Girls on Film: The immortal Mike Nichols

The legendary director, who died this week at 83, leaves one of Hollywood's most powerful and enduring legacies behind

Mike Nichols
(Image credit: (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File))

It's impossible to overstate the reach of Mike Nichols, who died this week at the age of 83. He made multiple award-winning films; was half of one of history's most influential comedy acts alongside Elaine May; mentored many of the talents we know and love today; and offered work so thoughtfully human that his impact extends well beyond the reach of film. The Graduate earned Nichols his only Golden Globe and Oscar wins, but he is one of the few people in history to have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony, and his films influenced the craft more than many of his contemporaries.

Like many, I was introduced to Nichols through The Graduate, though I was familiar with its legacy long before I actually saw it. Simon and Garfunkel sang of Mrs. Robinson's affair. The film's trivia found its way onto Survivor. Everyone kept whispering about plastics. Just to mention the film's title sent many into vocal, effusive praise.

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Monika Bartyzel

Monika Bartyzel is a freelance writer and creator of Girls on Film, a weekly look at femme-centric film news and concerns, now appearing at TheWeek.com. Her work has been published on sites including The Atlantic, Movies.com, Moviefone, Collider, and the now-defunct Cinematical, where she was a lead writer and assignment editor.