Brooks, Mel (1926-…), is an American motion-picture director, actor, writer, and producer known for his zany, satirical movie comedies. Brooks’s first film, The Producers (1968), became a cult classic. It describes how a Broadway producer tries to swindle investors out of their money by deliberately creating a flop musical comedy. In 1969, Brooks won an Academy Award for writing The Producers. He later adapted the film into a musical comedy, which became one of the biggest hits in modern American theater after it opened in New York City in 2001. Brooks was also the recipient of a 2023 honorary Academy Award for lifetime achievement and contributions to the movie industry.
Brooks was born on June 28, 1926, in the Brooklyn section of New York City. His real name was Melvin Kaminsky. He began his show business career as a television comedy writer in the 1950’s, writing for “Your Show of Shows” and for comedian Sid Caesar. In the early 1960’s, Brooks made a series of comedy albums with Carl Reiner featuring a character Brooks created known as the 2,000-Year-Old Man. Brooks also was the co-creator of the TV series “Get Smart” (1965-1970), a spoof on spy thrillers. In 1964, he married actress Anne Bancroft.
Following the 1968 motion picture of The Producers, Brooks directed, wrote, and sometimes acted in a series of satirical films. Blazing Saddles (1974) is a spoof of movie Westerns. Young Frankenstein (1974) and Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995) satirize horror films. Silent Movie (1976) is a satire on silent films of the 1920’s. High Anxiety (1977) is a take-off on suspense films directed by the British director Alfred Hitchcock. Spaceballs (1987) satirizes science-fiction films, such as the Star Wars trilogy. Other films Brooks has directed include The Twelve Chairs (1970), History of the World-Part I (1981), and Life Stinks (1991). Brooks produced and starred in To Be or Not To Be (1983). He acted in the movies Putney Swope (1969) and The Muppet Movie (1979).
