- Nichols died Wednesday night
- He was married to journalist Diane Sawyer
- His last film as a director was "Charlie Wilson's War"
(CNN) -- Mike Nichols, the award-winning director and pioneering comedian who was one of the few people to win an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony award, died Wednesday evening, according to a note from ABC News' president to its staff.
Nichols, 83, who directed "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" and "The Graduate," was the husband of former "ABC World News" anchor Diane Sawyer.
Nichols' influence looms large in entertainment. He was among the founders of the Compass Players, the predecessor to the Chicago-based comedy troupe Second City, which has been a proving ground for comic talent for more than four decades.
Share your memories of Mike Nichols
Director Mike Nichols dies at 83 As a performer with Elaine May in the late '50s and early '60s, he took comedy into places it had seldom gone before, bringing an improvisational swagger and intellectual edge to a field that had been dominated by joke-telling standups.
"Nichols and May combined the political and social satire of (Mort) Sahl and (Lenny) Bruce with the inspired comic skits of (Sid) Caesar and (Imogene) Coca," wrote Sam Kashner in a 2013 Vanity Fair profile.
Nichols was also an outstanding theater director. At one point in 1967, he had four plays running on Broadway -- including two by Neil Simon, "Barefoot in the Park" and "The Odd Couple" -- and he was a go-to guy for stage works until the end of his life, helming Tom Stoppard's "The Real Thing" (1984), "Monty Python's Spamalot" (2005) and a 2012 revival of "Death of a Salesman" starring Philip Seymour Hoffman.
But he's probably best known for his movies, including the groundbreaking "The Graduate" (1967), the Oscar-nominated "Silkwood" (1983) and box-office smash "The Birdcage" (1996).
He was known as an "actor's director," one able to pull strong performances from his ensemble and capable of seeing things others didn't.
Dustin Hoffman remembered Nichols' ability at an American Film Institute tribute. Hoffman observed that Benjamin Braddock, the character he played in "The Graduate," was a tall, blond, WASP-y type in the novel. (Indeed, among the actors considered for the role was Robert Redford.) But Nichols saw the character as uncertain and neurotic, qualities Hoffman brought to life on screen.
"And so I thank you for casting this short, 29-year-old, unknown actor with a prominent nose to play Benjamin Braddock," Hoffman said. "God bless you, sir. You're more than a great director. You're a real artist down to your toes, because you're insanely courageous."
Starting with two phrases
Nichols was born Michael Igor Peschkowsky in Berlin in 1931. With war clouds looming and Nazi persecution of Jews rising, he immigrated to the United States in 1939.
As recounted in the book "Faces of America," a young Nichols arrived in the United States knowing only two phrases: "I don't speak English" and "Please, don't kiss me." The family changed its last name to Nichols after settling in New York City, where the family patriarch established a medical practice.
It's a very exclusive club. Only 12 people in history have won the four major entertainment awards -- the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony -- in competition. Three others have all four thanks to honorary awards. "Let It Go" songwriter Robert Lopez became the latest to pull off the feat when he won an Oscar for best song. 
Richard Rodgers, the music-writing half of the famed Rodgers and Hammerstein composing team, earned an Oscar for his song "It Might as Well Be Spring" from "State Fair." He received an Emmy for a 1962 TV special, Grammys for two cast albums, and six Tonys -- including honors for his works "South Pacific," "The King and I" and "The Sound of Music." 
Helen Hayes, the "First Lady of the American Theater," had a career spanning more than seven decades. She received Oscars 38 years apart, for "The Sin of Madeline Claudet" (1932) and "Airport" (1970). She also earned two Tonys, an Emmy for a 1953 presentation and a Grammy for a spoken-word recording of "Great American Documents." 
Rita Moreno, who made a rousing appearance at the SAG Awards in January, won her Oscar for 1961's "West Side Story." She won a Tony for 1975's "The Ritz," two Emmys (one for a "Muppet Show" appearance) and a Grammy for an album from one of her TV shows -- "The Electric Company." 
The great British actor John Gielgud was 87 when he completed his EGOT with an Emmy in 1991. By that time, he'd won two Tonys -- the second for directing 1961's "Big Fish, Little Fish" -- a Grammy for a spoken-word recording and the Oscar for one of his most famous roles: the valet, Hobson, in 1981's "Arthur." 
