Mel Brooks — one of the biggest and most venerable names in comedy — celebrates his 96th birthday today.
Brooks (born Melvin Kaminsky in Brooklyn in 1926) is best known for his decades of filmmaking. Even though his show business career began way back in the 1950s, the comedy legend is still keeping busy with several projects.
Numerous friends and collaborators took the time to wish Mel Brooks a happy 96th birthday.
Brooks was born to a Jewish family in Brooklyn and grew up in Williamsburg.
After watching the film Anything Goes in theaters as a kid, Brooks decided then and there that he was going to pursue a career in show business.
These plans would have to go on hold, though, as the outbreak of World War II pushed Brooks into service.
Brooks underwent basic training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
Towards the tail end of the war, the 18-year-old Brooks shipped off to France to serve as a radio operator and later served as a combat engineer.
As the war ended, Brooks once again changed roles, joining the Special Services to perform comedy at various Army bases throughout the European theater.
Upon his return to the U.S., Brooks worked as an entertainer in the Catskills.
Commonly known as the ” Borscht Belt ,” the summer resorts in the Catskills of upstate New York were a fertile place for the young Brooks to practice his comedic chops. He was rewarded when he was hired by renowned comedian Sid Caesar to write for his comedy series.
Brooks’ filmmaking career began in the 1960s.
In the early part of the decade, Brooks created some of his most famous characters, including the “2,000 Year-Old Man.” But it was in 1967 that he created his first feature film, The Producers , which is seen as a landmark piece even today.
The following decade brought hit after hit.
From the Blazing Saddles to Young Frankenstein , Brooks became a household name in comedy in the ’70s. In 1980, Brooks set up his own production company, appropriately called Brooksfilms . Spaceballs , a Brooks film from 1987, was a pitch-perfect sendup of the Star Wars series.
Brooks was married twice.
His first marriage to dancer Florence Baum produced three children and his second marriage, to actress Anne Bancroft, lasted until her death in 2005. Bancroft and Brooks’ son, Max, is well-known in his own right as an author of zombie stories.
He’s also working on a sequel to one of his earlier films.
History of the World, Part I , an epic 1981 comedy film written, produced, and directed by Brooks, calls for a sequel in its very title. Hulu has picked up the option to a sequel — appropriately called History of the World, Part II , which is set to start production this year .
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Brooks is still keeping busy.
This summer will see the release of Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank , a computer-animated film that’s loosely inspired by the plot of Blazing Saddles . Brooks will also lend his voice acting talents to the film.
He’s one of the hardest working people in show business.
Most Hollywood stars who live into their 80s and 90s are long retired, but Brooks has never stayed away from Hollywood for long. The fact that he’s working on not one, but two, projects just shows how dedicated he is to his craft.
Happy birthday, Mel Brooks!
Here’s to a filmmaking legend who helped to revolutionize comedy in Hollywood. He summed up his long career in a 2021 memoir, All About Me , which is a must-read for fans.
Let us know which Mel Brooks movies are your favorites in the comments section!
