Would you feel smarter if you suddenly learned that you were related to Albert Einstein?

This guy on the right did, and it was welcome news, although certainly there’s no need for confirmation of his own brilliance.

This is American director Mike Nichols, born in Berlin. He is one of only twelve winners of all the major American entertainment awards (Oscar, Grammy, Emmy and Tony). Nichols’ productions focus on the absurdities of modern life as revealed in personal relationships. His first film was the critically acclaimed “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf?” He also directed “The Graduate,” “Catch-22” and “The Birdcage” among many other famous works.

During World War II, at age seven, Nichols emigrated to America alone with his three-year-old brother, where they met up with their father and began a new life.

Nichols’ archival Kolo Newport photo album contains not only precious documentation of his brainiac lineage, but also poignant stories about his life and his Jewish heritage, told in photos, newspaper clippings and other papers that are, no doubt, priceless to him and his family.

The Kolo Newport was a gift to him by Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (shown on the left), as part of Gates’ “Faces of America” project recently made available on DVD by PBS. For more, go here.

If you're curious, see previous posts about the Kolo Newport genealogical scrapbooks of Meryl Streep, Kristi Yamaguchi, Yo-Yo Ma and Steve Colbert.

- Ugo