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 without parallel: while still in his 20's， he was half of a lucrative hit improv duo with Elaine May that was the talk of the country。 Next he directed four hit Broadway plays， picking up the Best Director Tony for three of them， and by his mid-30's the first two films he directed， 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf' and 'The Graduate'， were the highest-grossing movies of 1966 and 1967 respectively， and 'The Graduate' had won him an Oscar for Best Director。 Well before his 40th birthday， Nichols lived in a sprawling penthouse on Central Park West， drove a Rolls Royce， collected Arabian horses， and counted the likes of Jacqueline Kennedy， Stephen Sondheim， Richard Avedon and the Aga Khan as good friends。
Where he had arrived is even more astonishing given where he began: born Igor Peschkowsky to a Jewish couple in Berlin in 1931， he and his younger brother were sent alone to America on a ship in 1939。 Their father， who had gone ahead to find work， was waiting for them; their mother would follow， in the nick of time。 His name changed by his father to "Michael Nichols，" the young boy caught very few breaks: his parents were now destitute， and his father died when Mike was just 11， leaving his mentally unstable mother alone and overwhelmed。 Perhaps most cruelly， Nichols was completely bald: as a small child an allergic reaction to an immunization shot had caused total and permanent hair loss。 His parents claimed they could not afford to buy him even a cheap wig until he was almost in high school。
The gulf between these two sets of facts explains a great deal - Nichols's unquenchable drive， his hunger for the security of wealth and status， periodic depressions that brought him to terrible lows， and a habit of self-medicating with drugs that would at times bring him even lower。 It would take many years for him to come to grips with his demons， thanks in no small part to the happiness he found in his marriage to Diane Sawyer， after three previous false starts。 But Mark Harris's incomparable portrait is no reductive psycho-biography; it evokes Nichols's inner life， but above all it depicts， with brilliantly vivid detail and insight， a life in constant motion and creative ferment。 A very partial list of people Harris interviewed at length during the course of his research gives some sense: Elaine May， Meryl Streep， Stephen Sondheim， Robert Redford， Tony Kushner， Tom Hanks， Candace Bergen， Emma Thompson， Annette Bening， Natalie Portman， Scott Rudin， Lorne Michaels， and Gloria Steinem。
Mark Harris gives an intimate and even-handed 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。
Running Time => 17hrs。
©2021 Mark Harris （P）2021 Penguin Audio
Mike Nichols burst onto the scene as a wunderkind without parallel: while still in his 20's， he was half of a lucrative hit improv duo with Elaine May that was the talk of the country。 Next he directed four hit Broadway plays， picking up the Best Director Tony for three of them， and by his mid-30's the first two films he directed， 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf' and 'The Graduate'， were the highest-grossing movies of 1966 and 1967 respectively， and 'The Graduate' had won him an Oscar for Best Director。 Well before his 40th birthday， Nichols lived in a sprawling penthouse on Central Park West， drove a Rolls Royce， collected Arabian horses， and counted the likes of Jacqueline Kennedy， Stephen Sondheim， Richard Avedon and the Aga Khan as good friends。
Where he had arrived is even more astonishing given where he began: born Igor Peschkowsky to a Jewish couple in Berlin in 1931， he and his younger brother were sent alone to America on a ship in 1939。 Their father， who had gone ahead to find work， was waiting for them; their mother would follow， in the nick of time。 His name changed by his father to "Michael Nichols，" the young boy caught very few breaks: his parents were now destitute， and his father died when Mike was just 11， leaving his mentally unstable mother alone and overwhelmed。 Perhaps most cruelly， Nichols was completely bald: as a small child an allergic reaction to an immunization shot had caused total and permanent hair loss。 His parents claimed they could not afford to buy him even a cheap wig until he was almost in high school。
