Mike Nichols, Director of 'The Graduate' Dies at 83

Mike Nichols, the acclaimed director of "The Graduate" and "Who is Afraid of Virginia Woolf" and Academy Award winner, passed away at the age of 83.

James Goldston, ABC News president, announced his death and said that he passed away of a cardiac arrest on Wednesday.

He called him "a true visionary". Goldston said: "No one was more passionate about his craft than Mike."

"In a triumphant career that spanned over six decades, Mike created some of the most iconic works of American film, television and theatre."

Nichols was one the few artistes to win all four major television, film and stage awards in the United States including the Emmys, Oscar, Grammy and Tony.

His last film was "Charlie Wilson's War", starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts released in 2007.

 His most notable works included some iconic milestones of American cinema  like  the"Working Girl," "Silkwood" and "The Birdcage." He won the Oscar in 1968 for "The Graduate."

"There's nothing better than discovering, to your own astonishment, what you're meant to do," he once said. "It's like falling in love," reports NBC.

Nichols was an acknowledged stage director too and won 9 Tony awards. His greatest theatre work included Neil Simon's "Barefoot in the Park" in 1964 and "The Odd Couple" in 1965, and Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" two years ago.

Nichols was married to news presenter Diane Sawyer,  his fourth wife of 26 years.