols followed the success with the Broadway premiere of [[David Rabe]]'s ''[[Hurlyburly]]'', also in 1984. It was performed just two blocks away from the theater showing ''The Real Thing''. It was nominated for three [[39th Tony Awards|Tony Awards]] and won Best Actress for [[Judith Ivey]].<ref name="autogenerated1988"/>

[[File:Whoopi Goldberg by John Mathew Smith.jpg|thumb|right|160px|[[Whoopi Goldberg]] credits Nichols with discovering her after seeing her perform her one woman show in 1983]]
In 1983, Nichols had seen comedian [[Whoopi Goldberg]]'s one woman show, ''The Spook Show'', at Dance Theater Workshop and wanted to help her expand it. Goldberg's self-titled Broadway show opened in October 1984 and ran for 156 performances. [[Rosie O'Donnell]] later said that Nichols had discovered Goldberg while she was struggling as a downtown artist: "He gave her the entire beginning of her career and recognized her brilliance before anyone else."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Rivera|first1=Zayda|title=Mike Nichols dead at 83: Whoopi Goldberg breaks down on 'The View' when talking about her 'mentor'|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/whoopi-goldberg-breaks-talking-mike-nichols-article-1.2017875|newspaper=New York Daily News|access-date=November 21, 2014|date=November 20, 2014}}</ref> In 1986 Nichols directed the Broadway premiere of [[Andrew Bergman]]'s ''[[Social Security (play)|Social Security]]'' and in 1988 directed ''[[Waiting for Godot]]'', starring [[Robin Williams]] and [[Steve Martin]].<ref>Kornbluth, Jesse. "Robin Williams's Change of Life", ''New York Magazine'', November 22, 1993</ref> Williams cited Nichols and May as among his early influences for performing intelligent comedy.<ref>Herbert, Emily. ''Robin Williams: When the Laughter Stops 1951–2014'', John Blak Publishing (2014) e-bk</ref>

In 1986, Nichols directed the film ''[[Heartburn (film)|Heartburn]]'', which received mixed reviews, and starred Meryl Streep and [[Jack Nicholson]]. In 1988, Nichols completed two feature films. The first was an adaptation of [[Neil Simon]]'s autobiographical stage play ''[[Biloxi Blues (film)|Biloxi Blues]]'' starring [[Matthew Broderick]], also receiving mixed critical reviews. Nichols directed one of his most successful films, ''[[Working Girl]]'', which starred [[Melanie Griffith]], [[Harrison Ford]] and [[Sigourney Weaver]]. The film was a huge hit upon its release, and received mostly positive reviews from critics. It was nominated for six [[61st Academy Awards|Academy Awards]] (including Best Director for Nichols) and won the [[Academy Award for Best Song]] for [[Carly Simon]]'s "[[Let the River Run]]". At one point in the 1980s, Nichols—prone to bouts of depression—reported that he had considered suicide, a feeling apparently brought on by a psychotic episode he experienced after taking the drug [[Halcion]].<ref name="Weber" />

=== 1990–1999: Established career ===
In the 1990s, Nichols directed several more successful, well-received films including ''[[Postcards from the Edge (film)|Postcards from the Edge]]'' (1990) starring Meryl Streep and [[Shirley MacLaine]]; ''[[Primary Colors (film)|Primary Colors]]'' (1998) starring [[John Travolta]] and [[Emma Thompson]]; and ''[[The Birdcage]]'' (1996), an American remake of the 1978 French film ''[[La Cage aux Folles (film)|La Cage aux Folles]]'' starring [[Robin Williams]], [[Nathan Lane]], [[Gene Hackman]] and [[Dianne Wiest]]. Both ''The Birdcage'' and ''Primary Colors'' were written by Elaine May, Nichols's comedy partner earlier in his career. Other films directed by Nichols include ''[[Regarding Henry]]'' (1991) starring [[Harrison Ford]] and ''[[Wolf (1994 film)|Wolf]]'' (1994) starring [[Jack Nicholson]] and [[Michelle Pfeiffer]]. When he was honored by Lincoln Center in 1999 for his life's work, Elaine May—speaking once again as his friend—served up the essence of Nichols with the following:

<blockquote>So he's witty, he's brilliant, he's articulate, he's on time, he's prepared and he writes. But is he perfect? He knows you can't really be liked or loved if you're perfect. You have to have just enough flaws. And he does. Just the right, perfect flaws to be absolutely endearing.<ref name="Weber Obit">{{cite news|last1=Weber|first1=Bruce|title=Mike Nichols, 83, Acclaimed Director on Broadway and in Hollywood, Dies|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/21/movies/mike-nichols-celebrated-director-dies-at-83.html|access-date=November 20, 2014|publisher=The New York Times Company|date=November 20, 2014}}</ref></blockquote>

===2000–2016: Career expansion and later work ===
In the 2000s, Nichols directed the films ''[[What Planet Are You From?]]'' (2000), ''[[Closer (2004 film)|Closer]]'' (2004) and ''[[Charlie Wilson's War (film)|Charlie Wilson's War]]'' (2007), a political drama that was ultimately his final feature film. ''What Planet Are You From?'' received mixed reviews from critics,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/what-planet-are-you-from |title=What Planet Are You From?: Reviews |access-date=November 22, 2014 |website=[[Metacritic]]}}</ref> while ''Closer'' and ''Charlie Wilson's War'' received generally positive reviews<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/closer |title=Closer (2004): Reviews |access-date=November 22, 2014 |website=[[Metacritic]] |archive-date=April 13, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100413154352/http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/closer/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/charliewilsonswar |title=Charlie Wilson's War (2007): Reviews |access-date=November 22, 2014 |website=[[Metacritic]]}}</ref> and were both nominated for [[Academy Awards]], [[BAFTA]] and [[Golden Globe Award|Golden Globe]] awards.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0376541/awards?ref_=tt_awd|title=Closer - Awards|publisher=[[IMDb]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0472062/awards?ref_=tt_awd|title=Charlie Wilson's War - Awards|publisher=[[IMDb]]}}</ref>

