Mel Brooks
Personal Info
Known for
Acting
Gender
Male
Birthday
1926-06-28 (98 years old)
Place of Birth
Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
Mel Brooks
Biography
Melvin James Brooks (né Kaminsky; born June 28, 1926) is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker, and songwriter. With a career spanning over seven decades, he is known as a writer and director of a variety of successful broad farces and parodies. A recipient of numerous accolades, he is one of 21 entertainers to win the EGOT (which includes an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony). He received a Kennedy Center Honor in 2009, a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 2010, the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2013, a British Film Institute Fellowship in 2015, a National Medal of Arts in 2016, a BAFTA Fellowship in 2017, and the Honorary Academy Award in 2024.
Brooks began his career as a comic and a writer for Sid Caesar's variety show Your Show of Shows(1950–1954). There, he worked with Neil Simon, Woody Allen, Larry Gelbart, and Carl Reiner. With Reiner, he co-created the comedy sketch The 2000 Year Old Man. He released several comedy albums, starting with 2000 Year Old Man in 1960. Brooks received five nominations for the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album, finally winning in 1999. With Buck Henry, he created the hit satirical spy comedy series Get Smart (1965–1970) on NBC television.
Brooks won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for The Producers (1967). He then rose to prominence by directing a string of successful comedy films such as The Twelve Chairs (1970), Blazing Saddles (1974), Young Frankenstein (1974), Silent Movie (1976), and High Anxiety (1977). Later, Brooks made History of the World, Part I (1981), Spaceballs (1987), Life Stinks (1991), Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993), and Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995). A musical adaptation of his first film, The Producers, ran on Broadway from 2001 to 2007 and earned Brooks three Tony Awards. The project was remade into a musical film in 2005. He wrote and produced the Hulu series History of the World, Part II (2023).
Brooks was married to actress Anne Bancroft from 1964 until she died in 2005. Their son, Max Brooks, is an actor and author known for his novel World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War (2006). In 2021, Mel Brooks published his memoir titled All About Me!. Three of his films are included on the American Film Institute's list of the top 100 comedy films of the past 100 years (1900–2000), all of which were ranked in the top 15: Blazing Saddles at number 6, The Producers at number 11, and Young Frankenstein at number 13.
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Known For
Acting
Spaceballs 2
as President Skroob / Yogurt
Untitled Lani Pixels Project
as Gatekeeper (voice)
Flower of the Dawn
as Bürgermeister (voice)
Mel Brooks: The Genius Entertainer
as Himself
(2025)
From Darkness to Light
as Self (archive footage)
(2025)
David Lynch: A Hollywood Enigma
as Self - Director
(2024)
Remembering Gene Wilder
as Self
(2024)
(2023)
(2023)
Sarah Silverman: Someone You Love
as Announcer (voice)
(2022)
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank
as Shogun (voice)
(2021)
The Automat
as Self
(2019)
Toy Story 4
as Melephant Brooks (voice)
(2019)
Forky Asks a Question: What Is Love?
as Melephant Brooks (voice)
(2018)
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation
as Vlad (voice)
(2018)
(2018)
(2018)
Mel Brooks: Unwrapped
as Self
(2017)
(2017)
(2017)
(2016)
Ballerina
as Mustachioed Creep (voice)
(2016)
Ballerina
as Luteau (voice)
(2016)
The Last Laugh
as Self
(2016)
(2016)
(2015)
Hotel Transylvania 2
as Vlad (voice)
(2015)
(2014)
Mr. Peabody & Sherman
as Albert Einstein (voice)
(2014)
Blaze of Glory: Mel Brooks' Wild, Wild West
as Self (archive footage)
(2013)
(2013)
Mel Brooks: Make a Noise
as Self
(2012)
(2012)
(2012)
Mel Brooks Strikes Back!
