Mike Nichols (1931-2014) was a director of theatre and film who helmed over twenty movies during his career.
In 2014, he attended the Sesame Workshop Benefit Gala where he was photographed on arrival with journalist Peggy Noonan and the Sesame Street Muppets: Zoe, Murray Monster, Elmo, Count von Count, Abby Cadabby, Rosita, Telly Monster, and Grover.
Nichols previously directed Muppet performers Jerry Nelson and Camille Bonora, and all other dialogue voice actors, in the spoken word portions of the 1988 album Free to Be... a Family (also playing Jonathan Kent in a Superboy story opposite Christopher Reeve).
Nichols began his show business career as a comedy duo with Elaine May, billed as Nichols and May and either improvising or writing their own routines. The team split up to pursue their respective interests in directing and screenwriting. Their 1958 album Improvisations to Music was owned by Jim Henson.[1]
For the theatre, Nichols directed productions of Barefoot in the Park, The Odd Couple, Annie, Spamalot, and Death of a Salesman. His films include The Graduate, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Catch-22 (with Alan Arkin), Biloxi Blues (with Matthew Broderick), Working Girl (with Melanie Griffith), Regarding Henry (with Annette Bening), Wolf (with Michelle Pfeiffer), The Birdcage (with Robin Williams), Primary Colors (with John Travolta), Charlie Wilson's War (with Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts), and the documentary Gilda Live about Gilda Radner.
References
- Tracks from Nichols and May's Improvisations with Music were used on Sam and Friends. "Tango" was used on March 17, 1959[2] and on January 19, 1960[3] while "Mysterioso" was used on August 18, 1959.[4]
Sources
- ↑ Jim Henson's Red Book.4/8-10/1985 – ‘Work with Elaine May on script.’
- ↑ Shemin, Craig. Sam and Friends: The Story of Jim Henson's First Television Show. BearManor Media, 2022. p. 351,
- ↑ ibid. p. 424
- ↑ ibid. p. 386