Mel Brooks

Served as a corporal with the United States Army in North Africa during World War II, where one of his duties was defusing land mines before the infantry moved in.

His stage name is an adaptation of his mothers maiden name, Brookman.

His film The Producers was the inspiration for the title of the album "Achtung Baby" by the rock band U2.

He produced and wrote the music, lyrics, and book for the Broadway musical "The Producers" , the musical version of his earlier movie The Producers . The Broadway hit musical then lead to the musical movie The Producers .

One of the few people to win an Oscar, an Emmy, a Grammy and a Tony. He won an Oscar for the screenplay of The Producers ; three Emmys in a row for his guest appearance as Uncle Phil in "Mad About You" ; three Tonys for "The Producers" - Best Musical, Original Music Score and Book (musical); and three Grammys - Best Spoken Comedy Album for "The 2000 Year Old Man in the Year 2000" (1998, with Carl Reiner ) and two for "The Producers" : Best Musical Show Album (as composer/lyricist) and Best Long Form Music Video (as artist).

Son Eddie Brooks manages a band called "Early Edison".

Named one of E!s "Top 20 entertainers of 2001".

Called his late wife Anne Bancroft his Obi-Wan Kenobi since she encouraged him to turn his movie The Producers into a Broadway musical.

Named one of People Magazines "25 Most Intriguing People of 2001".

At the opening of the Broadway version of "The Producers", he was asked by a reporter if he was nervous about the plays reception, since it cost $40 million to produce. Brooks joked, "If it flops, Ill take the other sixty million and fly to Rio." He did not have to worry, since the play was both a critical and financial success.

He and Anne Bancroft met on the set of a TV talk show, and Mel later paid a woman who worked on the show to tell him which restaurant Bancroft was going to eat at that night so he could "accidentally" bump into her again and strike up a conversation.

He and Bancroft married at New Yorks Municipal Building, where a passer-by served as their witness.

Children from his first marriage: Stefanie Brooks (born 1956), Nicky Brooks (born 1957) and Eddie Brooks (born 1959). Has one son with Anne Bancroft : Max Brooks (born 1972).

In 1966, he was about to co-star in a movie called "Easy Come, Easy Go" with Jan Berry and Dean Torrence in the leading roles. What would have been his on-screen debut, was canceled due to a car wreck during shooting, in which Berry suffered a severe brain damage and paralysis. On the casting list was also British comedy star Terry-Thomas.

Has performed a rap song for the soundtrack of History of the World: Part I called "Its Good to Be the King". It was a surprisingly successful hip-hop/dance hit in 1981. He followed it up with "Hitler Rap" for To Be or Not to Be . The song was not as successful. But the lyric "Dont be stupid, be a smarty/Come and join the Nazi Party" was originally used in the original movie version of The Producers , then later reused in Brooks Broadway version of "The Producers".

The 1944 edition of the Eastern District High School (Brooklyn, N.Y.) yearbook featured the future Mel Brooks (born Melvin Kaminsky) stating that his goal was to become President of the United States; forty-three years later, in 1987, his ambition was to be fulfilled, if only in fiction and in part -- in the movie Spaceballs , he portrayed Spaceball leader "President Skroob".

His favorite song is "Yankee Doodle Dandy" by George M. Cohan.

Biography in: "Whos Who in Comedy", by Ronald L. Smith, pg. 63-66. New York: Facts on File, 1992. ISBN 0816023387

Biography in: John Wakeman, editor. "World Film Directors, Volume Two, 1945-1985." Pages 162-167. New York: The H.W. Wilson Company, 1988.

Is close friends with Italian television star Ezio Greggio , whose movies he inspired. Brooks is often a guest on Greggios shows, and offered Greggio a small role in his movie Dracula: Dead and Loving It , due to this friendship.

In 2001, he won three Tony Awards for "The Producers": as a co-producer of the Best Musical winner; as Best Book , with collaborator Thomas Meehan ; and as Best Original Musical Score, both lyrics and music.

