Elaine May
Biography
Elaine Iva May (nÊe Berlin; born April 21, 1932) is an American actress, comedian, writer, and director. She first gained fame in the 1950s for her improvisational comedy routines with Mike Nichols before transitioning her career, regularly breaking the mold as a writer and director of several critically acclaimed films. She has received numerous awards, including a BAFTA Award, a Grammy Award, and a Tony Award. She was honored with the National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama in 2013, and an Honorary Academy Award in 2022. In 1955, May moved to Chicago and became a founding member of the Compass Players, an improvisational theater group. She began working alongside Nichols and in 1957, they both quit the group to form their own stage act, Nichols and May. In New York, they performed nightly in clubs in Greenwich Village alongside Joan Rivers and Woody Allen, as well as on the Broadway stage. They also made regular appearances on television and radio broadcasts. They releas...
Known For
Top 16 Movies
The Graduate
1967
California Suite
1978
Wolf
1994
Luv
1967
A New Leaf
1971
Small Time Crooks
2000
Mikey and Nicky
1976
King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis
1970
Enter Laughing
1967
The Same Storm
2022
The Fabulous Fifties
1960
In the Spirit
1990
Calling the Shots
1988
Nichols and May: Take Two
1996
Bach to Bach
1967
All the Difference
1970