The gulf between these two sets of facts explains a great deal - Nichols's unquenchable drive， his hunger for the security of wealth and status， periodic depressions that brought him to terrible lows， and a habit of self-medicating with drugs that would at times bring him even lower。 It would take many years for him to come to grips with his demons， thanks in no small part to the happiness he found in his marriage to Diane Sawyer， after three previous false starts。 But Mark Harris's incomparable portrait is no reductive psycho-biography; it evokes Nichols's inner life， but above all it depicts， with brilliantly vivid detail and insight， a life in constant motion and creative ferment。 A very partial list of people Harris interviewed at length during the course of his research gives some sense: Elaine May， Meryl Streep， Stephen Sondheim， Robert Redford， Tony Kushner， Tom Hanks， Candace Bergen， Emma Thompson， Annette Bening， Natalie Portman， Scott Rudin， Lorne Michaels， and Gloria Steinem。
Mark Harris gives an intimate and even-handed 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。
Running Time => 17hrs。
©2021 Mark Harris （P）2021 Penguin Audio
Reviews
Alyssa Lentz
，
I loved this so much。 I went in not knowing too much about Mike Nichols but coming away with a much better appreciation and understanding of how he changed film。 Also， there are so many great tidbits and stories in here that made this a really delightful golden age of Hollywood biography to read。
Bob
，
Such a treasure each one of these books is 🙂 I've heard a few of them and can't wait to read most of these 🙂 If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top Such a treasure each one of these books is 🙂 I've heard a few of them and can't wait to read most of these 🙂 If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top 。。。more
Jianna Justice
，
spent 2 months steeped in mike nichols — early success， elaine may as a generative force， wigs and rejecting personal history， simon & garfunkel， performativism and a certain iciness， a love of true movie stars and sweeping buffets， a love of love and then miscalculation — always caring the most etc — american theater and then a greater sense of americana， working girl， arabian horses， marrying America’s news anchor， beating death with a full calendar。
Gail O'Connor
，
Marvelous biography of Mike Nichols。 The book had 599 pages full of information and I still found that he was an enigma to the very end。 There is no doubt that he was a genius but I couldn’t determine who he really was。 Extremely interesting and a great read。
Murray Batt
，
A certainly comprehensive account of Mike as partner of Elaine， actor， director of plays， director of movies and man about town What a list of plays to catch up on and movies to see。。。 so many hits， not a few flops So much success。。 a lot of bad habits too。 First and fourth marriages are the best。。。。his parents not so good marriage， his father’s early death， academic slug， University days in Hyde Park; Midnite special， improv， and on and on and on。 。full appointment book for the week after he di A certainly comprehensive account of Mike as partner of Elaine， actor， director of plays， director of movies and man about town What a list of plays to catch up on and movies to see。。。 so many hits， not a few flops So much success。。 a lot of bad habits too。 First and fourth marriages are the best。。。。his parents not so good marriage， his father’s early death， academic slug， University days in Hyde Park; Midnite special， improv， and on and on and on。 。full appointment book for the week after he died。。。。 。。。more
Kevin Houle
，
This long and detailed journey through Mike Nichols' life and career is effortlessly readable。 His lifetime of achievements is unparalleled， but his effusive personality， addictions， and idiosyncracies made me kind of dislike him as a person。 As a director， however， I was fascinated by the glimpses into his technique of motivating and inspiring actors。 I had the great fortune to see Spamalot on Broadway with the original cast， and this book， more than anything， makes me daydream of what a joy it This long and detailed journey through Mike Nichols' life and career is effortlessly readable。 His lifetime of achievements is unparalleled， but his effusive personality， addictions， and idiosyncracies made me kind of dislike him as a person。 As a director， however， I was fascinated by the glimpses into his technique of motivating and inspiring actors。 I had the great fortune to see Spamalot on Broadway with the original cast， and this book， more than anything， makes me daydream of what a joy it would've been to sit in a rehearsal room and watch this man work。 。。。more
Richard Reyes
，
Great job author， I really like your writing style。 I suggest you join NovelStar’s writing competition this April。 If you are interested kindly check this link https://www。facebook。com/104455574751。。。 for the mechanics of the writing contest this April and also， I am sharing your book in Facebook to help reach readers。 Thank you Great job author， I really like your writing style。 I suggest you join NovelStar’s writing competition this April。 If you are interested kindly check this link https://www。facebook。com/104455574751。。。 for the mechanics of the writing contest this April and also， I am sharing your book in Facebook to help reach readers。 Thank you 。。。more
