Mel Brooks, an American actor, comedian, and director, was born Melvin James Kaminsky on June 28, 1926.
He is renowned for having written and directed a number of popular broad comedies and parodies throughout the course of a career spanning more than seven decades.
He is one of only 18 celebrities to have received the EGOT, which consists of the Emmy, Grammy, Academy (or “Oscar”), and Tony Awards. He has won multiple awards.
In addition, he was honored by the Kennedy Center in 2009, was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010, received the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2013, was given a British Film Institute Fellowship in 2015, was given the National Medal of Arts in 2016, and was given a BAFTA Fellowship in 2017.
What did Mel Brooks do in the military?
In 1944, just a few months after finishing high school, Melvin Kaminsky, at 17 years old, enrolled in the American Army.
Did Mel Brooks fight in a war?
He was assigned to the front lines of the fighting, where he assisted in demolishing Nazi land mines to allow British forces to advance. Five times, Brooks’ battalion was forced to engage in infantry combat and sustained casualties.