Mel Brooks

**Melvin James Kaminsky** (born June 28, 1926) also known as Mel Brooks is a Jewish American actor, comedian, writer, movie director, and producer. He was born in Brooklyn, New York.

He has directed, produced and written several movies.  Most of these are comedies that make references to other movies.

## Legacy

Brooks is one of the few artists who have received an Oscar, Emmy, Tony, and Grammy. He was awarded his first Grammy for Best Spoken Comedy Album in 1999 for his recording of _The 2000 Year Old Man in the Year 2000_ with Carl Reiner. His two other Grammys came in 2002 for Best Musical Show Album for the soundtrack of _The Producers_ and for Best Long Form Music Video for the DVD "Recording the Producers - A Musical Romp with Mel Brooks". He won his first of four Emmy awards in 1967 for Outstanding Writing Achievement in Variety for a Sid Caesar special.  He went on to win three Emmys in 1997, 1998, and 1999 for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his role of Uncle Phil on _Mad About You_. He won his three Tony awards in 2001 for his work on the musical, _The Producers_ for Best Musical, Best Original Musical Score, and Best Book of a Musical. He also won a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award for _Young Frankenstein_.  Three of Brooks's movies are on the American movie Institute's list of funniest American films: _Blazing Saddles_ (#6), _The Producers_ (#11), and _Young Frankenstein_ (#13).

Brooks worked with some people many times. Performers who worked on three or more of Brooks' movies are: Gene Wilder, Dom DeLuise, Madeline Kahn, Harvey Korman, Cloris Leachman, Ron Carey, Dick Van Patten and Andréas Voutsinas.

On December 5, 2009 Brooks was one of five recipients of the 2009 Kennedy Center Honors at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

On April 23, 2010 Brooks was awarded the 2,406th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

## Personal life

Brooks was married to Florence Baum from 1953 to 1962. Their marriage ended in divorce. Mel and Florence had three children, Stephanie, Nicky, and Eddie.

Brooks was married to the actress Anne Bancroft from 1964 until her death from uterine cancer on June 6, 2005. They met at a rehearsal for the Perry Como Variety Show in 1961 and married three years later. Their son, Max Brooks, was born in 1972. In 2010, Brooks said Bancroft was the main force behind his involvement in making _The Producers_ and _Young Frankenstein_ for the musical theater.

### Writer/director

- _The Producers_ (1968) (Academy Award, best original screenplay)
- _The Twelve Chairs_ (1970) (also actor)
- _Blazing Saddles_ (1974) (also actor)
- _Young Frankenstein_ (1974)
- _Silent Movie_ (1976) (also actor)
- _High Anxiety_ (1977) (also actor/producer)
- _History of the World, Part I_ (1981) (also actor/producer)
- _Spaceballs_ (1987) (also actor/producer)
- _Life Stinks_ (1991) (also actor/producer)
- _Robin Hood: Men in Tights_ (1993) (also actor/producer)
- _Dracula: Dead and Loving It_ (1995) (also actor/producer)

### Theatre

- _Leonard Sillman's New Faces of 1952_ (1952) (sketches for a revue)
- _Shinbone Alley_ (1957) (co-book-writer)
- _All-American_ (1962) (book-writer)
- _The Producers_ (2001) (composer, lyricist, co-book-writer, producer; Tony Award for Best Musical, Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical, Tony Award for Best Original Score, Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics, Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical)
- _Young Frankenstein_ (2007) (composer, lyricist, co-book-writer, producer)

