Mike Nichols: A Life
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- Author：Mark Harris
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Summary
A magnificent biography of one of the most protean creative forces in American entertainment history， a life of dazzling highs and vertiginous plunges--some of the worst largely unknown until now--by the acclaimed author of Pictures at a Revolution and Five Came Back
Mike Nichols burst onto the scene as a wunderkind: while still in his twenties， he was half of a hit improv duo with Elaine May that was the talk of the country。 Next he directed four consecutive hit plays， won back-to-back Tonys， ushered in a new era of Hollywood moviemaking with Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf？， and followed it with The Graduate， which won him an Oscar and became the third-highest-grossing movie ever。 At thirty-five， he lived in a three-story Central Park West penthouse， drove a Rolls-Royce， collected Arabian horses， and counted Jacqueline Kennedy， Elizabeth Taylor， Leonard Bernstein， and Richard Avedon as friends。
Where he arrived is even more astonishing given where he had begun: born Igor Peschkowsky to a Jewish couple in Berlin in 1931， he was sent along with his younger brother to America on a ship in 1939。 The young immigrant boy caught very few breaks。 He was bullied and ostracized--an allergic reaction had rendered him permanently hairless--and his father died when he was just twelve， leaving his mother alone and overwhelmed。
The gulf between these two sets of facts explains a great deal about Nichols's transformation from lonely outsider to the center of more than one cultural universe--the acute powers of observation that first made him famous; the nourishment he drew from his creative partnerships， most enduringly with May; his unquenchable drive; his hunger for security and status; and the depressions and self-medications that brought him to terrible lows。 It would take decades for him to come to grips with his demons。 In an incomparable portrait that follows Nichols from Berlin to New York to Chicago to Hollywood， Mark Harris explores， with brilliantly vivid detail and insight， the life， work， struggle， and passion of an artist and man in constant motion。 Among the 250 people Harris interviewed: Elaine May， Meryl Streep， Stephen Sondheim， Robert Redford， Glenn Close， Tom Hanks， Candice Bergen， Emma Thompson， Annette Bening， Natalie Portman， Julia Roberts， Lorne Michaels， and Gloria Steinem。
Mark Harris gives an intimate and evenhanded accounting of success and failure alike; the portrait is not always flattering， but its ultimate impact is to present the full story of one of the most richly interesting， complicated， and consequential figures the worlds of theater and motion pictures have ever seen。 It is a triumph of the biographer's art。
Mike Nichols burst onto the scene as a wunderkind: while still in his twenties， he was half of a hit improv duo with Elaine May that was the talk of the country。 Next he directed four consecutive hit plays， won back-to-back Tonys， ushered in a new era of Hollywood moviemaking with Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf？， and followed it with The Graduate， which won him an Oscar and became the third-highest-grossing movie ever。 At thirty-five， he lived in a three-story Central Park West penthouse， drove a Rolls-Royce， collected Arabian horses， and counted Jacqueline Kennedy， Elizabeth Taylor， Leonard Bernstein， and Richard Avedon as friends。
Where he arrived is even more astonishing given where he had begun: born Igor Peschkowsky to a Jewish couple in Berlin in 1931， he was sent along with his younger brother to America on a ship in 1939。 The young immigrant boy caught very few breaks。 He was bullied and ostracized--an allergic reaction had rendered him permanently hairless--and his father died when he was just twelve， leaving his mother alone and overwhelmed。
The gulf between these two sets of facts explains a great deal about Nichols's transformation from lonely outsider to the center of more than one cultural universe--the acute powers of observation that first made him famous; the nourishment he drew from his creative partnerships， most enduringly with May; his unquenchable drive; his hunger for security and status; and the depressions and self-medications that brought him to terrible lows。 It would take decades for him to come to grips with his demons。 In an incomparable portrait that follows Nichols from Berlin to New York to Chicago to Hollywood， Mark Harris explores， with brilliantly vivid detail and insight， the life， work， struggle， and passion of an artist and man in constant motion。 Among the 250 people Harris interviewed: Elaine May， Meryl Streep， Stephen Sondheim， Robert Redford， Glenn Close， Tom Hanks， Candice Bergen， Emma Thompson， Annette Bening， Natalie Portman， Julia Roberts， Lorne Michaels， and Gloria Steinem。
Mark Harris gives an intimate and evenhanded accounting of success and failure alike; the portrait is not always flattering， but its ultimate impact is to present the full story of one of the most richly interesting， complicated， and consequential figures the worlds of theater and motion pictures have ever seen。 It is a triumph of the biographer's art。
Editor Reviews
11/02/2020