Audrey Hepburn won both her Oscar and Tony when she was still in her 20s -- the Oscar for 1953's "Roman Holiday" and the Tony for 1954's "Ondine." Four decades later, she completed the EGOT circuit with an Emmy for 1993's "Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn" and a Grammy for 1994's "Audrey Hepburn's Enchanted Tales." 
American composer Marvin Hamlisch was a towering figure in the arts. He won three Oscars -- all for his contributions to 1973's "The Way We Were" -- and four Grammys, including song of the year for "The Way We Were." He also won four Emmys, two for his work with Barbra Streisand, and a Tony for writing the score for "A Chorus Line." One singular sensation, indeed. 
Composer and conductor Jonathan Tunick finished his EGOT over the space of 20 years. His Oscar was for the score adaptation of 1977's "A Little Night Music"; his Emmy came for his musical direction of 1982's "Night of 100 Stars"; his Grammy was for orchestration of Cleo Laine's 1987 song "No One Is Alone"; and his Tony was for 1997's musical "Titanic." 
Think Mel Brooks is merely a funnyman? Try Renaissance man. He has an Oscar for his "Producers" screenplay, Emmys for appearances on "Mad About You" (as well as one for writing a Sid Caesar special), three Grammys and three Tonys. The Tonys and two of the Grammys are also for "The Producers," which was turned into a 2001 musical. Oh, he also writes fart jokes. 
Mike Nichols -- here with his wife, Diane Sawyer -- earned a reputation as one of the finest directors in film, TV and theater. He won an Oscar for directing 1967's "The Graduate," four Emmys for his work on "Wit" and "Angels in America," and nine Tonys, the most recent for his direction of a 2012 production of "Death of a Salesman." He was funny, too. His Grammy was for a 1961 comedy collaboration with Elaine May, "An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May." Nichols died on November 19, 2014. 
Whoopi Goldberg first became famous for a one-woman show on Broadway, which -- ironically -- won her a Grammy, not a Tony. (It was also directed by none other than Mike Nichols.) She won an Oscar for her performance in 1990's "Ghost," two Emmys (including one for hosting "The View"), and finally the Tony for producing 2002's "Thoroughly Modern Millie." 
Producer Scott Rudin is extremely active in Hollywood, but he only has one Oscar -- for producing 2007's "No Country for Old Men." He's had much more awards success in theater, with eight Tonys, including an honor for producing 2011's "The Book of Mormon." His Emmy is for a 1983 children's program, "He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin'," and he won a Grammy for "The Book of Mormon" cast recording. He is the first producer to make the EGOT club. 
Robert Lopez became the latest member of the EGOT club Sunday night when his song, "Let It Go" -- written with his wife, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, left -- won the Oscar for best song. His other honors include Tonys for "Avenue Q" and "The Book of Mormon," Emmys for "Wonder Pets" and a Grammy for the "Book of Mormon" cast album. 
Three artists have made the EGOT club thanks to honorary awards. Liza Minelli won competitive Tonys in 1965 and 1978, an Oscar for 1972's "Cabaret" and an Emmy for 1973's "Liza with a 'Z'." She also has an honorary Grammy, a Legend Award she received in 1990. 
Barbra Streisand's competitive awards include an Oscar for "Funny Girl," four Emmy awards and 10 Grammys. Her Tony, received in 1970, is honorary. 
James Earl Jones won a Tony for 1968's "The Great White Hope" and another almost two decades later for 1987's "Fences." He also has three Emmys and a 1977 Grammy for a spoken-word recording. His Oscar, given at the 2011 awards, is honorary. The EGOT club 
Click through to see people who died in 2014. 
Acclaimed director Mike Nichols died on November 19. Nichols, pictured with his wife, journalist Diane Sawyer, was best known for his films "The Graduate," "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and "The Birdcage." He was 83. 
Jimmy Ruffin, silky-voiced singer of the Motown classic "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted," died November 19 in Las Vegas. He was 78. 
'Knight Rider," "Battlestar Gallactica" producer Glen A. Larson passed away on November 14 at the age of 77 after a battle with cancer. 
MTV reality star Diem Brown died November 14, at age 32 after a long battle with cancer. 
Actress Carol Ann Susi, best known for voicing the unseen Mrs. Wolowitz on "The Big Bang Theory," died November 11, after a fight with cancer. She was 62. 
