Mike Nichols, who won an Oscar for directing the 1967 film The Graduate, has died aged 83.

The German-born US director was also Oscar nominated for his work on Working Girl, The Remains of the Day, Silkwood and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Nichols was one of Hollywood's most versatile directors and one of only 12 people to win all four major US entertainment awards - an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony.

The director was married his fourth wife ABC News host Diane Sawyer in 1988.

ABC News president James Goldston told staff Nichols died of cardiac arrest on Wednesday.

Breaking: Entertainment icon Mike Nichols has died at age 83 http://t.co/a4wuRzS5L4 pic.twitter.com/PJO44w6cto

— ABC News (@ABC) November 20, 2014

Describing him as "a true visionary", Goldston said: "No one was more passionate about his craft than Mike."

Back in 2008, actress Linda Gray told George how the leg on the poster for Mike Nichols' The Graduate was in facts hers, and not that of Anne Bancroft, who starred as Mrs Robinson.