The Resume

(April 21, 1932- )
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Birth name was Elaine Berlin
Partner with Mike Nichols in a comedy duo
Wrote the plays 'Adaptation,' 'After the Night and the Music,' 'Power Plays' and 'Adult Entertainment'
Directed the films 'A New Leaf' (1971), 'The Heartbreak Kid' (1972), 'Mickey and Nicky' (1976) and 'Ishtar' (1987)

Why she might be annoying:

She said of her partnership with Nichols, 'The secret we share is that neither one of us likes people very much.'
When Tommy Smothers asked her and Nichols, 'So did you guys have an affair or what?' she replied, 'Exactly.'
Her marriage to composer Sheldon Harnick was so brief, she joked that she 'got custody of the cake.'
As a director, she was a perfectionist who often shot scenes 50 or more times before she was satisfied.
'Ishtar' was such a massive flop that, 20 years later, she has not been allowed to direct another film.

Why she might not be annoying:

She and Nichols were so quick at improvisation that they were dubbed 'the world's fastest humans.'
She made a post-Ishtar comeback as an actress (winning a National Society of Film Critics Award as best supporting actress for 'Small Time Crooks' in 2000) and a screenwriter (earning an Oscar nomination for 'Primary Colors' in 1998).
She said, 'If all the people who hate Ishtar had seen it, I would be a rich woman today.'

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• 50 Greatest Comedy Albums [2 Drink Minimum - April 8, 2004] (Ranked: 19)
• Box Office Poison
• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 06]
• Comediennes (Ranked: 19)
• Directors Who Did Not Attend Film School
• Ed Sullivan Show Guests
• Golden Raspberry: Worst Director of the Year (Ranked: 1987)
• Grammy for Best Comedy Album (Ranked: 1962)
• I am from Philadelphia
• I Did Not Graduate High School [J-M]
• I Married for Less than Two Years
• Jewish Comedians
• Names that are Dates
• Our Marriage Didn't Make It To Our First Anniversary
• Person to Person - Guests [L-Z]
• Profiles 21001-21250 (Ranked: 21065)
• Satirists and Wits
• SCTV
• Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour [1967-70]
• Tony Award: Best Actress in a Play (Ranked: 2019)
• Tootsie [1982]

Year In Review:

For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2023, Out of 5 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 7 Votes: 42.86% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 16 Votes: 68.75% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 10 Votes: 30.0% Annoying
In 2019, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2018, Out of 7 Votes: 42.86% Annoying
In 2017, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2016, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
In 2015, Out of 10 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
In 2014, Out of 14 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2013, Out of 61 Votes: 65.57% Annoying
In 2012, Out of 15 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
In 2011, Out of 15 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
In 2010, Out of 265 Votes: 53.96% Annoying
In 2009, Out of 55 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
In 2008, Out of 35 Votes: 62.86% Annoying
In 2007, Out of 94 Votes: 54.26% Annoying