Has one grandson: Henry Michael Brooks (Maxs son) (born April 2005).

In the original film version of The Producers , Brooks voice can be heard singing the line "Dont be stupid/Be a schmarty/Come and join the Nazi Party" during the "Springtime for Hitler" number. For the Broadway musical version, he repeats this task, with the live actor lip-synching to a recording of Brooks.

Has cited his favorite films as Ladri di biciclette and La grande illusion .

Though Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein are often cited as his best and most popular films as a director, his biggest video sales are Spaceballs and Robin Hood: Men in Tights .

His parents, Kate (Brookman) and Aharon Mordechai/Max Kaminsky, were Jewish immigrants. His father was born in Tilsit, then in Prussia, now in Russia, with ancestors who also lived in Belarus. His mother was born in Kiev, then in the Russian Empire, now in Ukraine. Mel is an avid fan of Russian literature, occasionally making references to works and writers in his films.

His running "walk this way" gag is also the inspiration for the song "Walk This Way" by Aerosmith. The gag was copied from William Powell s ad-lib in After the Thin Man .

Would much rather write than direct.

He, Anne Bancroft and their son Max Brooks have all won Emmy Awards.

Has directed two performers to Oscar nominations: Gene Wilder (for The Producers ) and Madeline Kahn (for Blazing Saddles ).

Worked with son Nicky Brooks at Brooksfilm. Nicky was a story editor on The Fly , The Fly II and Spaceballs .

Godfather of Alan Yentob s children.

He attended film director Alfred Hitchcock s funeral.

In an NPR interview, he mentioned that he attended Virginia Military Institute and thus, in reference to the 1938 films setting, was a "Brother Rat".

Was considered for the role of Dr. Sam Loomis in the horror film Halloween , which went to Donald Pleasence.

Is one of the five winners of the 2009 Kennedy Center Honors. Other 2009 winners were Bruce Springsteen , Robert De Niro , Dave Brubeck and Grace Bumbry.

Has directed three of the American Film Institutes 100 Funniest Movies: Blazing Saddles at #6, The Producers at #11 and Young Frankenstein at #13.

He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6712 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on April 23, 2010.

His father died when Mel was age two and his impoverished childhood has been called Dickensian.

Worked as a stand-up comedy "tummeler" in Catskill Mountains resorts before joining Sid Caesar s "Your Show of Shows" immortal writing staff in the 1950s, which featured Neil Simon. Its also where he met performer Carl Reiner. This legendary Caesar show was the basis for the comedy classic, My Favorite Year .

Often ate dinner at the Pritikin Longevity Center in Santa Monica, California, with his wife Anne Bancroft.

Was presented, by Martin Scorsese , the 41st Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Film Institute in Los Angeles, California on June 6, 2013.

Grew up at 365 South Third Street in Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York City.

Produced the stage musical adaptation of his movie Young Frankenstein . The musical opened on Halloween night, October 31, 2007, at the St. James Theatre on Broadway after a summer try-out at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle.

Best friends with Carl Reiner. Both of them widowers, they hang out and watch movies together every night.

His musical, "Young Frankenstein" at the Drury Lane Productions in Chicago, Illinois was nominated for a 2014 Joseph Jefferson Equity Award for Large Musical Production.

He has two roles in common with both Peter Cushing and Dennis Price : (1) Cushing played Victor Frankenstein in The Curse of Frankenstein . The Revenge of Frankenstein , The Evil of Frankenstein , Frankenstein Created Woman , Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed , One More Time and Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell , Price played him in Drcula contra Frankenstein and La maldicin de Frankenstein and Brooks played him in Young Frankenstein and Cushing played Professor Van Helsing in Dracula , The Brides of Dracula , Dracula A.D. 1972 , The Satanic Rites of Dracula and The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires , Price played him in Son of Dracula and Brooks played him in Dracula: Dead and Loving It .

In 1962, the year that his divorce from his first wife was finalized, Brooks wrote an original screenplay entitled "Marriage is a Dirty Rotten Fraud". It was never filmed.

