Wednesday, July 22, 2020

July 22 - Albert Brooks


Happy 73rd Birthday, Albert Brooks! Born today in 1947 as Albert Lawrence Einstein, this American author, comedian, actor, writer and director who is best-known for his comedies.  

 
Brooks grew up among show business families in southern California, attending Beverly Hills High School with Richard Dreyfuss and Rob Reiner. 

 
Brooks later attended the private research school Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. However, he dropped out after one year to focus on his comedy career.  

 
By the age of nineteen, Brooks had changed his professional name to Albert Brooks, joking that "the real Albert Einstein changed his name to sound more intelligent". 

 
Among his credits as a filmmaker, Brooks is best known for co-writing, directing and starring in his directorial debut. This was the 1979 American comedy/mockumentary film 'Real Life'. 

 
The film is a spoof of the 1973 American television reality documentary reality program An American Family. However, the show only lasted for one season from January 11–March 29. 

 
'Real Life' portrays Brooks as documentary filmmaker (and himself). He attempts to live with and film a dysfunctional family for one full year. 

 
A poker-faced cinéma-vérité satire, the film wants to create a documentary that will get to the very heart of what it means to be an American family.  

 
To that end, Brooks persuades the Yeagers of Phoenix, Arizona, to let him and his camera crew document virtually every moment of their waking lives.  

 
What's supposed to be a cinematic presentation of reality, however, soon becomes something quite different, as Brooks can't stop himself from comically interfering in their lives. 

 
Charles Grodin co-stars as the family's patriarch, Warren Yeager, who consents to permit head-held cameras in his home.  

 
Real-life American film producer, screenwriter and actor Jennings Lang provides the voice of Martin Brand, while American director, producer and screenwriter James L. Brooks ('Terms of Endearment', 'Broadcast News') has a cameo, credited as Driving Evaluator. 

 
Among his acting credits of the 1970s, (aside from 'Real Life'), Brooks is best-known for co-starring in Martin Scorsese's 1976 American neo-noir psychological thriller crime drama film 'Taxi Driver'. This was as Tom, a fellow worker for a campaign volunteer for Senator and presidential candidate Charles Palantine. 

 
Of the 1980s, Brooks is best-known for a small role in James L. Brooks' (no relation) 1983 American drama/comedy film 'Terms of Endearment' (credited as 'A. Brooks') as Rudyard. 

 
He is also best-known for co-starring in James' 1987 American romance/comedy drama film 'Broadcast News'. This was as the brilliant yet prickly reporter Aaron Altman. 

 
The following year, Brooks was nominated an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. However, he didn't win. This occurred at the 60th Academy Awards in mid-April 1988. 

 
Of the 2000s, Albert is best-known for providing the voice of the overly cautious clownfish father Marlin in Pixar's 2003 American computer-animated adventure family film 'Finding Nemo'. 

 
Brooks is also best-known as providing the voice of Russ Cargill, the main antagonist of the 2007 American animated comedy film 'The Simpsons Movie'. 

 
Of the 2010s, Brooks is best known for co-starring in Danish film director, screenwriter and producer Nicolas Winding Refn's 2011 American action/drama film 'Drive' as vicious Jewish mobster Bernie Rose. 

 
His performance received much critical praise and positive reviews, with several critics proclaiming Brooks' performance as one of the film's best aspects.  

 
After receiving awards and nominations from several film festivals and critic groups, but not an Oscar nomination, Brooks responded humorously on Twitter, "And to the Academy: ‘You don't like me. You really don't like me’. 

 
Brooks is also known for reprising the voice of Marlin in Pixar's 2016 American 3D computer-animated adventure family film 'Finding Dory'. This is Brooks' largest grossing film to date, earning $1.029 billion at the box office. 

 
Also in 2016, Brooks provided the voice of a grumpy curmudgeonly red-tailed hawk named Tiberius. This was in the 2016 American computer-animated comedy family film 'The Secret Life of Pets'. 

 
Other films of which Brooks is known for writing, directing and starring in include several comedy films, such as 'Modern Romance', 'Lost in America', and 'Defending Your Life'. 

 
Brooks is the author of the 2011 dystopian science fiction book 2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America. 

 
According to his personal life, Brooks married American painter Kimberly Shlain. She is the daughter of American surgeon, author and inventor Leonard Shlain 

 
Brooks and Kimberly have two children together named Jacob and Claire. 

 
Brooks has been active from 1969–present. 

 
#borntoact 

#borntodirect 

@AlbertBrooks 

@Pixar 

@RogerEbert 

@GoldDerby 

@TVGuide

@TheSimpsons 

@Britannica 

@getFANDOM

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