Julia Roberts,Tom Hanks, & Meryl Streep Remember Director Mike Nichols After His Sudden Death

Condolences and tributes have been pouring in since the news that Mike Nichols suddenly passed away broke, and now three actors he worked with – Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, and Steven Spielberg – are honoring him with statements.

Julia, who worked with Mike on Charlie Wilson’s War and Closer, said (via THR), “There are so few heroes in our world. So few impeccable craftsmen, so few people who personify unconditional love and friendship. Mike Nichols was like no other. In every way he was remarkable and amazing. His musing were like pearls, his jokes were timeless and perfectly placed, his stories – detailed and wholly entertaining, his warm embrace was where you wanted to live forever. He savored life and friends and French macaroons. He always, always told the truth. He loved Diane utterly, immeasurably, magically. He was my most cherished friend.”

Tom, who worked with Mike on Charlie Wilson’s War, said, “‘Forward. We must always move forward. Otherwise what will become of us?’ Said Mike Nichols, who changed the lives of those who knew him, who loved him, who will miss him so.”

Click inside to read statements from Meryl and director Steven Spielberg…

Meryl, who worked with Mike on Silkwood and Angels in America, said he was “an inspiration and joy to know, a director who cried when he laughed, a friend without whom, well, we can’t imagine our world, an indelible irreplaceable man.”

Steven said, “Mike was a friend, a muse, a mentor, one of America’s all-time greatest film and stage directors, and one of the most generous people I have ever known. For me, The Graduate was life altering – both as an experience at the movies as well as a master class about how to stage a scene. Mike had a brilliant cinematic eye and uncanny hearing for keeping scenes ironic and real. Actors never gave him less than their personal best – and then Mike would get from them even more. And in a room full of people, Mike was always the center of gravity. This is a seismic loss.”