### Other credits

- _Your Show of Shows_ (TV) (1950–1954) (writer)
- _New Faces of 1952_ (Broadway) (1952) (writer) and "New Faces", the 1954 movie version (writer)
- _The Critic_ (created and narrated, won Academy Award for Best Animated Short movie) (1963)
- _Get Smart_ (TV) (1965–1970) (co-creator, writer)
- _The Electric Company_ (TV) (1971–1977) (voice of recurring little cartoon man who asks: "Who's the dummy writing this show?!")
- _Hollywood Squares_ (1972) (Guest star)
- _When Things Were Rotten_ (1975) (co-created, writer)
- _The Muppet Movie_ (1979) (Special Guest Star-Mad Scientist Professor Max Krassman)
- _The Elephant Man_ (1980) (uncredited executive producer)
- _To Be or Not to Be_ (1983) (actor, producer)
- _The Fly_ (1986) (uncredited producer)
- _The Fly II_ (1989) (uncredited producer)
- _The Nutt House_ (1989) (co-creator)
- _The Tracey Ullman Show_ (1990) (actor-Buzz Schlanger)
- _Look Who's Talking Too_ (1990) (voice of Mr. Toilet Man)
- _Frasier_ (1993) (voice of Tom)
- _Rugrats_ (1994)
- _The Little Rascals_ (1994) (actor-Mr. Welling)
- _Silence of the Hams_ (1994) (actor-Checkout Guest)
- _The Simpsons_ (1995, "Homer vs. Patty and Selma") (voice-himself)
- _Caesar's Writers_ (1996) (himself, panel member)
- _Mad About You_ (TV) (1996–1999) (actor-Uncle Phil)
- _The Prince of Egypt_ (1998) (uncredited, additional voices)
- _Svitati_ (AKA _Screw Loose_) (1999) (actor-Jake Gordon)
- _It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie_ (2002) (voice of Joe Snow)
- _The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius: Season 2_ (2003) (voice of Santa Claus)
- _Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks_ (2003–2007) (voice of Wiley the Sheep)
- _Curb Your Enthusiasm: Season 4_ (2004) (actor)
- _Robots_ (2005) (voice of Bigweld)
- _The Producers_ (2005) (writer, producer, cameo as himself)
- _Spaceballs: The Animated Series_ (2008) (writer, producer, voice)
- _Get Smart_ (2008) (Consultant)
- _The 2000 Year Old Man: The Complete History_ (2009) DVD
- _The Wizard of Oz_ (2012) (actor-The Wizard of Oz)

## Infobox (comedian awards)

- **child**: yes
- **academyawards**: **Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay, Best Original Screenplay**
 1968 _The Producers (1968 movie), The Producers_
- **emmyawards**: **Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program, Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program**
1967 _The Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner and Howard Morris Special_
**Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor - Comedy Series, Outstanding Guest Actor - Comedy Series**
 1997, 1998, 1999 _Mad About You_
- **olivierawards**: **Olivier Award for Best New Musical, Best New Musical**
 2005 _The Producers (musical), The Producers_
- **tonyawards**: **Tony Award for Best Musical, Best Musical**
 2001 _The Producers (musical), The Producers_
 **Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical, Best Book of a Musical**
 2001 _The Producers (musical), The Producers_
 **Tony Award for Best Original Score, Best Original Score**
 2001 _The Producers (musical), The Producers_
- **grammyawards**: **Grammy Award for Best Spoken Comedy Album, Best Spoken Comedy Album**
 1999 _2000 Year Old Man_
 **Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video, Best Long Form Music Video**
 2002 _Recording 'The Producers': A Musical Romp with Mel Brooks_
 **Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album, Best Musical Show Album**
 2002 _The Producers (musical), The Producers_
- **awardtitle1**: Saturn Award for Best Direction, Saturn Award
- **award1**: **Saturn Award for Best Direction**
1975 _Young Frankenstein_ Mel Brooks has won an Oscar, three Emmys, three grammys, three tonys, and has received four Golden Globe nominations.


## Infobox (comedian)

- **name**: Mel Brooks
- **image**: MelBrooksApr10.jpg
- **caption**: Brooks in April 2010
- **birth name**: Melvin Kaminsky
- **birth place**: Brooklyn, New York City, United States, U.S.
- **medium**: Cinema, television
Musical theatre
- **nationality**: American
- **influences**: George M. Cohan
Jack Benny
Bob Hope
Harry Ritz
Fred Astaire
Gene Kelly
- **influenced**: Robin Williams, Jim Carrey, Andy Samberg
- **active**: 1949–present
- **genre**: Farce, parody
- **subject**: Comedy
- **spouse**: Florence Baum (1953-62, divorced), 3 children
Anne Bancroft (1964-2005, her death), 1 child (Max Brooks)
- **notable work**: _The Producers (1968 movie), The Producers_
_Blazing Saddles_
_Young Frankenstein_,
_History of the World, Part 1_