Mel Brooks
Melvin James Brooks (né Kaminsky; 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.
Spaceballs
(President Skroob / Yogurt)
History of the World: Part I
(Moses / Comicus / Torquemada / Jacques / King Louis XVI)
It's Alive: The True Story of Frankenstein
(Self)
The Silence of the Hams
(Checkout Guest (uncredited))
The Little Rascals
(Mr. Welling)
Silent Movie
(Mel Funn)
The Muppet Movie
(Professor Max Krassman)
Blazing Saddles
(Governor William J. Le Petomane / Indian Chief)
Life Stinks
(Goddard Bolt)
To Be or Not to Be
(Dr. Frederick Bronski)
Robin Hood: Men in Tights
(Rabbi Tuckman)
The Twelve Chairs
(Tikon)
Dracula: Dead and Loving It
(Prof. Abraham Van Helsing)
High Anxiety
(Dr. Richard H. Thorndyke)
Robots
(Bigweld (voice))
Excavating the 2000 Year Old Man
(Self)
Pretty as a Picture: The Art of David Lynch
(Self)
Screw Loose
(Jake Gordon)
Hitler: The Comedy Years
(Singer in 'Springtime for Hitler' (archive footage) (uncredited))
Sarah Silverman: Someone You Love
(Announcer (voice))
Making History: Mel Brooks on Creating the World
(Self)
Cutting Edge Comedians of the '60s & '70s
(Self (archive footage))
Musical Mel: Inventing The Inquisition
(Self)
Free to Be... a Family
(Self)
The Critic
(Narrator (voice))
Mel Brooks Strikes Back!
(Self)
Sex, Lies and Video Violence
(Stressed old man)
Richard Pryor: Omit the Logic
(Self)
Silent Laughter: The Reel Inspirations of 'Silent Movie'
(Self)
Free to Be… You and Me
(Baby Boy (voice))
Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic
(Self)
Mel Brooks: Make a Noise
(Self)
Look Who's Talking Too
(Mr. Toilet Man (voice))
Hotel Transylvania 2
(Vlad (voice))
Mel Brooks: Live at the Geffen
(Self)
Mel Brooks and Dick Cavett Together Again
(Self)
Sid Caesar Collection: Buried Treasures - The Legend of Sid Caesar
(Himself)
Laddie: The Man Behind the Movies
(Self)
Remembering Gene Wilder
(Self)
Mr. Peabody & Sherman
(Albert Einstein (voice))
The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother
(Lion victim (voice))
Caesar's Writers
(Self)
Harold and Lillian: A Hollywood Love Story
(Self)
Young Frankenstein
(Werewolf / Cat / Victor Frankenstein (voice) (uncredited))
Sunset People
(Self)
The Last Laugh
(Self)
Flower of the Dawn
(Bürgermeister (voice))
The Dick Cavett Show with Mel Brooks
(Self)
Mel Brooks: The Genius Entertainer
(Himself)
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank
(Shogun (voice))
Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You
(Self)
If You're Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast
(Self)
Frank Sinatra: The Voice of the Century
(Self (archive footage))
Ballerina
(Mustachioed Creep (voice))
Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story
(Self)
Mickey's Audition
(Movie Director)
It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie
(Joe Snow (voice))
An Audience with Mel Brooks
(Self)
Ballerina
(Luteau (voice))
Untitled Lani Pixels Project
(Gatekeeper (voice))
It's Always About the Story: Conversations with Alan Ladd, Jr.
(Himself)
Peeping Times
(Adolf Hitler)
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation
(Vlad (voice))
The Sid Caesar Collection: Creating the Comedy
(Himself)
The Sid Caesar Collection: Inside the Writer's Room
(Himself)
Annie: The Women in the Life of a Man
(Himself)
The Producers
(Singer in "Springtime for Hitler" (voice) (uncredited))
The Great Buster: A Celebration
(Self)
The 2000 Year Old Man
(2000 Year Old Man (voice))
Mel Brooks: Unwrapped
(Self)
A Night at the Movies: The Suspenseful World of Thrillers
(Self)
Toy Story 4
(Melephant Brooks (voice))
The Producers
(Hilda the Pigeon / Tom the Cat (voice))
The Terrible Elephant Man Revealed
(Self)
Hitchcock and Mel: Spoofing the Master of Suspense
(Self)
Mickey's 50
(Self)
Recording the Producers: A Musical Romp with Mel Brooks
(Self / Host)
Forky Asks a Question: What Is Love?
(Melephant Brooks (voice))
In the Beginning: The Caesar Years
(Self)
Life Stinks: Does Life Really Stink?