as Self
(2011)
The Great Dictator: The Clown Turns Prophet
as Self (archive footage)
(2011)
(2010)
Ruby's Studio: the Feelings Show
as Sally Simon Simmons Narrator
(2009)
(2009)
(2009)
(2009)
(2009)
(2009)
(2008)
Spaceballs: The Totally Warped Animated Adventures
as President Skroob/Yogurt
(2007)
Hitler: The Comedy Years
as Singer in 'Springtime for Hitler' (archive footage) (uncredited)
(2007)
Cutting Edge Comedians of the '60s & '70s
as Self (archive footage)
(2006)
(2005)
Robots
as Bigweld (voice)
(2005)
The Producers
as Hilda the Pigeon / Tom the Cat (voice)
(2005)
John Candy: Comic Spirit
as Self
(2005)
(2005)
Spaceballs: The Documentary
as Self
(2003)
(2003)
(2002)
It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie
as Joe Snow (voice)
(2002)
(2001)
Back in the Saddle
as Self
(2001)
Recording the Producers: A Musical Romp with Mel Brooks
as Self / Host
(2001)
(2000)
Sex, Lies and Video Violence
as Stressed old man
(2000)
(2000)
(1999)
Screw Loose
as Jake Gordon
(1998)
Frank Sinatra: The Voice of the Century
as Self (archive footage)
(1997)
(1996)
Caesar's Writers
as Self
(1995)
Dracula: Dead and Loving It
as Prof. Abraham Van Helsing
(1994)
The Little Rascals
as Mr. Welling
(1994)
The Silence of the Hams
as Checkout Guest (uncredited)
(1994)
(1993)
Robin Hood: Men in Tights
as Rabbi Tuckman
(1993)
(1992)
Mickey's Audition
as Movie Director
(1991)
Life Stinks
as Goddard Bolt
(1990)
Look Who's Talking Too
as Mr. Toilet Man (voice)
(1988)
Free to Be... a Family
as Self
(1987)
Spaceballs
as President Skroob / Yogurt
(1984)
An Audience with Mel Brooks
as Self
(1984)
Sunset People
as Self
(1983)
To Be or Not to Be
as Dr. Frederick Bronski
(1981)
History of the World: Part I
as Moses / Comicus / Torquemada / Jacques / King Louis XVI
(1979)
The Muppet Movie
as Professor Max Krassman
(1979)
The Muppets Go Hollywood
as Self
(1978)
Mickey's 50
as Self
(1978)
Peeping Times
as Adolf Hitler
(1977)
High Anxiety
as Dr. Richard H. Thorndyke
(1976)
Silent Movie
as Mel Funn
(1975)
The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother
as Lion victim (voice)
(1975)
The 2000 Year Old Man
as 2000 Year Old Man (voice)
(1974)
Blazing Saddles
as Governor William J. Le Petomane / Indian Chief
(1974)
Young Frankenstein
as Werewolf / Cat Hit by Dart / Victor Frankenstein (voice)
(1974)
Free to Be… You and Me
as Baby Boy (voice)
(1970)
The Twelve Chairs
as Tikon
(1970)
Annie: the Women in the Life of a Man
as Himself
(1968)
The Producers
as Singer in "Springtime for Hitler" (voice) (uncredited)
(1963)
The Critic
as Narrator (voice)
Crew
Spaceballs 2
Producer, Original Film Writer
(2022)
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank
Executive Producer, Original Film Writer
(2021)
The Automat
Songs
(2019)
The Producers
Writer, Lyricist, Music
(2015)
Mel Brooks: Live at the Geffen
Writer, Executive Producer
(2015)
Sam
Executive Producer
(2014)
Ride
Thanks
(2008)
Get Smart
Characters
(2005)
The Producers
Producer, Screenplay, Songs
(1995)
Dracula: Dead and Loving It
Director, Producer, Screenplay
(1993)
Robin Hood: Men in Tights
Director, Screenplay, Producer
(1992)
The Vagrant
Executive Producer
(1991)
Life Stinks
Director, Screenplay, Producer, Story
(1989)
The Fly II
Producer
(1987)
Spaceballs
Director, Screenplay, Producer
(1987)
84 Charing Cross Road
Executive Producer
(1986)
Solarbabies
Producer
(1986)
The Fly
Producer
(1985)
The Doctor and the Devils
Executive Producer
(1984)
(1983)
To Be or Not to Be
Producer
(1981)
History of the World: Part I
Director, Screenplay, Producer
(1980)
Fatso
Producer
(1980)
The Nude Bomb
Characters
(1980)
The Elephant Man
Producer
(1978)
Loose Shoes
Producer
(1977)
High Anxiety
Writer, Director, Producer, Songs
(1976)
Silent Movie
Director, Screenplay
(1975)
The 2000 Year Old Man
Writer
(1974)
Young Frankenstein
Director, Screenplay, Screenstory
(1974)
Blazing Saddles
Director, Screenplay, Songs, Lyricist
(1970)
The Twelve Chairs
Screenplay, Director
(1970)
Shinbone Alley
Author, Writer
(1970)
(1968)
The Producers
Director, Songs, Lyricist, Writer
(1967)
(1963)
The Critic
Writer, Creator
(1954)
New Faces
Writer