Born Michael Igor Peschkowsky in Berlin, Germany; educated at the University of Chicago. Mike Nichols first rose to fame in the late 1950s as one half of a popular comedy act with Elaine May. The team's humor was distinguished by a sharp eye for the foibles of male-female relationships and a bitingly satirical attention to contemporary social pressures. Following the team's breakup, Nichols first turned his attention to directing for the Broadway stage, where he was an immediate success (Barefoot in the Park, Luv, The Odd Couple). Nichols earned similar acclaim for his film directing debut, WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? (1966), the finest dramatic pairing of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. The film put the final nail in the coffin of the outmoded Motion Picture Production Code, demonstrating that adult themes could be sensitively handled and -- not incidentally -- draw a large audience. Nichols consolidated his reputation with THE GRADUATE (1967), which won him the Academy Award for Best Director. The film established Dustin Hoffman as a star and became the plaintive cry of an entire generation, giving life to otherwise inchoate feelings of alienation and disaffection. A box-office sensation, THE GRADUATE also inaugurated (along with Arthur Penn's BONNIE AND CLYDE, 1967 and Dennis Hopper's EASY RIDER, 1969) a new cycle of youth-oriented films which resurrected the moribund American film industry. Some of the film's satirical elements were overlooked at the time; Nichols was prescient enough to realize that the younger generation had little with which to replace the empty values of their parents. Nichols next chose to adapt Joseph Heller's complex, cult novel CATCH-22 (1970) to film. A box-office disappointment (in a year which saw Robert Altman's M*A*S*H emerge as the ultimate anti-authority comedy), CATCH-22 now seems a noble, if failed, attempt. Nichols and screenwriter Jules Feiffer enjoyed more success with CARNAL KNOWLEDGE (1971), a film which confirmed the star status of Jack Nicholson and resurrected the career of Ann-Margret. CARNAL KNOWLEDGE was ahead of its time in its trenchant examination of sexual politics -- a theme to which Nichols has often returned, most notably in another Nicholson collaboration, HEARTBURN (1986). Although best known for his comic work, including the deftly handled satire on office politics, WORKING GIRL (1988), Nichols has also made a substantial contribution to serious screen drama. SILKWOOD (1983) demonstrates a keen sensitivity to the plight of women in a male-dominated society, as well as a strong sense of how any member of that society can be imperiled by dehumanizing systems, whether they be big business or government. Some of these common Nichols themes were provocatively addressed in WOLF (1994), a contemporary werewolf tale starring Jack Nicholson and Michelle Pfeiffer that marked Nichols's first entry in the horror genre. Other notable (non-nominated) credits include: (As director) THE DAY OF THE DOLPHIN (1973), THE FORTUNE (1975, also producer), GILDA LIVE (1980), THE GIN GAME (1981), BILOXI BLUES (1988), POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE (1990, also producer), REGARDING HENRY (1991, also producer), THE BIRDCAGE (1996), PRIMARY COLORS (1998, also producer), WHAT PLANET ARE YOU FROM? (2000, also producer) and ANGELS IN AMERICA (2003), CLOSER (2004, also producer) and CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR (2007); (As producer) THE DESIGNATED MOURNER (1997, also actor).  Nominated for Directing 1966: WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?  Directing 1967: THE GRADUATE  Nominated for Directing 1983: SILKWOOD  Nominated for Best Achievement in Directing 1988: WORKING GIRL  Nominated for Best Picture of the Year 1993: THE REMAINS OF THE DAY - Producer at Merchant-Ivory (w. John Calley & Ismail Merchant) 5 nominations, 1 Award