Photo: Angela George at https://www.flickr.com/photos/sharongraphics/ / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Mel Brooks is my favorite proof that silliness can be a serious life's work. He is one of the few EGOT winners, yet his comedy never begs for respectability; Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein aim squarely at pomposity, bigotry, and fear, then detonate them with joy. What I admire most is the longevity of the mischief: a Brooklyn kid from Brownsville, born in 1926, still sharp as he approaches a full century. Parody gets dismissed as a lesser art, but Brooks built it into a moral instrument, and laughing at tyrants was his lifelong project. I would argue his films have aged better than most prestige cinema of their era.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Mel Brooks
- Name (Japanese)
- メル・ブルックス
- Reading
- める・ぶるっくす
- Born
- June 28, 1926 (age 100)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Cancer / Tiger
- Origin
- Brownsville, New York, United States
- Occupation
- actor / film actor / film director / screenwriter / film producer
2. Background
- High school
- Abraham Lincoln High School
- University
- Brooklyn College
Awards & achievements
- 1967 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series
- 2002 Grammy Award for Best Music Film
- 1969 Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Screenplay
- 1967 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series
- 1969 Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay
- 1975 Nebula Award for Best Script
- 1976 Saturn Award for Best Director
- 1998 Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | The Producers | — | |
| Notable work | The Twelve Chairs | — | |
| Notable work | Blazing Saddles | — | |
| Notable work | Young Frankenstein | — | |
| Notable work | Silent Movie | — | |
| Notable work | High Anxiety | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Mel Brooks born?
Born June 28, 1926 (age 100).
Where is Mel Brooks from?
Mel Brooks is from Brownsville, New York, United States.
What does Mel Brooks do?
Mel Brooks works as actor, film actor, film director, screenwriter, film producer.
What is Mel Brooks known for?
Notable works include The Producers, The Twelve Chairs, Blazing Saddles.
Actor — see all → · Film actor — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-11
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.