From Immigrant to the Graduate to Hollywood Legend: Mike Nichols, With Mark Harris

Pop Literacy

Director Mike Nichols lived an extraordinary life: He immigrated from Berlin to America as a young boy in 1939, lost his father at age 12, and was bullied throughout childhood because of a condition that had rendered him permanently hairless. But his difficulties only fueled his rise to comedy, Broadway, and Hollywood success. He became a comedy sensation in his twenties as a duo with Elaine May, then switched to directing theater and won back-to-back Tonys for a run of Neil Simon plays that included Barefoot in the Park and The Odd Couple.

When he switched to film, he struck it big yet again with The Graduate, a groundbreaking critical and box office smash. He continued to direct major films until his death in 2014, including Silkwood, Working Girl, The Birdcage, and Closer. He counted Elizabeth Taylor, Leonard Bernstein, and Richard Avedon as friends.

We learned all of this and so, so much more in Mark Harris’s astonishing biography Mike Nichols: A Life. In this episode we talk to Harris about Nichols’s personal struggles, culture-defining successes, glitzy friendships, and lasting impact.

Our guest this week:

Mike Nichols: A Life by Mark Harris