A member of the Sugarhill Gang, Henry 'Big Bank Hank' Jackson, whose pioneering hit "Rapper's Delight" brought hip-hop to mainstream audiences 35 years ago, died November 11 of complications from cancer. 
Tom Magliozzi, left, half of the "Click and Clack" team of brothers who hosted NPR's "Car Talk" radio show, died November 3. He was 77. 
"House of Cards" actress Elizabeth Norment passed away at the age of 61, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed October 28 via Norment's sister Kate. According to the star's obituary in The Washington Post, Norment died of cancer on October 13 at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York. 
Jack Bruce, bassist for the legendary 1960s rock band Cream, died October 25 at age 71. 
Ben Bradlee, the zestful, charismatic Washington Post editor who guided the paper through the era of the Pentagon Papers and Watergate and was immortalized on screen in "All the President's Men," died on October 21. He was 93. 
Fashion designer Oscar de la Renta died on October 20, close friends of the family and industry colleagues told CNN. He was 82. 
"August: Osage County" actress Misty Upham was declared dead by a Washington coroner after her body was found along a river in suburban Seattle on October 16. 
Actress Elizabeth Pena died October 14, according to her manager. She was 55. 
Isaiah "Ikey" Owens, the keyboardist in Jack White's backing band, died October 14. The musician also played with bands such as Mars Volta and Free Moral Agents. He was 38. 
Mark Bell, who founded the highly influential techno-music duo LFO and later collaborated with Bjork on several iconic albums, died of complications from a surgery, his record label said October 13. 
Actress and comedian Jan Hooks died in New York on October 9. Her representative, Lisa Lieberman, confirmed the death to CNN but provided no additional information. According to IMDb.com, Hooks was 57. 
Geoffrey Holder, a versatile artist known for his ability as a dancer, actor and a pitchman for 7Up, died from complications due to pneumonia, his family's attorney said on October 6. Holder was 84. 
Paul Revere, leader of the 1960s rock band Paul Revere and the Raiders, died October 4 at his home in Idaho, according to the band's website. He was 76. 
Emmy-winning actress Polly Bergen, whose TV and movie career spanned more than six decades, died on September 20, according to her publicist. She was 84, according to IMDb.com. 
Singer George Hamilton IV, known as the "International Ambassador of Country Music," died at a Nashville hospital on September 17 following a heart attack, the Grand Ole Opry said in a press release. He was 77. 
Northern Ireland's former first minister and former Democratic Unionist Party leader Ian Paisley has died, his wife, Eileen, said in a statement on September 12. He was 88. 
Richard Kiel, the actor best known for playing the James Bond villain "Jaws," died September 10 at a California hospital, St. Agnes Medical Center spokeswoman Kelley Sanchez said. He was 74. 
Joan Rivers, the sassy comedian whose gossipy "can we talk" persona catapulted her into a career as a headlining talk-show host, best-selling author and red-carpet maven, died September 4. She was 81. 
Jimi Jamison, lead singer of the 1980s rock band Survivor, died at the age of 63, it was announced September 2. 
Acclaimed actor-director Richard Attenborough died on August 24, the British Broadcasting Corporation reported, citing his son. Attenborough was 90. 
Don Pardo, the man whose voice introduced the cast of NBC's "Saturday Night Live" for decades, died at the age of 96, the network announced August 19. 
Skateboarding legend Jay Adams died of a heart attack August 14 while vacationing in Mexico with his wife. He was 53. 
Ed Nelson, best known for playing a doctor in the 1960s nighttime soap opera "Peyton Place," died on August 13, his family said. He was 85. 
Actress Arlene Martel, whom "Star Trek" fans knew as Spock's bride-to-be, died in a Los Angeles hospital August 12 after complications from a heart attack, her son said. Martel was 78. 
Actress Lauren Bacall, the husky-voiced Hollywood icon known for her sultry sensuality, died on August 12. She was 89. 
Actor and comedian Robin Williams died at his Northern California home on August 11. Williams apparently took his own life, law enforcement officials said. He was 63. 
JJ Murphy, an actor who was set to join the "Game of Thrones" cast, died August 8, his agent said. He was 86. 
Actor Charles Keating, who had been fighting lung cancer for several years, died on August 8, his son Sean Keating said. Charles Keating was known for his role of villain Carl Hutchins on the daytime drama "Another World." He was 72. 