His musical, "The Producers" at the Marriott Theatre in Chicago, Illinois was nominated for a 2008 Joseph Jefferson Equity Award for Large Musical Production.

Has claimed that he includes so many jokes about Hitler and the Nazis in his movies because he wants to make them both seem so ridiculous that their beliefs never became popular again.

He learned how to play drums from legendary Jazz drummer Buddy Rich and began making money with them at age fourteen.

Counts Strangers on a Train as his favorite Alfred Hitchcock film.

His musical, "The Producers" at the Mercury Theater in Chicago, Illinois was nominated for a 2016 Joseph Jefferson (Equity) Award for Midsize Musical Production.

Is a huge fan of the original "Star Trek" series.

Attended PS 19 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York.

Attended Abraham Lincoln High School located at 2800 Ocean Parkway in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, New York. When his family moved back to Williamsburg he was enrolled at Eastern District High School which years later became the UTA (Bruche Sime) Satmar Girls School located at 241 Keap Street.

During high school was good friends with Mickey Rich, younger brother of the drummer Buddy Rich who taught Brooks basic drumming skills.

Lived at 365 South Third Street Apt 5B in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York. The family then relocated to Coney Island before returning to Williamsburg where they settled in at 111 Lee Avenue.

Began his theater work in Summer 1947 with a Red Bank, New Jersey, theatre troupe with comedian/impressionist Will Jordan.

Mel Brooks when separated from his first wife Florence we roomed with his friend Irving "Speed" Vogel. Their time together was the inspiration for Neil Simons The Odd Couple.

Trained to be a combat engineer as part of the 1104 Engineer Combat Battalion of the 78th Division when he enlisted in the Army Reserve Specialized Training Program during World War II.

Attended Brooklyn College on the G.I. Bill before dropping out.

Based the character of Max Bialystock in The Producers on a former boss who was a seedy theater impresario named Benjamin Kutcher.

Introduced to Anne Bancroft by his friend the pianist/composer Charles Strouse.

Friends with Carl Reiner , Gene Wilder , Norman Lear , Cloris Leachman , and Richard Benjamin.

Mel Brooks considers the most flattering thing to ever happen in to him in Show Business was when Hedy Lamarr sued for Blazing Saddles, because he said it is unusual for a big name actor to pay that much attention to writers.

My movies rise below vulgarity.

Look at Jewish history. Unrelieved lamenting would be intolerable. So,for every ten Jews beating their breasts, God designated one to be,crazy and amuse the breast-beaters. By the time I was five, I knew I,was that one.

Humor is just another defense against the universe.

I love spaghetti and sex, sometimes together. My dream of heaven is,walking naked through fields of pasta fazool.

[on the famous campfire scene in Blazing Saddles (1974) ] I only,break wind on the prairie.

I had the best childhood. I loved life. I thought life was the most,wonderful thing ever created.

The musical blows the dust off your soul.

Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die.

Every human being has hundreds of separate people living under his skin. The talent of a writer is his ability to give them their separate names, identities, personalities and have them relate to other characters living with him.

Everything we do in life is based on fear, especially love.

Humor is just another defense against theuniverse.

Humor is just another defense against the universe.

Look at Jewish history. Unrelieved lamenting would be intolerable. So for every ten Jews beating their breasts God designated one to be crazy and amuse the breast-beaters. By the time I was five I knew I was that one.

Humour is just another defence against the universe.

Every human being has hundreds of separate people living under his skin. The talent of a writer is his ability to give them their separate names identities personalities and have them relate to other characters living with him.

Humor is just another defense against the universe.

Rhetoric does not get you anywhere, because Hitler and Mussolini are just as good at rhetoric. But if you can bring these people down with comedy, they stand no chance.

If God wanted us to fly, He would have given us tickets.

Bad taste is simply saying the truth before it should be said.

A cinema villain essentially needs a moustache so he can twiddle with it gleefully as he cooks up his next nasty plan. .