Braeden
，
Loved all the insight into the behind-the-scenes on the filming of Angels in America then I realized the author is married to Tony Kushner。
Zack Teibloom
，
The gold standard for biographies。 A masterful telling of a fascinating life。 I found myself growing obsessed with Mike Nichols the man and endlessly tickled by the anecdotes Harris tells。 The best book I’ve read this year。 A towering achievement worthy of the EGOT winning subject。
Hank Stuever
，
A deeply reported， finely written， reliably inside Hollywood/Broadway biography by someone who writes those better than just about anyone around today。 What struck me was the degree to which Mike Nichols， by power of his personality and talent， spent his entire life pretty much doing only the work he cared about and wanted to do。 It was hard， but he always loved it。 Think about that next time （today， tomorrow， next week） you're doing work you only sorta care about。 This book is a chance to reall A deeply reported， finely written， reliably inside Hollywood/Broadway biography by someone who writes those better than just about anyone around today。 What struck me was the degree to which Mike Nichols， by power of his personality and talent， spent his entire life pretty much doing only the work he cared about and wanted to do。 It was hard， but he always loved it。 Think about that next time （today， tomorrow， next week） you're doing work you only sorta care about。 This book is a chance to really bask in the life of someone who had that freedom。 No matter his lows， it was all pretty much highs。 。。。more
WM D。
，
Mike Nichols is a good book。 It helped me understand the person Mike Nichols was
Tom
，
Mark Harris' MIKE NICHOLS: A LIFE is a rich， beautifully assembled portrait of an artist through the lens of his career and process， and it stands out for being an incredibly fun read。 Nichols seems to have been a complex subject about whom to write because there is a clear fracturing of his personality between the smart， droll public persona he affected （which I love） and the artist whose emotional life was cracked open by the process of making theater and films （which I also love）。 His ability Mark Harris' MIKE NICHOLS: A LIFE is a rich， beautifully assembled portrait of an artist through the lens of his career and process， and it stands out for being an incredibly fun read。 Nichols seems to have been a complex subject about whom to write because there is a clear fracturing of his personality between the smart， droll public persona he affected （which I love） and the artist whose emotional life was cracked open by the process of making theater and films （which I also love）。 His ability to process the text of a story through performance and staging underscores his inability to deeply analyze his own life; his addictions， relationships， his childhood， himself。 Still， Harris gives the sense that there is something in the act of making comedy and drama that released what was inside of Nichols and。 as someone who shares that impulse-- I am always opened up somehow when the lights go down in a theater or cinema-- I found the tension between Nichols' public/creative/inner selves incredibly moving and perfectly conveyed in the book。 I was also fascinated by his complex relationship with Elaine May， another hero of mine， and the unique energy between the two of them （she absolutely demands her own book！）。。。 I will 100% be re-visiting his filmography; I already love it， but now feel a much deeper connection to his work。 On top of it all， the book is laugh out loud funny （so many absolute mic drops！）， dishy， knows which details matter and when to move on （a masterclass in biographical pacing） and is a joy to read。 Enjoy！ 。。。more
Drew Stiling
，
The book was fine， but it turned out that I definitely don’t care enough about Mike Nichols to read a lengthy tome about him。
Sergio GRANDE
，
Three children， three grandchildren， four wives， eight Tonys， one Oscar and four nominations， two Baftas， two Emmys。 Best friends with Stephen Sondheim and Richard Avedon， with Nora Ephron and Barry Diller。 You know the expression ‘larger than life’。 It doesn’t apply here。 There’s nothing that seems larger than Mike Nicholls’ life。 Not his acting intuition， his appetite for drugs， beautiful women and knowledge， not the opportunities he was given or the place he occupies in the history of XX Cent Three children， three grandchildren， four wives， eight Tonys， one Oscar and four nominations， two Baftas， two Emmys。 Best friends with Stephen Sondheim and Richard Avedon， with Nora Ephron and Barry Diller。 You know the expression ‘larger than life’。 It doesn’t apply here。 There’s nothing that seems larger than Mike Nicholls’ life。 