Mel Brooks

Mel Brooks

Mel Brooks (born June 28, 1926) is a U.S. actor, writer and director, best known as a creator of broad film farces and parodies.

Born Melvin Kaminsky in Brooklyn, New York, he started out in show business as a stand-up comic before becoming a comedy writer for television, working on Your Show of Shows. In 1961, with Carl Reiner, he created the personna of the 2000 Year Old Man—a collection of ad libbed comedy routines made into a series of comedy records. With Buck Henry, he created the successful TV series Get Smart. He later moved into film, working as an actor, director, writer and producer. Among his most popular films have been Young Frankenstein (co-written with Gene Wilder) and Blazing Saddles, both of which were released in 1974. His most recent success has been a transfer of his film, The Producers, to the Broadway stage.

Brooks is one of a select group who have received an Oscar, Emmy (as both an actor and writer), Tony and Grammy. Married to actress Anne Bancroft, (for whom he converted to Roman Catholicism from Judaism), and the father of Max, he owns homes on both coasts.

Films

The Producers (1968) (writer, director; Academy Award, best original screenplay)

The Twelve Chairs (1970) (writer, director, actor)

Young Frankenstein (1974) (co-writer, director)

Blazing Saddles (1974) (writer, director, actor)

Silent Movie (1976) (writer, director, actor)

High Anxiety (1978) (writer, director, actor)

History of the World, Part I (1981) (writer, director, actor)

To Be or Not to Be (1983) (actor)

Spaceballs (1987) (writer, director, actor)

Life Stinks (1991) (writer, director, actor)

Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993) (writer, director, actor)

Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995) (writer, director, actor)