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NEED TO KNOW
Mel Brooks is the man behind comedy classics like The Producers and Young Frankenstein
He's won an Oscar, a Grammy, a Tony and three Emmys for his work
The new documentary about his life, Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!, premieres Jan. 22 on HBO
Mel Brooksbelieves it's no coincidence that he has lived to be 99 years old.
The EGOT winner behind classic films likeThe ProducersandBlazing Saddlessays there's a reason he and two of his closest friends and fellow comedy legends,Carl ReinerandSid Caesar, who died in 2020 and 2014, respectively, all lived into their 90s. "We all laughed a lot," Brooks tells PEOPLE in this week's issue. "I think laughing keeps you healthy and happy."
For nearly 80 years, Brooks has done just that — laughing while bringing joy to the masses. The comedian, whose life and legacy are explored in the new two-part HBO documentaryMel Brooks: The 99-Year-Old Man!, which blends interviews with Brooks, his friends and family and archival footage, says that making people happy has driven his career and still gets him out of bed every morning.
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"It's an amazing sound, people laughing at something I created," he says. "Making comedy is a great job. It keeps you sane and happy. It gives you a reason to be alive."
Laughter isn't the only thing Brooks credits for his long, successful life. Courage, he says, has also played a key role — and it's a trait he inherited from his mother. The youngest of four boys, Brooks was born Melvin Kaminsky on June 28, 1926, in Brooklyn, N.Y., to Max and Kate Kaminsky. His father died when Brooks was just 2 years old, leaving Kate to raise the boys alone. "She was an amazing example of courage," Brooks says. "Losing her husband when she was just a young gal, raising four kids. What an example of a courageous life."
Brooks displayed that same courage when he put his comedy aspirations on hold to enlist in the U.S. Army at 17, serving in a combat engineering unit on the European front during World War II. "I got through World War II as a soldier because I made my buddies in the Army laugh," he says.
Mel Brooks/HBO
After the war, Brooks went on to build one of the most influential careers in comedy history. He co-created the hit 1965-70 TV seriesGet Smart, won a screenwriting Oscar for 1967'sThe Producersand directed two influential hits in 1974:Blazing SaddlesandYoung Frankenstein. "Blazing Saddleswas the first major anti-racist movie at a time when that was not cool,"Max Brooks, the comedian's youngest son, 53, says. "My father had incredible courage; all his movies have incredible courage. My father is a true genius."
Others in Brooks' orbit agree. "Mel Brooks is the greatest of all time. The Rosetta Stone of comedy," saysJudd Apatow, who co-directed the documentary and interviewed Brooks for the film. "We need wisdom from people like Mel who've lived so much." Co-director Michael Bonfiglio adds, "He's a national treasure."
Surrounded by friends, family and a lifetime of creativity, Brooks reflects with humor on what he still hopes to accomplish. "I think I've done most of it," he says of his career bucket list. "But if I missed anything, it wasn't my fault."
The first episode ofMel Brooks: The 99 Year-Old Man!premieres on HBO Max Jan. 22 at 8 p.m. ET. The second episode premieres Jan. 23 at the same time. Both episodes will be available to stream on HBO Max Jan. 22.
Read the original article onPeople
