She starred in over 50 adult features, and has been presented with several industry awards of merit: the Adult Film Association of America Best Actress Award for her work in the film In Love (1983); in 1993, she was presented by the Free Speech Coalition the Life Time Achievement Award; and she was inducted into the Erotic Legends Hall of Fame in 1996 and into the XRCO Hall of Fame in 1999. Nichols worked as a make-up artist on adult films during the 1990s and 2000s, often under the name Marianne Diva.