- Known For
- Acting
- Born
- April 21, 1932
- Place of Birth
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Elaine May
Elaine Iva May (née 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…
Filmography
movieThe Same Storm
2022 · Ruth Lipsman Berg
tvSomebody Feed Phil
2018 · Self
tvThe Good Fight
2017 · Ruth Bader Ginsburg
movieMike Nichols: An American Master
2016 · Director
tvCrisis in Six Scenes
2016 · Kay Munsinger
movieDown to Earth
2001 · Original Film Writer
movieSmall Time Crooks
2000 · May
moviePrimary Colors
1998 · Screenplay
movieNichols and May: Take Two
1996 · Self (archive footage)
movieThe Birdcage
1996 · Screenplay
movieWolf
1994 · Operator (voice) (uncredited), Additional Writing
movieIn the Spirit
1990 · Marianne Flan
movieCalling the Shots
1988 · Self (archive footage)
movieIshtar
1987 · Director, Writer, Songs
tvAmerican Masters
1986 · Self, Director
movieTootsie
1982 · Additional Writing
movieReds
1981 · Additional Writing
movieHeaven Can Wait
1978 · Screenplay
movieCalifornia Suite
1978 · Millie Michaels
movieMikey and Nicky
1976 · Woman on TV (voice) (uncredited), Director, Writer
movieThe Heartbreak Kid
1972 · Director
movieSuch Good Friends
1971 · Screenplay
movieA New Leaf
1971 · Henrietta Lowell, Director, Writer
movieKing: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis
1970 · Self (archive footage)
movieAll the Difference
1970 · (voice)
movieThe Graduate
1967 · Girl with Note for Benjamin (uncredited)
movieBach to Bach
1967 · A Woman (voice), Writer
movieLuv
1967 · Ellen Manville
movieEnter Laughing
1967 · Angela Marlowe
tvThe Merv Griffin Show
1962 · Self
movieThe Fabulous Fifties
1960 · Self
The Big Party
tvThe Big Party
1959 · Self
tvDuPont Show of the Month
1957 · Candy Carter
Tonight Starring Jack Paar
tvTonight Starring Jack Paar
1957 · Self
tvThe Dinah Shore Chevy Show
1956 · Self
tvThe Steve Allen Show
1956 · Self - Comedian
tvOmnibus
1952
tvWhat's My Line?
1950 · Self - Mystery Guest
Crackpot
movieCrackpot
— · Director, Writer