Not his acting intuition， his appetite for drugs， beautiful women and knowledge， not the opportunities he was given or the place he occupies in the history of XX Century arts and culture。A life like his deserved a better title and also a less clunky book。For some reason， Mr。 Harris chose to overburden this book with pages and pages naming every single film and theatre critic of the past fifty years from the New York Times， Variety， New York Post， Chicago Tribune， and others and quoting reviews such as these after every Nicholls’ film or stage production: “…a few reviewers complained that Nichols couldn’t possibly have found anything in Neil Simon’s play to engage his intellect or his talent。 “Isn’t it time for Nichols to start acting more like a real filmmaker and less like a guy on retainer？” Roger Ebert wrote。 Even those who enjoyed the movie， like New York’s David Denby， conceded that “a more lightweight film couldn’t be imagined。” “Here is one adaptation of a stage piece that has no identity crisis，” wrote Vincent Canby。 “Never for a minute does it aspire to be anything but a first-rate service comedy。” There was condescension even in the praise—“now that Nichols has resigned the auteur claims of his early film career in favor of more self-effacing commercial assignments， he seems a much stronger director; he has learned to serve his material，” said the Daily News the Daily News”。This is the story of a self-taught performance director who was handed his debut film staging the classic “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf” when he was only 34 and had never been in the vicinity of a film camera （the film got 13 Oscar nominations， including Best Director for Nicholls， and collected 5 statuettes –one of them Elizabeth Taylor’s second and last acting Oscar）。 The leads of the show were the two biggest stars in the world at the time: Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton。 His next film， “The Graduate” received seven Oscar nominations and earned Nicholls’ his Best Director award， apart from becoming the cornerstone of Dustin Hoffman’s career and getting him nominated for Best Actor on debut。Following John Kennedy’s assassination， Jackie Kennedy relied on her close friend Mike Nicholls to become her social escort （later he was asked to present a eulogy at her funeral）; when Meryl Streep was recipient of an American Film Institute Life Achievement Award， she requested that Mike Nicholls present it。 Six years later she returned the honour when Nicholls received his。 On that occasion， “we sent save-the-date cards to the twenty-five most imperative people，” says AFI head Bob Gazzale。 “Tom Hanks， Julia Roberts， Elaine May， Robin Williams， Meryl Streep 。 。 。 In one day， twenty-four of them said， ‘I’ll be there。’ It was one of the first times people called to say， ‘Can I come？’ Steven Spielberg said， ‘I want to be there for Mike。’ Oprah Winfrey said， ‘How do I buy a table？’ It had never happened before， and I don’t know that it will happen again。”And these are just footnotes in a book that deserved a far better and more imaginative title than “A Life” （he had chosen himself the title of a never written autobiography: The Wrong Jew）。 。。。more
Kylie
，
I’ve always been fascinated by Mike Nichols as both a person and artist。 This book is a fascinating， honest， and compassionate look into Mikes work and life。Mark Harris gets the humor and artistry of Mike Nichols that not many could capture。 I’m so grateful for this book！
Daniel
，
This book is extraordinary。 Everyone should read it。
Tim Oldakowski
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Hands down one of the best entertainment biographies I have ever read。 I’ve been familiar with Mike Nichols and his work for over 39 years but I was grateful to learn so much more about him and his work。 This book is on par with bios about Dawn Steel and Sue Mengers。
Lucinda
，
I am going against the tide here， but I found the book too long。 I am not in the entertainment industry， other than enjoying good shows on the stage， in the movies and on tv。 I enjoyed learning about his personal life， but the long descriptions of the making of his various productions were more than I needed to know。 I was lucky enough to have seen Nichols and May often on tv when they were first on the scene， as well as seeing many of his movies and a few of his stage shows。 He was definitely a I am going against the tide here， but I found the book too long。 I am not in the entertainment industry， other than enjoying good shows on the stage， in the movies and on tv。 I enjoyed learning about his personal life， but the long descriptions of the making of his various productions were more than I needed to know。 I was lucky enough to have seen Nichols and May often on tv when they were first on the scene， as well as seeing many of his movies and a few of his stage shows。 He was definitely a very talented person and brought a great deal of pleasure to many of us。 But the book was too long。 。。。more
