Mel Brooks (born
Melvin Kaminsky;
June 28,
1926)
[Parish, pp. 16–17] is an
American director,
writer,
composer,
lyricist,
comedian,
actor and
producer, best known as a creator of broad film
farces and comic
parodies. Brooks is a member of
the short list of entertainers with the distinction of having won an
Emmy, a
Grammy, an
Oscar and a
Tony award.
Biography
Early life
Brooks was born
Melvin Kaminsky in
Brooklyn,
New York, the son of Kate (
née Brookman), a
garment worker, and Max Kaminsky, a process server.
["Mel Brooks Biography (1926-)" at Filmreference.com] Brooks's family was
Jewish; his mother's parents emigrated from outside
Kiev and his paternal family from
Austria.
["It's good to be Mel Brooks", Jstandard.com] His father died of kidney disease at age 34.
