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Mel Brooks Facts

Mel Brooks Facts
Mel Brooks is an American comedian, film and television producer, writer, and director. He was born Melvin Kaminsky on June 28th, 1926, in Brooklyn, New York, to Kate Brookman and Max Kaminsky. His father died when he was two years old and he has been known to say that his comedy and anger is often based on his father passing. Mel was often bullied because he was small. At nine years old he saw his first Broadway play and decided he wanted to be in show business. Buddy Rich taught him to play the drums and by 14 he was earning money from it. He was drafted in 1944 and served in World War II defusing land mines. When he returned he began his show business career.
Interesting Mel Brooks Facts:
Mel Brooks began his career working in nightclubs and resorts as a pianist and as a drummer. This was when he changed his name to Mel Brooks.
When a regular comic at the nightclub was sick Mel Brooks took over and began his stand up career.
When working as a master entertainer at a resort Mel Brooks became a comedy TV writer.
Sid Caesar hired Mel Brooks to write jokes for The Admiral Broadway Revue in 1949 at a rate of $50 a week.
Mel Brooks was hired in 1950 to write for Your Show of Shows - a variety show created by Sid Caesar. He worked along with Neil Simon, Mel Tolkin, and Carl Reiner, among others.
Carl Reiner based the character of Morey Amsterdam (The Dick Van Dyke Show) on Mel Brooks.
In 1954 Mel Brooks was hired to write for Caesar's Hour.
Mel Brooks moved from New York to Hollywood in 1960, where he and Carl Reiner performed together on the Steve Allen Show.
In 1961 Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks released the comic album 2000 years with Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks. It sold more than 1 million copies.
Mel Brooks wrote the 1962 musical All American, which earned two Tony nominations.
Mel Brooks began creating the TV show Get Smart in 1965 with Buck Henry, another comedy writer.
In 1967 Mel Brooks created his first film - The Producers, but because it was so satirical he had difficulty getting it released. An independent distributer released it and Mel Brooks received an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. It later became a hit Broadway musical as well.
Mel Brooks is famous for his gags in films, such as having a character in his film wink at the audience, or a camera breaking a window.
Mel Brooks was known as one of the top comedy Hollywood directors by the end of the 1970s. He even worked with Alfred Hitchcock to create High Anxiety - a film he said he wouldn't do if Hitchcock didn't approve.
Mel Brooks is known to write many of the original songs in his films.
Mel Brooks used a prosthetic 11th finger when putting his handprint in his Hollywood Walk of Fame block.
Mel Brooks has won Tony, Oscar, Grammy, and Emmy awards - making him known as an EGOT.


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