Jeff Talbott
，
But like。。。。 6 stars？ 8？
Judy Santos
，
The author is so talented， I suggest you join NovelStar’s writing competition this April。 If you are interested kindly check this link https://www。facebook。com/104455574751。。。 for the mechanics of the writing contest this April and also， I am sharing your book in Facebook to help reach readers。 Thank you The author is so talented， I suggest you join NovelStar’s writing competition this April。 If you are interested kindly check this link https://www。facebook。com/104455574751。。。 for the mechanics of the writing contest this April and also， I am sharing your book in Facebook to help reach readers。 Thank you 。。。more
John Albers
，
An interesting biography of a man who started out as a part of a famous comedy team of the 1950's （with Elaine May）， then a successful stage and screen director。 I remember seeing him and May on television doing sketches of May， a funeral director， trying to upsell Nichols on a funeral for his uncle。 Three years later he was known as the director of the Graduate， a film that every adolescent quoted during the late sixties。 Nichols， who came to the US， as a refugee from Nazi， worked at a classic An interesting biography of a man who started out as a part of a famous comedy team of the 1950's （with Elaine May）， then a successful stage and screen director。 I remember seeing him and May on television doing sketches of May， a funeral director， trying to upsell Nichols on a funeral for his uncle。 Three years later he was known as the director of the Graduate， a film that every adolescent quoted during the late sixties。 Nichols， who came to the US， as a refugee from Nazi， worked at a classical radio station in Chicago， worked with just about anybody and everybody that was famous in Hollywood， led an interesting life and the book covers， in detail， his life and career。 。。。more
Sarala Dee
，
i adore Mike Nichols as a director and as a phenomenal actor。 This book reveals much about him that I was not aware of from interviews of people that were close to him though his life。 it reveals much about his relationship with Elaine May and his beginnings in Chicago。 Much is given to his history of relationships with women and his marriages。He was a very insecure man， with a tendency to both cruelty and absolute locality。 His career was filled with ups and downs， many of which he created hims i adore Mike Nichols as a director and as a phenomenal actor。 This book reveals much about him that I was not aware of from interviews of people that were close to him though his life。 it reveals much about his relationship with Elaine May and his beginnings in Chicago。 Much is given to his history of relationships with women and his marriages。He was a very insecure man， with a tendency to both cruelty and absolute locality。 His career was filled with ups and downs， many of which he created himself by his need for absolute control。 A totally absorbing book， about one of the most influential people in film and theatre of our century。 。。。more
Susan Long
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A fascinating story about struggle and acceptance woven with brilliance as well as flaws。 Mike’s many talents reflected in too many awards to keep track of but his loyalty and mentor ship truly stand out。 A definite must read as a guide to the theater and movie making。
Roger
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MIKE NICHOLS: A LIFE is a remarkably engaging book about a man who， himself， could be remarkably engaging， though often not。 Before reading this book I knew that Mike Nichols was married to Diane Sawyer and directed THE GRADUATE， a favorite movie during my college years when it appealed to my sense of entitled angst。 Dig a little deeper and I may have recollected that Mike Nichols directed THE BIRDCAGE， SILKWOOD， and some plays， and did some kind of comedy bit in the olden days。The truth as laid MIKE NICHOLS: A LIFE is a remarkably engaging book about a man who， himself， could be remarkably engaging， though often not。 Before reading this book I knew that Mike Nichols was married to Diane Sawyer and directed THE GRADUATE， a favorite movie during my college years when it appealed to my sense of entitled angst。 Dig a little deeper and I may have recollected that Mike Nichols directed THE BIRDCAGE， SILKWOOD， and some plays， and did some kind of comedy bit in the olden days。The truth as laid out by author Mark Harris is much broader， deeper， and more interesting， abetted by the wealth of familiar names who contributed to the research behind this book。 