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- Mike Nichols was husband to ABC News Anchor Diane Sawyer.
- He is one of the few people to have won EGOT.
The news was broken by ABC News President James Goldston via an email to the press. His family will commemorate him in a simple service and a reception that will take place a few days later
ABC President James Goldston delivered the saddest news to media via an email. The mail was about the abrupt death of the brilliant Mike Nichols at the age of 83. Mike was the husband to the brilliant ABC News Anchor Diane Sawyer. That is not the only reason we have to remember him by.
Mike had a career that spanned over half a century to his credit. Mike was a German immigrant who came to America when he was only 7. To have grown up knowing very little English, he surpassed all the challenges. While he studied theatre and medicine in Chicago back in the 1950s, he discovered his passion for comedy. He started performing with Elaine /4/and the duo became nationally recognized. That was only the start of Mike’s artistic endeavors.
He started his directing career in theatre directing plays like “Barefoot in the Park” and “The Odd Couple”. He went ahead to direct movies like “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” and the “Working Girl”. His masterpiece is the teen psychological drama “The Graduate” for which he won an Oscar for Best Direction. Other movies in his credit include Charlie Wilson’s War, Annie, Spamalot, The Birdcage, and Angels in America.
He was a brilliant actor, director, writer, producer and comedian. He is also one of the very few people to have won EGOT-an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony award. It was not just one Tony. He was awarded with his eighth Tony Award two years ago for his successful revival of “Death of a Salesman”.
Before the news of his death shocked everyone, Mike was involved in making the adaption of “Master Class”; a Terrence McNally’s Tony Award winning play about the opera singer Maria Callas. It was due to feature on HBO and would have reunited him with his favorite collaborator Meryl Streep.
Streep of course loved Mike as she once said “no explanation of our world could be complete and no account or image of it so rich, if we didn’t have you,” Tom Stoppard called him “the best of America”
Mike’s personal life has been inspiring as well. He and Diane were married for 26 years. He has three children Daisy, Max and Jenny and four beautiful grandchildren who will all be commemorating his death in a small, private service.
There will also be a memorial in the following days to pay respects to one of the most brilliant minds in the industry. Our hearts go out to his family at their loss and we hope that Mike will always remain in all of our hearts forever.
Source: ABC