Nichols also directed widely acclaimed adaptations of ''[[Wit (film)|Wit]]'' (2001) and ''[[Angels in America (miniseries)|Angels in America]]'' (2003) for television, winning [[Emmy]] Awards for both of them.<ref>{{cite web | title=Awards Search: Mike Nichols | work=Television Academy | url=http://www.emmys.com/awards/nominations/award-search?search_api_views_fulltext=Mike+Nichols | publisher=Academy Of Television Arts & Sciences | access-date=November 21, 2014}}</ref> For his direction of the Broadway musical ''[[Spamalot]]'', he won the [[Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical]] in 2005.

[[File:Mike Nichols Funny Face.jpg|thumb|Nichols in 2010]]
In 2012, Nichols won the Best Direction of a Play [[Tony Award]] for a revival of [[Arthur Miller]]'s ''[[Death of a Salesman]]''. In 2013, he directed [[Daniel Craig]] and [[Rachel Weisz]] in a Broadway revival of [[Harold Pinter]]'s ''[[Betrayal (play)|Betrayal]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Fung|first=Lisa|title=Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz heading to Broadway in 'Betrayal'|url=http://movies.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=800462&ocid=rr-mov-news|work=[[The Wrap]]|publisher=[[MSN News]]|access-date=April 5, 2013|date=April 4, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602044951/http://movies.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=800462&ocid=rr-mov-news|archive-date=June 2, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> The play began previews of its limited run on October 1, 2013<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/28/theater/reviews/daniel-craig-and-rachel-weisz-star-in-betrayal-on-broadway.html|title=Threesome to Tantalize and Behold|newspaper=The New York Times|date=October 28, 2013|last1=Brantley|first1=Ben}}</ref> at the [[Ethel Barrymore Theatre]], opened on October 27,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/culture/la-et-cm-betrayal-daniel-craig-rachel-weisz-20131028-story.html|title='Betrayal' with Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz: What did the critics think?|website=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=October 28, 2013}}</ref> and closed on January 4, 2014.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/jan/07/daniel-craig-rachel-weisz-huge-success-betrayal-broadway|title=Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz claim huge success with Betrayal on Broadway|website=[[TheGuardian.com]]|date=January 7, 2014}}</ref>

Among projects that remained uncompleted when he died, in April 2013 it was announced that Nichols was in talks to direct a film adaptation of [[Jonathan Tropper]]'s novel ''One Last Thing Before I Go''. The film was to be produced by [[J. J. Abrams]], who previously wrote the Nichols-directed film ''[[Regarding Henry]]'' (1991).<ref>{{cite web|last=Siegel|first=Tatiana|title=Mike Nichols in Talks to Direct 'One Last Thing Before I Go'|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/mike-nichols-talks-one-last-443019|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|access-date=April 24, 2013|author2=Borys Kit|date=April 23, 2013}}</ref> In July 2014, it was announced that Nichols and Streep would reunite for an HBO film of [[Terrence McNally]]'s 1985 play ''[[Master Class]]'', with Nichols directing Streep in the starring role of opera singer [[Maria Callas]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://time.com/2974463/merryl-streep-master-class-movie-hbo/|title = Meryl Streep to Star in Master Class Movie on HBO| date=July 10, 2014 }}</ref>

Nichols was a contributing blogger at ''[[The Huffington Post]]''. He was also a co-founder of [[The New Actors Workshop]] in New York City, where he occasionally taught.<ref>{{cite web | title=The Founders | url=http://www.newactorsworkshop.com | publisher=The New Actors Workshop | year=2009 | access-date=February 3, 2009}}</ref> In addition, he remained active in the [[Directors Guild of America]], interviewing fellow film director [[Bennett Miller]] on stage in October 2011 after the Guild's screening of Miller's ''[[Moneyball (film)|Moneyball]]''.

In January 2016, [[PBS]] aired ''[[Mike Nichols: American Masters]]'', an ''[[American Masters]]'' documentary about Nichols directed by his former improv partner, [[Elaine May]].<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/02/arts/television/elaine-may-to-direct-mike-nichols-documentary-for-pbs.html?_r=0 "Elaine May to Direct Mike Nichols Documentary for PBS"], ''New York Times'', November 1, 2015</ref><ref>Interview: [https://www.npr.org/2016/01/29/464781450/revisiting-the-craft-and-vision-graduate-director-mike-nichols "Revisiting The Craft And Vision 'Graduate' Director Mike Nichols"], ''NPR'', January 29, 2016</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2016/tv/reviews/american-masters-mike-nichols-review-pbs-elaine-may-1201681395/ |last=Lowry |first=Brian |title=TV Review: 'American Masters: Mike Nichols's |work=Variety |date=January 26, 2016 |access-date=January 10, 2016}}</ref> On February 22, 2016, HBO aired the documentary ''[[Becoming Mike Nichols]]''.<ref>[https://www.huffingtonpost.com/cynthia-dagnalmyron/becoming-mike-nichols-an-_b_9195744.html "Becoming Mike Nichols, an HBO Master Class in Theater, Film and TV"], ''Huffington Post'', February 11, 2016</ref>