VIDEO: THE VIEW's Whoopi Goldberg Breaks Down Announcing News of Mike Nichols Passing

Whoopi Goldberg couldn't hold back the tears on this morning's THE VIEW while announcing the death of her friend and colleague Mike Nichols.

The award winning director who helmed such classics as "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", "The Graduate," "The Birdcage" and "Closer" passed away Wednesday at the age of 83. Nichols is credited with helping to launch Goldberg's showbiz career, after giving her her own one-woman show on Broadway in the 1980's.

Watch the emotional clip below and click here to read more reactions from stars of stage and screen on Nichols' passing.

Nichols is in that small circle of artists to have won the Oscar, the Tony, the Emmy and the Grammy. Among his many celebrated credits, he has directed the films WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?, THE GRADUATE, CATCH 22, CARNAL KNOWLEDGE, SILKWOOD, HEARTBURN, POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE, WORKING GIRL, CLOSER, THE BIRDCAGE, and CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR.

His television directing credits include WIT and HBO's ANGELS IN AMERICA.

His Broadway directing credits include the recent revival of DEATH OF A SALESMAN, BAREFOOT IN THE PARK, LUV, THE ODD COUPLE, PLAZA SUITE, THE PRISONER OF SECOND AVENUE, THE REAL THING AND SPAMALOT, for all of which he was awarded the Tony for Best Direction. Other Broadway directing credits include, 1968's THE LITTLE FOXES and 1967's THE APPLE TREE.

His performance partnership with Elaine May was one of the most influential collaborations in the history of American comedy, and culminated in a nine-month Broadway run at the Golden Theatre in 1960-61.

Most recently he was collaborating with HBO to adapt Terrence McNally's Tony Award-winning play MASTER CLASS, to the small screen. The project, which is to star Nichols' frequent collaborator Meryl Streep in the role of opera legend Maria Callas, was set to begin production in January.