James Brady, the former White House press secretary who was severely wounded in a 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan, has died, the White House said on August 4. He was 73. Later in the week, authorities told CNN they are investigating it as a homicide. 
Theodore "Dutch" Van Kirk, the last crewman of the U.S. plane that dropped the first atomic bomb over Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945, died of natural causes on July 28, according to his daughter Vicki Triplett. He was 93. 
James Shigeta, a prolific and pioneering Asian-American actor whose 50-year career included the movies "Die Hard" and "Flower Drum Song," died in his sleep in Los Angeles on July 28, his agent said. He was 81. 
Skye McCole Bartusiak, who played Mel Gibson's youngest daughter in "The Patriot," died July 19, at her home in Houston, her mother said Sunday. She was 21. While investigators didn't immediately determine a cause of death, Bartusiak had been suffering from epileptic seizures, according to her mother. 
James Garner, the understated, wisecracking everyman actor who enjoyed multigenerational success on both the small and big screens, died of natural causes on July 19. He was 86. 
Broadway legend Elaine Stritch died July 17. According to her longtime friend Julie Keyes, Stritch died at her home in Birmingham, Michigan, surrounded by her family. She was 89 years old. 
Blues guitarist and singer Johnny Winter died July 16 in a Swiss hotel room, his representative said. He was 70. 
Nadine Gordimer, a South African author who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1991, died on July 13, according to her family. She was 90. 
Renowned conductor Lorin Maazel died from complications of pneumonia on July 13, according to his family. He was 84. 
Grammy-winning jazz bassist Charlie Haden, whose music career spanned seven decades and several genres, died July 11, according to his publicist. He was 76. 
Drummer Tommy Ramone, the last living original member of the pioneering punk band The Ramones, died on July 11, according to the band's Facebook page. He was 65. 
Eileen Ford, who founded the Ford Model Agency 70 years ago, died July 9 at the age of 92, the company said. 
Richard Percy Jones, the actor who gave Pinocchio his voice in the 1940 Disney movie, died at his California home on July 8. He was 87. 
David Legeno, known for playing Fenrir Greyback in the "Harry Potter" movies, was found dead July 6, by hikers in a remote desert location in Death Valley, California. He was 50. "It appears that Legeno died of heat-related issues, but the Inyo County Coroner will determine the final cause of death," read a press release from the Inyo County Sheriff's Department. "There are no signs of foul play." 
Rosemary Murphy, an Emmy Award-winning actress known for her roles in the movie "To Kill a Mockingbird" as well as TV soap operas "All My Children" and "Another World," died July 5 at the age of 89. The New York Times cited cancer as the cause of death. 
Olympian and World War II hero Louis Zamperini, the subject of the book and upcoming film "Unbroken," died July 2 after a recent battle with pneumonia. The 97-year-old peacefully passed away in the presence of his entire family, according to a statement. 
Walter Dean Myers, a beloved author of children's books, died on July 1 following a brief illness, according to the Children's Book Council. 
Paul Mazursky, a five-time Oscar nominee who directed and wrote such films as "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice," "An Unmarried Woman" and "Down and Out in Beverly Hills," died at the age of 84, his agent said July 1. 
Actor Meshach Taylor died June 28 at his Los Angeles-area home, his agent, Dede Binder, said. He was 67. Taylor had fought a terminal illness and faded markedly in recent days, Binder said. His wife, children, grandchildren and mother surrounded him as he passed away. 
Legendary soul singer Bobby Womack died June 27, according to Womack's publicist. He was 70. 
Character actor Eli Wallach, seen here in "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," died on June 24, according to a family member who did not want to be named. Wallach was 98. 
Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn died June 16 at the age of 54, according to a release from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Gwynn, who had 3,141 hits in 20 seasons with the San Diego Padres, had cancer. 
Radio personality Casey Kasem died June 15. He was 82 and had been hospitalized in Washington state for two weeks. 
Former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Chuck Noll died June 13. He had suffered from Alzheimer's and heart disease. He was 82. 
Ruby Dee, an award-winning actress whose seven-decade career included triumphs on stage and screen, died June 12. She was 91. 
Former baseball star Bob Welch passed away on June 9 after suffering a heart attack, according to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was 57. 
