Mike Nichols: podcast appearances and interviews

Mike Nichols, born Igor Mikhail Peschkowsky, was an American film and theatre director as well as a comedian. His career began in the 1950s with the comedy improvisational troupe The Compass Players in Chicago. He gained recognition as part of the comedy duo Nichols and May, whose live improv performances on Broadway were highly successful; their second album, An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May, won the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album in 1962. After their disbandment, Nichols transitioned into directing theater productions, making his Broadway debut with Neil Simon's Barefoot in the Park in 1963. Throughout his career, he directed numerous acclaimed plays including Luv and The Odd Couple, and received six Tony Awards, including one for a revival of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman in 2012. His work extended to film, where Warner Bros. invited him to direct his first movie, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? in 1966. His next film, The Graduate, earned him the Academy Award for Best Director. Nichols's filmography includes titles such as Catch-22, Silkwood, Working Girl, Postcards from the Edge, Wolf, The Birdcage, Primary Colors, Closer, and Charlie Wilson's War. He also directed acclaimed television works including Wit and the miniseries Angels in America, receiving Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Directing. Nichols accumulated numerous honors, including the EGOT, three BAFTA Awards, the Lincoln Center Gala Tribute, the National Medal of Arts, the Kennedy Center Honors, and the AFI Life Achievement Award.