Every few pages introduces， or rather re-introduces， familiary names。 Ed Asner shows up， as does Alan Alda， George Segal， Stockard Channing， and Swoozie Kurtz。 That's not even counting the superstars like Burton and Taylor， Nicholson， and Meryl Streep。 The figures who dominated （or even just showed up--Nichols knew them all it seems） the movies and the television shows I watched as a youth were all in Mike Nichols's world。 He knew the stars and the working stiff actors in Hollywood and especially on Broadway。 Even Buck Henry， the genius behind GET SMART， my favorite childhood show， was a friend and collaborator。 Make sure you read the acknowledgements。 The list of interviewees is a romp through the past 60 years of American entertainment。Nichols left a vast legacy for American theater and comedy， and his movies will stand the test of time as well。 But， the path to that legacy is bumpy， primarily because of Nichols's own personal burdens。 As a child he escaped Nazi Germany and he often wondered why his Russian Jewish family survived and so many others did not。 He carried that guilt。 To further complicate his life， as a child an adverse reaction to a whooping cough vaccine left him hairless。 When he came to New York as a young boy in the 1930s he not only was the immigrant Jewish outsider but the bald little boy。 He fought with teachers so that he could wear his cap indoors， he skipped school， and he found refuge in movie theaters。 His discomfort with his personal appearance led him to start wearing wigs in his teens; cheap ones because his family was poor。 As a young man， at night he used acetone to dissolve the adhesive that kept the wig in place。 The smell was so bad his friends would gag a bit when they entered his modest apartment。 Even as a successful man in later life he could be hurt by smirking asides， in print or behind his back， about his hairlessness。 It added to his sense of not belonging， of being lesser。 Later in life， these burdens led to drug abuse and mental health issues， and on a lesser level a sometime dilatory approach to projects that left colleagues hanging。But Nichols was too smart and too complicated to be defined by his burdens。 He was whip smart and knew it。 His wit could be a weapon and was his ticket to early stardom in the comedy team of Nichols and May。 They rejected the old vaudvillian comedy and brought insightful improv to the fore。 His intelligence and ambitions brought him opportunities that he grabbed。 After high school he was unsure of what to do for a bit， so he ended up applying to and enrolling in the University of Chicago。 Not community college， the University of Chicago。 When the chance arose， he made friends with the best and brightest。 Going to Hollywood in the early 1960s to start a career making movies， with no experience behind him， he had lunch with Billy Wilder， Otto Preminger， and Joseph L。 Mankiewicz to elicit their advice。 Why not the best？ Why not make friends with interesting people？ The bridge between his insecurities and his desires to grab the brass ring are exemplied when he befriends Elizabeth Taylor， and in return she tells him he needs better more expensive wigs。 She knew someone。Mike Nichols found success and he eventually found peace， but he was not without flaws that may make any reader wonder why he was so beloved。 He could be mean， as a host of people who fell prey to his withering tongue could attest; just look to his relationship with Garry Shandling。 Mark Harris knew Mike Nichols， but this relationship doesn't seem to shadow the author's work。 Harris lets the life tell the story。 There are warts， but mostly there is art， and at the end there is peace and love。 Not a bad story。 。。。more
Beth
，
What an absorbing book。 Don't get turned off by its length or the （wonderful） fact that it is so detailed in its research。 I could not put it down。 Made me so wish I had gone into the arts and maybe had had a chance to rub elbows with Nichols and some of the brilliant friends in his circles。 What an absorbing book。 Don't get turned off by its length or the （wonderful） fact that it is so detailed in its research。 I could not put it down。 Made me so wish I had gone into the arts and maybe had had a chance to rub elbows with Nichols and some of the brilliant friends in his circles。 。。。more
Slappy
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Deeply researched and thorough biography of the complex & talented director who was a star in more than one field。 A can't put down read Deeply researched and thorough biography of the complex & talented director who was a star in more than one field。 A can't put down read 。。。more
Deborah Underwood
，