British actor and comedian Rik Mayall, who appeared in the TV series "Blackadder," died June 9 at the age of 56, his agent said. The cause of death was not immediately reported. 
Chester Nez, the last of the original Navajo code talkers credited with creating an unbreakable code used during World War II, died June 5 at his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the Navajo Nation President said. Nez was 93. 
Ann B. Davis, who played Alice the maid on "The Brady Bunch," died from a subdural hematoma on June 1. She was 88. 
Maya Angelou, a renowned poet, novelist and actress, died at the age of 86, her literary agent said on May 28. Angelou was also a professor, singer and dancer whose work spanned several generations. 
Australian racing legend Jack Brabham died on May 19, according to Brabham's son David. Brabham, 88, was a three-time Formula One world champion. 
Malik Bendjelloul, the Oscar-winning director of "Searching for Sugar Man," died suddenly on May 13, police said. He was 36. 
H.R. Giger, the Swiss surrealist artist whose works of sexual-industrial imagery and design of the eponymous creature in the "Alien" movies were known around the world, died on May 12. He was 74. 
Former professional tennis player Elena Baltacha died at the age of 30 after losing her battle with liver cancer on May 4. Before retiring in November, she had reached a career high of 49th in the world rankings. 
Al Feldstein, who guided Mad magazine for almost three decades as its editor, died on April 29, according to a Montana funeral home. He was 88. 
Oscar-nominated British actor Bob Hoskins, known for roles in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" and "Mona Lisa," died April 29 at age 71, his publicist said. 
Hall of Fame basketball coach John "Dr. Jack" Ramsay, who became a television analyst years after winning a league championship with the Portland Trail Blazers, died on April 28, according to his longtime employer ESPN. Ramsay was 89. 
Former Barcelona soccer coach Tito Vilanova, who had been battling cancer, died at the age of 45, the club announced April 25. 
Country singer Kevin Sharp died from "complications due to cancer" on April 19, his mother told CNN. He was 43. 
Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, the middleweight boxing contender who was wrongly convicted of a triple murder in New Jersey in the 1960s, died April 20 at the age of 76, according to Win Wahrer, the director of client services for the Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted. 
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the influential, Nobel Prize-winning author of "One Hundred Years of Solitude" and "Love in the Time of Cholera," passed away on April 17, his family and officials said. He was 87. 
Jose Luis "Cheo" Feliciano, a giant of salsa music and a Puerto Rican legend, died in a car crash April 18 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, according to police. He was 78. 
Days after being inducted into World Wrestling Entertainment's Hall of Fame, WWE superstar Ultimate Warrior died April 8. Born James Hellwig, he legally changed his name to Warrior in 1993. He was 54. 
Comedian John Pinette, 50, was found dead in a Pittsburgh hotel room on April 5. Pinette died of natural causes stemming from "a medical history he was being treated for," the medical examiner's spokesman said. An autopsy will not be done because his personal doctor signed the death certificate. 
Mickey Rooney, who started as a child star in vaudeville and went on to star in hundreds of movies and TV shows, died April 6 at the age of 93. 
DJ Frankie Knuckles, a legendary producer, remixer and house music pioneer, died March 31 at the age of 59. 
Kate O'Mara, the British actress best known for playing Joan Collins' sister on the 1980s show "Dynasty," died March 30. She was 74. 
Ralph C. Wilson Jr., the founder and longtime owner of the NFL's Buffalo Bills, died at age 95, the team announced March 25. 
Gwar lead singer Dave Brockie died March 23 at the age of 50, his manager said. The heavy-metal group formed in 1984, billing itself as "Earth's only openly extraterrestrial rock band." Brockie performed in the persona of Oderus Urungus. 
James Rebhorn, whose acting resume includes a long list of character roles in major films and TV shows, died March 21, his representative said. Rebhorn was 65. 
L'Wren Scott, a noted fashion designer and girlfriend of musician Mick Jagger, was found dead of an apparent suicide March 17, according to a law enforcement official. She was 49. 
Drummer Scott Asheton, who co-founded and played drums for the influential proto-punk band The Stooges, died March 15. He was 64. 
Comedian David Brenner, a regular on Johnny Carson's "The Tonight Show," died after a battle with cancer, a family spokesman said March 15. He was 78. 
