Happy 94th Birthday, Mel Brooks! Born today in 1926 as Melvyn James Kaminsky, this American comedian, composer. actor, writer, producer and director is known as a creator of broad film farces and comedic parodies.
Brooks served in WWII, and afterwards got a job playing the drums at nightclubs in the Catskills.
He eventually started a comedy act and also worked in radio and as Master Entertainer at Grossinger's Resort before going to television.
Brooks began his career as a comic and a writer for American comic actor and writer Sid Caesar's live NBC 90-minute American black and white sketch comedy show Your Show of Shows (1950–1954).
This was alongside Woody Allen, American playwright, screenwriter and author Neil Simon, and American television writer, playwright, screenwriter, director and author, Larry Gelbart.
Together with American comedian, actor, director, screenwriter, and publisher Carl Reiner ('The Jerk'), Brooks created the comic character The 2000 Year Old Man.
Brooks, along with American actor, screenwriter and director Buck Henry, wrote and co-created the hit American television comedy series Get Smart (1965–1970).
During this time, Brooks wrote and directed the first film of which he is best known. This was the 1967 American satirical black comedy/musical film 'The Producers'.
Two years later, Brooks won his first and only Oscar for 'The Producers' This was for Best Original Screenplay, and occurred at the 41st Academy Awards in mid-April 1969.
The film ranked No. 11 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs list. It was later adapted by Brooks and American playwright Thomas Meehan as a stage musical, which itself was adapted into a film.
In middle age, Brooks became one of the most successful film directors of the 1970s, with many of his films being among the top ten moneymakers of the year they were released.
In the early 1970s, Brooks co-starred, co-wrote and directing the second film of which he is best known. this was the 1974 American satirical Western black comedy film 'Blazing Saddles'. Richard Pryor co-wrote the film as well.
Upon release, 'Blazing Saddles' received generally positive reviews from critics and audiences.
The following year, 'Blazing Saddles was nominated for three Oscars at the 47th Academy Awards in early April 1975.
However, it did no win any of these. A critical favorite and box-office smash, the film ranked No. 6 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs list.
Later that same year, Brooks co-wrote and directed his third and final film of which he is best known for co-writing and directing. This was the 1974 American black and white comedy horror film 'Young Frankenstein'. The film is ranked No. 13 on AFI's 100 Funniest American Movies list.
On its 40th anniversary, Brooks considered 'Young Frankenstein' by far his finest (although not his funniest) film as a writer-director). The film was later adapted by Brooks and Meehan as a stage musical.
In particular, the various film adaptations of English novelist Mary Shelley's 1818 Gothic horror fiction novel Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus.
Also during the 1970s, Brooks is known for directing the 1970 American comedy/slapstick film 'The Twelve Chairs', the 1976 American comedy/silent film 'Silent Movie', and the 1977 American satirical comedy/mystery film 'High Anxiety'.
In the late 1970s, Brooks appeared in a cameo for the 1979 American musical road family/comedy film 'The Muppet Movie'. He played Dr. Max Krassman, a mad German scientist hired by the film's main antagonist Doc Hopper (Charles Durning).
Of the 1980s, Brooks is known for directing the 1981 American sketch comedy/parody film 'History of the World, Part 1' and the 1987 American satirical comedy/sci-fi film 'Spaceballs'
Of the 1990s, Brooks is known for directing the 1993 American musical comedy/adventure film 'Robin Hood: Men in Tights' and the 1995 American satirical comedy/horror film 'Dracula: Dead and Loving It'.
In 1997, on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All-Time list, the episode The Groovy Guru (S03E15) from Get Smart ranked in at #67. It had aired on January 13, 1968.
In 2001, having previously won an Emmy, a Grammy and an Oscar, he joined a small list of EGOT winners with his Tony Award wins for 'The Producers'.
A musical adaptation of 'The Producers' ran on Broadway from 2001 to 2007. During this time, it was subsequently remade into the titular 2005 American musical/comedy film. It was co-written and co-produced by Brooks himself.
In 2003, 'Young Frankenstein' was deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" by the United States National Film Preservation Board, and selected for preservation in the Library of Congress by the National Film Registry.
In 2006, 'Blazing Saddles' was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
In 2009, Brooks received a Kennedy Center Honor. In 2010 he got a Hollywood Walk of Fame star. In June 2013, he received the 41st AFI Life Achievement Award.
In March 2015, he received a British Film Institute. In September 2016, he received a National Medal of Arts. In February 2017, he received a BAFTA Fellowship.
All three of Brooks' films mentioned above ranked in the American Film Institute's list of the Top 100 Comedy Films of the Past 100 Years (1900–2000)) all of which ranked in the Top 15 of the list.
Brooks had married twice. Most notably, Brooks' second wife was the American actress, director, screenwriter and singer Anne Bancroft from 1964 until her death on June 6, 2005. She was 73.
Their son is American actor and author Max Brooks. He is known for his 2006 post-apocalyptic horror satire fiction novel World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War.
In the late 2000s, the 2008 American action/comedy spy film 'Get Smart' was released into theaters. It featured Steve Carrell as Maxwell Smart and Anne Hathaway as Agent #99.
On a budget of $80 million, the film grossed $230.7 million at the box office. However, it indicated "mixed or average" reviews from critics.
Brooks has been active from 1949–present.
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