Outstanding biography of Mike Nichols。 Mark Harris was given permission by Mike's wife， Diane Sawyer， and all of his children to write this with "no conditions attached。。。no subject or area of inquiry was off limits and they did not ask to see any part of the manuscript before publication。" The result is comprehensive and well-written。 Outstanding biography of Mike Nichols。 Mark Harris was given permission by Mike's wife， Diane Sawyer， and all of his children to write this with "no conditions attached。。。no subject or area of inquiry was off limits and they did not ask to see any part of the manuscript before publication。" The result is comprehensive and well-written。 。。。more
Hansel5
，
I think I picked this up after reading a review of it， or an article by the book's author in the New Yorker earlier this year。It read very fast， close to 60 years in 600 pages。 What I enjoyed most was the story of Nichols' early life and his early successes， as well as finding out about all the behind the scenes events of the plays he was involved in and the film he either produced or directed。What I found most puzzling （or inability to reconcile） was Nichols' shortcomings like insecurity， alcoh I think I picked this up after reading a review of it， or an article by the book's author in the New Yorker earlier this year。It read very fast， close to 60 years in 600 pages。 What I enjoyed most was the story of Nichols' early life and his early successes， as well as finding out about all the behind the scenes events of the plays he was involved in and the film he either produced or directed。What I found most puzzling （or inability to reconcile） was Nichols' shortcomings like insecurity， alcoholism， drug addiction， over spending， while being a high intellectual and good communicator。 。。。more
Ronald Balzan
，
What a life！ What a book！ I can count the number of books that have moved me to tears on my fingers （without doubling up）， and this was one of them。 But the tears came only at the end， and I tend to cry when something great is lost。 Mike Nichols seems to have lived a life that I'm not sure it's possible for someone， however fortunate， to live anymore。 So， the loss in question is twofold: for Mike himself and for the time and place （including the values） in which he lived。 I encourage you to read What a life！ What a book！ I can count the number of books that have moved me to tears on my fingers （without doubling up）， and this was one of them。 But the tears came only at the end， and I tend to cry when something great is lost。 Mike Nichols seems to have lived a life that I'm not sure it's possible for someone， however fortunate， to live anymore。 So， the loss in question is twofold: for Mike himself and for the time and place （including the values） in which he lived。 I encourage you to read this book to better understand what I mean。 It will bring you great joy and describe times you will pine for too。 。。。more
Rachel
，
An exhaustive account of Nichol’s projects but not very much about his life。 It really read more like a history of his work and not a biography to me。 Aside from his childhood and some of his work with Elaine May， his personal life， habits， thoughts are a mystery。 I never got a sense of who he was as a person。 Oddly， I got a solid sense of what many actors he worked with were like but not Nichols。 I’ve never read a biography with such little insight or depth given to the subject’s personality。 An exhaustive account of Nichol’s projects but not very much about his life。 It really read more like a history of his work and not a biography to me。 Aside from his childhood and some of his work with Elaine May， his personal life， habits， thoughts are a mystery。 I never got a sense of who he was as a person。 Oddly， I got a solid sense of what many actors he worked with were like but not Nichols。 I’ve never read a biography with such little insight or depth given to the subject’s personality。 A lot of the book was just a recounting of the minutia of his various projects （not all projects got equal billing and some that you thought would be the most in-depth were not—and I’m still wondering how he got into television exactly） and then suddenly he was getting divorced or married or it was mentioned he was doing crack regularly or hadn’t seen his child for most of her childhood。 What？ No mention on how his interpersonal or professional life was affected by his apparent heavy substance abuse or what his personal relationship with pretty anyone was really like。 Very odd take on a biography， it would have been better if they had not pretended it was a biography and focused what it really was about， the work of Mike Nichols， not Mike Nichols the man。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Mike Nichols: A Life
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Mike Nichols: A Life&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
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