Actress Sheila MacRae, who portrayed Alice Kramden in a 1960s revival of "The Honeymooners" on "The Jackie Gleason Show," died on March 6, according to her family. She was 92. 
Spanish guitarist Paco de Lucia, seen here in 2006, died February 25 of an apparent heart attack. He was 66. De Lucia transformed the folk art of flamenco music into a more vibrant modern sound. 
Actor, writer and director Harold Ramis, seen here on the far left with fellow "Ghostbusters" Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray, died at his Chicago-area home on February 24. He was 69. Other popular Ramis films include "Stripes," "Groundhog Day" and "Analyze This." 
Maria von Trapp, seen here posing with a photo of her family, was the last of the singing siblings immortalized in the movie "The Sound of Music." She died February 18 of natural causes at her Vermont home, according to her family. She was 99. 
Journalist Garrick Utley died at age 74 following a long battle with cancer, his wife of 40 years said in February. Utley worked for CNN after his 30-year career at NBC News. 
Devo guitarist Bob Casale, known by fans as "Bob 2," died February 17, his brother and band mate announced. Casale was 61. 
John Henson, the son of Jim Henson who is perhaps most notable for his portrayal of Sweetums on "The Muppets," died after a "sudden, massive heart attack," his family's company said on February 15. 
Veteran actor Ralph Waite died at 85 on February 13, according to an accountant for the Waite family and a church where the actor was a regular member. Waite was best known for his role as John Walton Sr. on 'The Waltons." 
Sid Caesar, whose clever, anarchic comedy on such programs as "Your Show of Shows" and "Caesar's Hour" helped define the 1950s "Golden Age of Television," died on February 12. He was 91. 
Hollywood child star Shirley Temple, who became diplomat Shirley Temple Black, died February 10 at her Woodside, California, home. She was 85. 
Joan Mondale, the wife of former Vice President Walter Mondale, died on February 3, according to a statement from the family's church. 
Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead in his Manhattan apartment of an apparent drug overdose, law enforcement sources said February 2. 
Maximilian Schell died on February 1 in a Austrian hospital with his wife by his side, his agent Patricia Baumbauer said. He was 83. Schell was nominated for an Oscar three times. He won in 1962 for "Judgment at Nuremberg." 
Legendary folk singer Pete Seeger, known for classics such as "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" and "If I Had a Hammer (The Hammer Song)," died of natural causes in New York on January 27, his grandson told CNN. He was 94. 
Ruth Robinson Duccini, who played one of the Munchkins in the 1939 classic "The Wizard of Oz," died on January 16. She was 95. 
Former Playboy centerfold Cassandra Lynn Hensley was found dead at a friend's home in Los Angeles, the coroner there said on January 17. Hensley was 34. Her cause of death was not immediately known. 
Hiroo Onoda, center, salutes after handing over his military sword on Lubang Island in the Philippines in March 1974. Onoda, a former intelligence officer in the Japanese army, had remained on the island for nearly 30 years, refusing to believe his country had surrendered in World War II. He died at a Tokyo hospital on January 16. He was 91. 
Russell Johnson, center, stands with Alan Hale Jr., left, and Bob Denver in an episode of "Gilligan's Island" in 1966. Johnson, who played "the professor" Roy Hinkley in the hit television show, passed away January 16 at his home in Washington state, according to his agent, Mike Eisenstadt. Johnson was 89. 
Ariel Sharon, whose half century as a military and political leader in Israel was marked with victories and controversies, died on January 11 after eight years in a coma, Israeli Army Radio reported. Sharon was 85. 
Franklin McCain, seen center wearing glasses, one of the "Greensboro Four," who made history for their 1960 sit-in at a Greensboro Woolworth's lunch counter, died on January 10 after a brief illness, according to his alma mater, North Carolina A&T State University. 
Larry Speakes, who served as President Ronald Reagan's press secretary, died January 10 at his home in Cleveland, Mississippi, following a lengthy illness, according to Bolivar County Coroner Nate Brown. He was 74. 
Poet Amiri Baraka, who lost his post as New Jersey's poet laureate because of a controversial poem about the 9/11 terror attacks, died on January 9, his agent said. Baraka was 79. 
Sir Run Run Shaw, the media tycoon who helped bring Chinese martial arts films to an international audience, died at his home in Hong Kong on January 7 at age 106, the television station he founded said. 
