Mike Nichols, a director who excelled at every medium he tackled, has died. Nichols, a member of the EGOT club, was 83 years old.

Nichols was married to ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer, who allowed ABC News President James Goldston to announce the news.

“He was a true visionary, winning the highest honors in the arts for his work as a director, writer, producer and comic and was one of a tiny few to win the EGOT-an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony in his lifetime,” Goston said in a statement. "No one was more passionate about his craft than Mike.”

Nichols was born in Germany in 1961 and arrived in the U.S. when he was 7-years-old, as his family left Nazi Germany. While he spoke little English at first, over time, he became a master of the language, with an incredible ability to get the most out of actors and screenplays. However, is his first taste of success in show business came in Chicago during the 1950s, when he performed with Elaine May.

May and Nichols became the premiere comedy duo at the time. In fact, his Grammy win came for their album, An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May, in 1961.

However, in the 1960s, he changed career focus and began directing Broadway productions, including Barefoot in the Park, The Odd Couple and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. His film adaptation of Virginia Woolf in 1966 remains one of Hollywood’s most searing directorial debuts, earning five Oscars. Three of the film’s four stars won Oscars, including Elizabeth Taylor.

While Nichols didn’t win the Oscar for directing Virginia Woolf, he won it for his next film, the iconic The Graduate, which also announced Dustin Hoffman as a major star.

His career as a filmmaker featured several peaks and valleys. After The Graduate, he wasn’t nominated for another Oscar until 1984’s Silkwood. He was nominated again for Working Girl. His final Oscar nomination came for the Merchant-Ivory production The Remains of the Day, which he co-produced and was nominated for Best Picture.

Nichols continued directing into the last decade. His last two films were 2004’s Closer and Charlie Wilson’s War in 2007. He also directed the HBO miniseries Angels In America, which won two Emmys. He won his first Emmys for 2001’s Wit with Emma Thompson.

His career on Broadway stretched from Neil Simon to Monty Python, as The NY Times points out. The 2012 revival of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman earned him his last Tony for directing. He also helmed revivals of Uncle Vanya and The Little Foxes. In 1984, he helmed Whoopi Goldberg’s one-woman show.

HBO and Nichols were developing another project, an adaptation of Terrence McNally’s Master Class with Meryl Streep.

Nichols is survived by his wife, their three children and four grandchildren. He also leaves behind an incredible legacy of entertainment. Through over six decades, he made audiences laugh, cry and think about the actions played out in front of them.

image courtesy of Walter McBride/INFphoto.com