From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Elaine May (born April 21, 1932) is an American film director, screenwriter and actress. She achieved her greatest fame in the 1950s from her improvisational comedy routines in partnership with Mike Nichols. She is a two time Academy Award nominated screenwriter and also the mother of Oscar nominee Jeannie Berlin. Description above from the Wikipedia article Elaine May, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.