In 1966, Warner Brothers invited Nichols to direct his first film, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. The groundbreaking film inspired some critics to declare Nichols the "new Orson Welles". It won five Academy Awards (out of 13 nominations) and was the top-grossing film of 1966. His next film, "The Graduate" (1967), starred then unknown actor Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft. It was another critical and financial success, became the highest-grossing film of the year, and received seven Academy Award nominations, winning Nichols the Academy Award for Best Director. Among the other films Nichols directed were "Catch-22" (1970), "Carnal Knowledge" (1971), "Silkwood" (1983), "Working Girl" (1988), "Postcards from the Edge" (1990) "The Birdcage" (1996), "Primary Colors" (1998), "Closer" (2004) and "Charlie Wilson's War" (2007). Nichols also was known for work on television directing HBO's "Wit" (2001) with Emma Thompson and "Angels in America" (2003) starring Meryl Streep.