Harris （Five Came Back） delivers an entertaining portrait of actor， director， and producer Mike Nichols in this bracingly candid biography。 Drawing primarily on interviews conducted by himself and others， Harris captures the award-winner’s “precision and finesse” during his “five-decade career in movies and theater，” which included directing the 1967 film The Graduate and the 1984 play The Real Thing。 Nichols’s first major success came in 1960 with An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May， a comedy act that “more than doubled its investors’ money”; his fame continued as he released his first feature film in 1966， an adaptation of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf？ starring Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor。 Though Nichols’s work style—he “wasn’t shy about using his personal experience to motivate his actors”—is front and center， Harris empathetically digs into his subject’s private life: never far below the surface was the self-aware young Jewish immigrant from Germany who became a master of self-presentation and invention （Nichols took “great care never to look or sound too excited about anything”）。 Harris also doesn’t gloss over Nichols’s demons， including his drug use， demand for perfection， and “irritability and condescension” on set。 The result is a joyously readable and balanced account of a complex man。 Agent: Andrew Wylie， Wylie Agency。 （Feb。）
Reviews
NotoriousEAM
，
What a life！ Mike Nichols came from Germany to America at a young age on his own and some how survived a new country using a blend of moxie， talent， personality and little luck。 Clearly his creativity and expansive thinking put him on a path to success and he never looked back。 It's an amazing look at a great talent but also an eye-opening story of how he attracted others into his orbit。
Matt Goldberg
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Another incredible book from Mark Harris， who has once again shown us that he is easily among the foremost film historians of our time。 I didn’t realize how little I understood about what it means to direct actors until I read this book， and I think the reason Nichols doesn’t get his full due among the mainstream is because you can’t easily see what he’s doing。 It’s not like Kubrick or Hitchcock who are hitting you with so much visual language。 Instead， Nichols’ gift was understanding actors in Another incredible book from Mark Harris， who has once again shown us that he is easily among the foremost film historians of our time。 I didn’t realize how little I understood about what it means to direct actors until I read this book， and I think the reason Nichols doesn’t get his full due among the mainstream is because you can’t easily see what he’s doing。 It’s not like Kubrick or Hitchcock who are hitting you with so much visual language。 Instead， Nichols’ gift was understanding actors in such an intimate way that he could transport you through the power of performance （although I should note that Nichols’ absolutely had an eye for some really impressive visuals）。 This book is a gift; another meticulously researched and yet fully humanistic tone that approaches its subject with love without trying to hide the blemishes。 Anyone who writes about film should aspire to do it as well as Harris。 。。。more
Amy Hay
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Nichols was the real radicalWhat a joy to read about Mike Nichols's life -- his talent， his intellect， his selfishness， his commitment， and reverence， and excitement for the arts。 He always sought to capture real people and help us recognize ourselves in another。 This quality made him the real radical of his times as he made art that communicated the real life of ordinary people。 Nichols was the real radicalWhat a joy to read about Mike Nichols's life -- his talent， his intellect， his selfishness， his commitment， and reverence， and excitement for the arts。 He always sought to capture real people and help us recognize ourselves in another。 This quality made him the real radical of his times as he made art that communicated the real life of ordinary people。 。。。more
Danny Hensel
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Magnificent。 Mark Harris interview coming this Saturday to NPR's Weekend Edition。 Magnificent。 Mark Harris interview coming this Saturday to NPR's Weekend Edition。 。。。more
David Blum
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I read this in three very long sittings over last weekend。 What an extraordinary experience。 I cannot remember the last time I was so moved by a biography。 Like so many people， I’ve been obsessed with Nichols for pretty much my entire life， which in my case extends from having The Graduate blow my mind at age 12 to having gone to the University of Chicago because he did， and dropping out because Nichols dropped out – I told you I was obsessed – all the way to seeing Betrayal， his last production I read this in three very long sittings over last weekend。 What an extraordinary experience。 I cannot remember the last time I was so moved by a biography。 Like so many people， I’ve been obsessed with Nichols for pretty much my entire life， which in my case extends from having The Graduate blow my mind at age 12 to having gone to the University of Chicago because he did， and dropping out because Nichols dropped out – I told you I was obsessed – all the way to seeing Betrayal， his last production。 