On This Day in Jewish History: June 28th, 1926
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Today is the birthday of iconic comedian, writer, director and actor Mel Brooks who turns 94.
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Born in Brooklyn Melvyn Kaminsky. Brooks is nothing short of a legend in the entertainment world with a career that has spanned over seven decades and continues to go strong today.
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Brooks is known for such films as “The Producers” (1967) “Blazing Saddles” (1974) “Young Frankenstein” (1974), “Space Balls” (1987), and “2000 Year Old Man” the legendary comedy sketch he created with Carl Reiner in the fifties and performed in the sixties. .
Brooks is also known for his marriage to the actress Anne Bancroft, best known for her role as Mrs. Robinson in the 1967 film, “The Graduate.” The marriage lasted until Bancroft’s death in 2005. A veteran of WWII, Brooks held the position of Corporal in the 1104 Engineer Combat Battalion, 78th Infantry Division where he worked to defuse land mines as Allied Forces continued their advance into Nazi Germany. When the war in Europe was over, Brooks helped organize shows for US forces as well Germans that had been captured.
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While not a religious person, Brooks always took pride in his Judaism, if not for religious reasons than for its culture and history. He once said: “I’m rather secular. I’m basically Jewish. But I think I’m Jewish not because of the Jewish religion at all. I think it’s the relationship with the people and the pride I have. The tribe surviving so many misfortunes, and being so brave and contributing so much knowledge to the world and showing courage.”
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According to his IMDB page, Brooks is currently working on 3 projects to be released in the next 2 years.
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