The Oldest Living Actors In Hollywood Today

Publish date: 2024-04-29

Comedian, writer, actor, director, and producer Mel Brooks is a living icon. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, according to Biography, by the time the young Brooks was in high school, he was already an accomplished pianist, drummer, and mimic, having studied under the legendary musician Buddy Rich. After serving in World War II, Brooks worked as a comedian and entertainer at resorts in the Catskills before landing his big break in television as the co-creator of "Get Smart." According to Britannica, next came his first full-length feature film, which he wrote and directed, "The Producers." "The Producers" wasn't well-received at the box offices at first, but Brooks won an Academy Award for Best Screenplay. In later years, this first Mel Brooks film became a well-known cult classic and would be adapted into a hit Broadway musical.

Brooks would go on to create other popular parody films such as "Robin Hood: Men in Tights," "Spaceballs," and "Young Frankenstein." He also started his own production company, Brooksfilms, to showcase more serious work such as "The Elephant Man." Brooks was also a longtime partner and friend of comedian Carl Reiner. Reiner and Brooks as well as their wives, Estelle Reiner and Anne Bancroft, were all good friends and often collaborated together. Bancroft passed in 2005 and Estelle Reiner in 2008. Up until Carl Reiner's death this year, Brooks and Reiner saw each other almost daily, spending their 90s trading jokes on entertainment and politics.

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