I even bought a ticket to his performance in Virginia Woolf at the Long Wharf in 1981。 Now I know why it was cancelled， and I think I'm still waiting for my refund。 But nothing prepared me for the emotional roller coaster of his life， most of which， it turns out， I didn’t know。 Harris masterfully balanced deep respect and brutal honesty in ways I’ve never seen done before， and at many moments prompted me to stop and wipe tears from my eyes， or double over in laughter。 （I have a recently-acquired cocker spaniel puppy， and Steve Martin’s assessment of spaniels can’t be topped。） At some points I loved him more than I ever did; at others I found him sad， or cruel， or foolish in ways I never expected。 Balancing those perspectives enabled Harris to recount a narrative at once painful and inspiring to read。 。。。more
Toni
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When you read that Mike Nichols is one of the few people who have won the ‘EGOT’ （Emmy， Grammy， Oscar， and Tony Awards）， it would be difficult to imagine him as the awkward， gangly， friendless kid back in his early days in New York City。 There is nothing worse than being all of that， plus Jewish， unable to speak English， and completely hairless。 Nichols， when given a vaccine for whopping cough back in Berlin， had an allergic reaction that resulted in a complete and lifelong inability to grow hai When you read that Mike Nichols is one of the few people who have won the ‘EGOT’ （Emmy， Grammy， Oscar， and Tony Awards）， it would be difficult to imagine him as the awkward， gangly， friendless kid back in his early days in New York City。 There is nothing worse than being all of that， plus Jewish， unable to speak English， and completely hairless。 Nichols， when given a vaccine for whopping cough back in Berlin， had an allergic reaction that resulted in a complete and lifelong inability to grow hair。 His father refused to buy him a wig， so he wore a cap constantly。 Make no mistake， kids were bullies back then too， and they teased him mercilessly。 Michael was just seven years old， and his brother， Robert， three， when they sailed from Germany to New York， alone， in 1939 to meet their father who had arrived just months earlier。 His father was able to set up his own practice where the family lived in the small apartment upstairs。 While they weren’t as comfortable as they had been in Germany， they were grateful to escape the Nazis and live peacefully in America。 Unfortunately， conditions changed when his father died from leukemia just five years later at the age of forty-four， a result of working as an XRay technician， unshielded from radiation they emitted， while he waited for his US medical license。 Without his father’s practice， the family slipped almost into poverty。As many of his peers went off to college， Mike had to find a place that would accept a bright student without a high school diploma。 Fortunately， that place existed as the University of Chicago， where life really began for Mike。 His world opened as he met other intellectuals as himself， well read， willing to discuss and debate any topic with sharp minds and biting wit as his。 It’s also the place where he met his female counterpart， Elaine May， whose smoldering anger， and quick intelligence matched his own。 Mike was already involved in the improvisational troupe which would become， ‘The Compass Players，’ predecessor of ‘The Second City，’ when he and May would team up and develop some of the freshest comedy routines heard in years。 They fed off each other fluidly， as if they could read each other’s mind， it seemed almost effortless。 They became the comedy duo ‘Nichols and May’ and took Chicago and then Broadway by storm。 Their first of three albums won a Grammy in 1960。 Then， they split up the duo in 1961。This break led to Mike’s involvement directing plays， by 1965 he had three Tony awards for ‘Barefoot in the Park，’ ‘Luv’ and Neil Simon’s ‘The Odd Couple。’ Hollywood wanted him but he knew nothing about cameras， so he asked his friend Anthony Perkins to give him a crash course on movie cameras of that era。 By 1967 he famously directed Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolfe？’ and an unknown actor， Dustin Hoffman in， ‘The Graduate。’ These plays and films started a seven-decade long career of an exceptionally long list of plays， films and TV shows too numerous for this review。 You will undoubtedly recognize most of them and may have seen many of them。 This is why you must read this book。 Mark Harris discusses how these giant entertainment marvels came into existence， which actors said yes or no， who was fired and then who replaced that actor。 Best of all， which actors were really pleasant to work with and which were the really difficult ones。 Yes， of course there are many pages， there is a lot to cover。 Mike directed or produced twenty-five （25） Broadway plays， twenty-one （21） Films， give or take， and approximately six television shows。 The man was a genius and beloved by many。 He was married four times but his last to Diane Sawyer was the match made in heaven。 They married in 1988 and were together until his death in 2014。A book you will enjoy every minute reading。Thank you， Edelweiss， Penguin Press， and Mark Harris 。。。more
James Beggarly
，