(Self)
'Robin Hood: Men in Tights' – The Legend Had It Coming
(Self)
Spaceballs: In Conversation - Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan
(Self)
The Making of 'The Producers'
(Self)
Back in the Saddle
(Self)
John Candy: Comic Spirit
(Self)
The Automat
(Self)
The Great Dictator: The Clown Turns Prophet
(Self (archive footage))
The Muppets Go Hollywood
(Self)
Hollywood Singing & Dancing: A Musical History - 1980s, 1990s and 2000s
(Self (archive))
Spaceballs: The Totally Warped Animated Adventures
(President Skroob/Yogurt)
Blaze of Glory: Mel Brooks' Wild, Wild West
(Self (archive footage))
Mel Brooks: Seriously... Well, Almost
(Self)
Ruby's Studio: the Feelings Show
(Sally Simon Simmons Narrator)
From Darkness to Light
(Self (archive footage))
Spaceballs 2
(President Skroob / Yogurt)
Spaceballs: The Documentary
(Self)
The Land of Sometimes
(The Postman (voice))
John Candy: I Like Me
(Self)
Enormous
(Bernie (voice))
The Hanging of Stuart Cornfeld
Paddy Chayefsky: Collector of Words
(Self)
David Lynch: The Idea Dictates Everything
(Mel Brooks)
Mad About You
(Uncle Phil)
The Simpsons
(Mel Brooks (voice))
Noel's House Party
The David Susskind Show
(Self)
Frasier
(Tom (voice))
Inside Comedy
(Self)
The Electric Company
Curb Your Enthusiasm
(Mel Brooks)
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
(Self)
Spaceballs: The Animated Series
(President Skroob / Yogurt (voice))
Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks
(Wiley (voice))
The Frank Skinner Show
(Self)
Saturday Night Clive
Glenn Martin, DDS
The Oscars
(Self)
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
(Self)
An Audience with...
(Self)
Only Murders in the Building
(Mel Brooks)
Wogan
(Self)
Flick Flack
Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee
(Self)
To Tell the Truth
(Self - Panelist)
The Mike Douglas Show
(Self)
The Hollywood Palace
(Self)
Legends
(Mel Funn (archive footage) (uncredited))
Champs-Elysées
(Self)
RTL Samstag Nacht
Broadway: The American Musical
(Self)
The Dick Cavett Show
(Self - Guest)
Real Time with Bill Maher
(Self)
The Wonderful World of Disney
(Self)
Primetime Glick
History of the World: Part II
(Narrator)
Please Turn the Page
(Self)
The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius
(Santa Claus (voice))
The Paul Reiser Show
(The Angry Cat (voice))
Great Performances
(Self)
Golden Globe Awards
(Self - Nominee)
Tony Awards
(Self - Winner)
The Grammys
(Self)
When Things Were Rotten
(Guard (uncredited))
Somebody Feed Phil
(Self)
Spaceballs
(Director)
Spaceballs
(Screenplay)
Spaceballs
(Producer)
History of the World: Part I
(Screenplay)
History of the World: Part I
(Producer)
History of the World: Part I
(Director)
Young Frankenstein
(Director)
Young Frankenstein
(Screenplay)
The Producers
(Director)
Silent Movie
(Director)
Silent Movie
(Screenplay)
Blazing Saddles
(Director)
Blazing Saddles
(Screenplay)
Life Stinks
(Producer)
Life Stinks
(Screenplay)
Life Stinks
(Director)
To Be or Not to Be
(Producer)
The Twelve Chairs
(Screenplay)
The Twelve Chairs
(Director)
Robin Hood: Men in Tights
(Director)
Robin Hood: Men in Tights
(Producer)
Robin Hood: Men in Tights
(Screenplay)
Dracula: Dead and Loving It
(Producer)
Dracula: Dead and Loving It
(Screenplay)
Dracula: Dead and Loving It
(Director)
High Anxiety
(Writer)
High Anxiety
(Director)
High Anxiety
(Producer)
The Producers
(Producer)
The Producers
(Screenplay)
Blazing Saddles
(Songs)
Blazing Saddles
(Lyricist)
The Producers
(Songs)
The Producers
(Lyricist)
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank
(Executive Producer)
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank
(Original Film Writer)
The Doctor and the Devils
(Executive Producer)
Mel Brooks: Live at the Geffen
(Writer)
The Producers
(Writer)
Shinbone Alley
(Author)
Mel Brooks: Live at the Geffen
(Executive Producer)
Fatso
(Producer)
The Fly II
(Producer)
Loose Shoes
(Producer)
Solarbabies
(Producer)
The Nude Bomb
(Characters)
Get Smart: A Man Called Smart
(Writer)
Ride
(Thanks)
Young Frankenstein
(Screenstory)
Sam
(Executive Producer)
The Vagrant
(Executive Producer)
The Fly
(Producer)
The Elephant Man
(Producer)
The Producers
(Songs)
High Anxiety
(Songs)
Get Smart
(Characters)
An Audience with Mel Brooks
(Writer)
Shinbone Alley
(Writer)
New Faces
(Writer)
Annie: The Women in the Life of a Man
(Writer)
The Producers
(Lyricist)
The Producers
(Writer)
The Producers
(Music)
The 2000 Year Old Man
(Writer)
The Critic
(Creator)
The Critic
(Writer)
Life Stinks
(Story)
The Automat
(Songs)
84 Charing Cross Road
(Executive Producer)
Spaceballs 2
(Producer)
Spaceballs 2
(Original Film Writer)
The Ladies Man
(Writer)
Inside Danny Baker
(Writer)
When Things Were Rotten
(Producer)
Get Smart
(Writer)
History of the World: Part II
(Executive Producer)
History of the World: Part II
(Writer)
Spaceballs: The Animated Series
(Executive Producer)
Spaceballs: The Animated Series
(Main Title Theme Composer)
Spaceballs: The Animated Series
(Writer)
When Things Were Rotten
(Writer)
Get Smart
(Creator)
When Things Were Rotten
(Creator)
Spaceballs: The Animated Series
(Creator)
The Nutt House
(Creator)
History of the World: Part II
(Creator)