Stage, TV and film actress Carmen Zapata, who founded the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts as a means of of introducing "the rich and eloquent history of the diverse Hispanic culture to English-speaking audiences," died on January 5 at her Los Angeles home. She was 86. 
Portugal football legend Eusebio, who was top scorer at the 1966 World Cup, died from a heart attack on January 5 at age 71, said his former club, Benfica. 
Alicia Rhett, who had been one of the oldest surviving cast members of the classic film "Gone With the Wind," died on January 3 in her longtime hometown of Charleston, South Carolina, a retirement community spokeswoman said. She was 98. 
Singer Phil Everly, left -- one half of the groundbreaking, smooth-sounding, record-setting duo the Everly Brothers -- died on January 3, a hospital spokeswoman said. He was 74. Photos: People we lost in 2014 Nichols attended college in Chicago and later headed back to New York, where he studied acting under famed teacher Lee Strasberg. He returned to Chicago, where he started up a comedy troupe and met Elaine May. The pair would go on to form a partnership that would later take Broadway by storm.
Nichols said he took to the stage.
"I liked doing the stand-up," Nichols told The Hollywood Reporter in 2012. "I only stopped because Elaine wanted to stop. I've never understood it. I thought: 'Why? It's not a very long show. It doesn't cost us anything emotionally.' "
He moved behind the scenes and directed Robert Redford and Elizabeth Ashley in "Barefoot in the Park," which won him his first Tony in 1964. For a time he was Broadway's golden boy, with success following success: "Luv" (1964), "The Odd Couple" (1965), "The Apple Tree" (1966, featuring a young Alan Alda), "Plaza Suite" (1968) and "The Prisoner of Second Avenue" (1971). "Barefoot," "Odd Couple," "Plaza Suite" and "Second Avenue" were all written by Neil Simon.
He was also the director of the musical "Annie" (1977), which was one of Broadway's longest-running musicals when it closed almost six years later.
Notable movies
More acclaim would follow for his work on the big screen. His first film was a biggie: "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" (1966), starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. It was nominated for 13 Oscars and won five, including a best actress trophy for Taylor.
His next film, however, was in many ways even more impressive: "The Graduate," which made innovative use of pop music (thanks to Simon and Garfunkel's songs), featured a terrific script by Buck Henry and Calder Willlingham and became a blockbuster sign of the New Hollywood -- one led by youthful moviegoers and antihero protagonists.
"Nichols and veteran cinematographer Robert Surtees threw out the (Directors Guild) playbook for 'The Graduate,' experimenting wildly with lighting and lenses, lending the film a sense of freewheeling freshness, a sheen of visual inventiveness that hasn't dimmed over the years," wrote Slant magazine's Budd Wilkins in a 2012 look back.
Nichols won best director for his work.
His movies never quite caught lightning in a bottle again -- few movies do -- but still contained stirring scenes and fine performances: the launch of the planes in "Catch-22" (1970), the sour Jack Nicholson in "Carnal Knowledge" (1971), the lives of blue-collar nuclear plant workers in "Silkwood" (1983), the unrestrained glee of the plotting Melanie Griffith in "Working Girl" (1988).
He also directed the TV production of "Angels in America" (2003), which won a then record-setting 11 Emmys.
His last film as director was 2007's "Charlie Wilson's War."
"No one was more passionate about his craft than Mike," James Goldston, president of ABC News, said in a note to the staff. "He had recently been immersed in a new project for HBO to adapt 'Master Class,' Terrence McNally's Tony Award-winning play about opera legend Maria Callas. The project reunited him with Meryl Streep, one of his most frequent collaborators."
Nichols occupied that rare air in the industry of those who have won the EGOT -- an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony. In 2012 he earned his record sixth Tony for best direction of a play for "Death of a Salesmen."
He met Sawyer later in life (he was 54 at the time) and she became his fourth wife. He told The Hollywood Reporter that he first spotted the then-"60 Minutes" correspondent on a flight and later struck up a conversation with her.
"I found her and said, 'You're my hero.' And she said: 'No, you're my hero. Do you ever have lunch?' She wanted to interview me for '60 Minutes.' I pretended that I was up for it, and we had about 14 lunches."
The couple was married for 26 years.
In addition to Sawyer, Nichols is survived by his three children -- Daisy, Max and Jenny -- and four grandchildren.
Photos: People we've lost in 2014
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