Award-winning US director Mike Nichols dies

Mike Nichols, the multi-award winning US director whose work spanned The Graduate on screen to Spamalot on stage, has died aged 83.

Born Mikhail Igor Peschkowsky in Berlin in 1931, his family escaped the Nazis by moving to the United States in 1938, where his father changed their name to Nichols. He subsequently became a naturalised American citizen.

His comedy career on Broadway began in 1960 with the premiere of An Evening With Mike Nichols and Elaine May, which ran for over 300 performances at the John Golden Theatre.

He soon turned to directing, going on to win Tony Awards for Neil Simon's Barefoot in the Park (1964), The Odd Couple (1965), Plaza Suite (1968), and The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1972); Murray Schisgal's Luv (1965); Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing (1984); Monty Python's Spamalot (2005), and Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman (2012).

As a producer, he also collected the Best Musical Tony for the original production of Annie, and the Best Play Tony for The Real Thing. He is one of a select few to have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony.

Married for 26 years to news anchor Diane Sawyer, Nichols is also survived by his children, Daisy, Max, and Jenny, and four grandchildren. Broadway's marquee lights will dim in respect on Friday (21 November).

For more on Mike Nichols, visit TheaterMania.com