Thanks to Edelweiss and Penguin Press for the ebook。 This is really an exhaustive epic on a theatrical renaissance man who helped reimagine standup comedy with Elaine May， usher in real emotion with comedic plays on Broadway， most notably with Neil Simon and take films in a completely new direction in the late sixties and early seventies when the studios seemed clueless。 The author seems to have interviewed hundreds of people who have just as many moving and hilarious stories about Mike Nichols， Thanks to Edelweiss and Penguin Press for the ebook。 This is really an exhaustive epic on a theatrical renaissance man who helped reimagine standup comedy with Elaine May， usher in real emotion with comedic plays on Broadway， most notably with Neil Simon and take films in a completely new direction in the late sixties and early seventies when the studios seemed clueless。 The author seems to have interviewed hundreds of people who have just as many moving and hilarious stories about Mike Nichols， but the absolute heart and center of the book comes from the man himself。 In any room he was in it seems that he was the funniest， smartest， most ambitious， by far the angriest and probably the most talented。 It’s lovely to spend this much time with a director this heartbreaking and entertaining。 。。。more
Joe Meyers
，
A perfect match of writer and subject。Mark Harris explored the making of ‘The Graduate’ in an earlier book （‘Pictures at a Revolution’） but here he gives us an in-depth portrait of the film’s director Mike Nichols。The book presents the life of one of the most important American show business figure - fromNichols’ early days as a comedy partner with Elaine May， through his emergence as a major force on Broadway and then on to his fabled movie career。Harris takes us through the hits and many misse A perfect match of writer and subject。Mark Harris explored the making of ‘The Graduate’ in an earlier book （‘Pictures at a Revolution’） but here he gives us an in-depth portrait of the film’s director Mike Nichols。The book presents the life of one of the most important American show business figure - fromNichols’ early days as a comedy partner with Elaine May， through his emergence as a major force on Broadway and then on to his fabled movie career。Harris takes us through the hits and many misses - including ‘Bogart Slept Here’ one of the rare major studio films that had the plug pulled after it went into production， despite a script by Neil Simon and a lead performance by Robert DeNIro。Harris also gives us an unvarnished view of Nichols’ turbulent private life， including four marriages and a long struggle with drugs （at one point Nichols was a crack addict）Because of its size and scope and acute insight Harris has given us one of the best Broadway/Hollywood books of recent vintage。（Thanks to Edelweiss for the electronic ARC） 。。。more
Jim Gladstone
，
This book provides a thorough reminder of Nichols' remarkable 5 decade-long impact on American theater and film。 The behind-the-scenes looks at his projects， from THE GRADUATE to ANGELS IN AMERICA， are priceless， and the amazing network of fellow artists he collaborated and clashed with， from Elizabeth Taylor to Whoopi Goldberg is fascinating to trace， guided by Harris， who is remarkably efficient at leading readers along the tangled paths of Nichols' interwoven careers as director， performer an This book provides a thorough reminder of Nichols' remarkable 5 decade-long impact on American theater and film。 The behind-the-scenes looks at his projects， from THE GRADUATE to ANGELS IN AMERICA， are priceless， and the amazing network of fellow artists he collaborated and clashed with， from Elizabeth Taylor to Whoopi Goldberg is fascinating to trace， guided by Harris， who is remarkably efficient at leading readers along the tangled paths of Nichols' interwoven careers as director， performer and producer。 Harris' explanations of Nichols' directorial style—which was rich with psychological insight about both characters and actors—are perhaps the best passages in the book。 What's disappointingly absent is much real revelation or explication of Nichols' own psychology and personal relationships beyond the long-lasting residue of his childhood。 His crucial relationships with Elaine May and later with fourth wife （for 25+ years） Diane Sawyer remain cryptic to the reader。 The emotional engines of his relationship with Sawyer， especially， are particularly elusive。 Harris （the husband of Tony Kushner） only gingerly touches on Nichols' sexuality， despite assertions by Richard Avedon， one of his closest friends， that the pair had a longtime love affair and the essentially long-distance nature of Nichols' relationships with his quartet of wives。 I wasn't hoping for anything lurid or salacious， but this volume just doesn't dig as deeply into what made Nichols tick。 He sometimes comes across as a baby and a diva; he's sometimes generous and sometimes remarkably stingy; he seems obsessed with status as much as art; he displays strokes of genius and wide stripes of misanthropy。 All fascinating， but not all tied together with a coherent authorial theory about his overall driving force， motivations or Achilles heels。 A great and well-organized compendium of facts with not enough reflection or interpretation for this reader。 。。。more
Reference
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The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Mike Nichols: A Life&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0