Profile via TMDB · Courtesy of TMDB
Elaine May
Sign in to saveAlso known as Elaine Iva May, Elaine Berlin
American screenwriter, film director, actress, and comedian (b. 1932)
Film & TV
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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,…
Known for
- The Same Storm — Ruth Lipsman Berg2022
- Somebody Feed Phil — Self2018
- The Good Fight — Ruth Bader Ginsburg2017
- Crisis in Six Scenes — Kay Munsinger2016
- Small Time Crooks — May2000
- Nichols and May: Take Two — Self (archive footage)1996
- Wolf — Operator (voice) (uncredited)1994
- In the Spirit — Marianne Flan1990
- Calling the Shots — Self (archive footage)1988
- American Masters — Self1986
via TMDB
Key facts
- Born
- Elaine Iva Berlin , ( 1932-04-21 ) April 21, 1932 (age 94) , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , U.S.
- Other names
- Esther Dale, Elly May
- Occupations
- Actress comedian writer film director
- Years active
- 1955–present
- Known for
- A New Leaf (1971) The Heartbreak Kid (1972) Mikey and Nicky (1976) Ishtar (1987)
- Spouses
- Marvin Irving May, ( married</span>"}]]}'>m. 1948 ; divorced</span>"}]]}'>div. 1960 ) Sheldon Harnick , ( married</span>"}]]}'>m. 1962 ; divorced</span>"}]]}'>div. 1963 ) David L. Rubinfine, ( married</span>"}]]}'>m. 1963 ; died 1982 )
- Partner
- Stanley Donen (1999–2019; his death)
- Children
- Jeannie Berlin
- Awards
- Full list
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human
- Given name
- Iva
- Family name
- May
- Gender
- female
- Citizenship
- United States
- Place of birth
- Philadelphia
- Spouse
- Sheldon Harnick
- Child
- Jeannie Berlin
- Occupation
- director
- Educated at
- Hollywood High School
- Languages spoken
- English language
- Native language
- English language
- Image
- Elaine May - publicity1.jpg
Show 13 more facts
- member of
- Writers Guild of America West
- start of work period
- 1955-00-00
- Commons category
- Elaine May
- date of birth
- 1932-04-21
- unmarried partner
- Stanley Donen
- name in native language
- Elaine May
- nominated for
- Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screenplay
- related category
- Category:Films directed by Elaine May
- has works in the collection
- Museum of Modern Art
- birth name
- Elaine Iva Berlin
- floruit
- 1999-01-01
- partner in business or sport
- Mike Nichols
- writing language
- English language
Sources (10)
via Wikidata · CC0
~34 min read
Encyclopedic overview
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 going on to write and direct 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 released multiple comedy albums and received four Grammy Award nominations, winning Best Comedy Album for An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May in 1962. Their collaboration was covered in the PBS documentary Nichols and May: Take Two (1996).
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Elaine May” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.