Mel Brooks

Melvin James Kaminsky was born on June 28th, 1926 in Brooklyn, New York, to Russian Jewish immigrants, Kate and James Kaminsky. His father died when Mel was twelve years old, and he has said that his angry humor stems from that event. As a young boy, he learned how to play the drums.After brief education, he served in WWII, and afterwards got a job playing the drums at nightclubs in the Catskills. Brooks eventually started a comedy act and also worked in radio and as Master Entertainer at Grossinger's Resort before going to television.He was a writer for, Your Show of Shows (1950) Caesar's Hour (1954) and wrote the Broadway show Shinbone Alley. He also worked in the creation of The 2000 Year Old Man (1975) and Get Smart (1965) before embarking on a highly successful film career in acting and directing.Brooks was famous for the spoofs of different film genres that he made such as Blazing Saddles (1974), History of the World: Part I (1981), Silent Movie (1976), Young Frankenstein (1974), Sacré Robin des Bois (1993), High Anxiety (1977), Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995) and Spaceballs (1987). However, one of his most famous ones was The Producers, which was originally on stage, was adapted again on stage, and was adapted into future movies. Brooks has also worked on television shows such as, The Electric Company (1971) and Saturday Night Live (1975).

Born:

Jun 28, 1926 In Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Movie/TV Credits:

19

First Appeared:

In the series Get Smart 1965-09-18

Latest Project:

Series The Comedians 2015-04-09

Won 1 Oscar. Another 18 wins & 23 nominations.