Elaine May

Elaine May (born Elaine Berlin in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 21, 1932) performed improvisational comedy routines with Mike Nichols in nightclubs and on Broadway from 1957 to 1961. She acted in movies like Enter Laughing (1967) by Carl Reiner and Small Time Crooks (2000) by Woody Allen. She wrote and directed the black comedy A New Leaf (1971) co-starring with Walter Matthau, directed The Heartbreak Kid (1972) starring Charles Grodin from a screenplay by Neil Simon, wrote and directed Mickey and Nicky (1976) with Peter Falk and John Cassavetes, Ishtar (1987) with Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman. May co-wrote with Warren Beatty the screenplay for Heaven Can Wait (1978), wrote the screenplays of The Birdcage (1996) and Primary Colors (1998) both directed by Mike Nichols. On television May acted in Crisis in Six Scenes (2016) by Woody Allen.