Elaine May

Elaine Iva May (née Berlin), born on April 21, 1932, is a multifaceted American talent celebrated for her work as an actress, comedian, writer, and director. She rose to prominence in the 1950s with her improvisational performances alongside Mike Nichols, with whom she formed the iconic duo Nichols and May. The pair captivated audiences in New York’s Greenwich Village and made significant contributions to comedy through live performances, television appearances, and acclaimed comedy albums, earning a Grammy Award for their album "An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May" in 1962.

In 1971, May broke new ground as a female director in Hollywood with her black screwball comedy "A New Leaf." She continued to challenge genre conventions with films such as "The Heartbreak Kid" (1972), "Mikey and Nicky" (1976), and the adventure comedy "Ishtar" (1987). Her screenwriting prowess shone through in notable works like "Heaven Can Wait" (1978) and "The Birdcage" (1996), both of which garnered her Academy Award nominations.

After a hiatus from acting, May returned to the screen in Woody Allen's "Crisis in Six Scenes" (2016) and graced Broadway in 2018 with a revival of Kenneth Lonergan's "The Waverly Gallery," winning her a Tony Award for Best Actress. In recognition of her significant contributions to the arts, she received the National Medal of Arts from President Obama in 2013 and was honored with an Honorary Academy Award in 2022 for her exceptional career in filmmaking.