The film director Mel Brooks Mel Brooks is the grand master of movie satire and one of Hollywood s most successful film-makers. He was born from a Russian Jewish family on June 28 in 1926 in Brooklyn. His career began in the forties while he was serving as a combat engineer in the US army. During this time he organized shows for the soldiers. When he returned to the States he began working as a stand-up comedian1. He didn t make money but he earned2 great personal satisfaction. He became famous for his foolish and unexpected behaviour3; during an open-air show, for example, he jumped fully clothed4 into a swimming pool nearby. Then Brooks turned to television. He wrote variety programs, worked with such greats as Woody Allen and also received a Writing Emmy5. Throughout the fifties and sixties he produced plays and often appeared on television. He was considered one of the most spontaneously funny comedians. After years of stand-up comedy and television, he ventured into6 movie making. During the production of his first film, The Producers, he discovered the talent of Gene Wilder, who would star7 in several Brooks films. Anyway, the following years were characterized by disappointment8 and failure9. In 1974 success came with Blazing Saddles, a comedy about a black western sheriff. In the same year Brooks directed Young Frankenstein, a fine parody of the Frankenstein movies. He won a prize10 for writing. In many of his films Brooks also starred because he felt he wanted a larger role11. Brooks thought that parodies were a way to pay tribute to the classic films. Spaceballs, produced in 1987, was a parody of science-fiction films and Robin Hood: Men in Tights, in 1993, made fun of the world of Sherwood Forest and of Robin Hood. In 1995 he co-wrote and produced Dracula: Dead and Loving it, a parody of the Dracula tale. He also founded a production company, Brooksfilm, which produced many notable12 films. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. stand-up comedian: comic actor. earned: obtained. behaviour: way of acting. fully-clothed: completely dressed. Emmy: (USA) television prize. ventured (into): risked doing something dangerous. 7. would star: would act in a film with a leading role. 8. disappointment: dissatisfaction, discontent. 9. failure: lack of success. 10. prize: something given to someone who wins. 11. role: part in a performance. 12. notable: important and deserving attention.