Mel Brooks Shares His Tips for Enjoying Life at 99

Mel Brooks in 2024.
Credit:

Presley Ann/Getty

Key Points

• Mel Brooks is known for comedy classics such as The Producers and Young Frankenstein
• He has earned an Oscar, a Grammy, a Tony, and three Emmys throughout his career
• The documentary Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man! is set to premiere on January 22 on HBO

Mel Brooks, the iconic comedian and filmmaker, attributes his longevity to a life filled with laughter. Celebrating his 99th birthday, Brooks reflects on the happiness and health that humor can bring.

The EGOT winner, recognized for classics like The Producers and Blazing Saddles, shares that he and his late friends, Carl Reiner and Sid Caesar, both lived into their 90s largely due to the joy they found in comedy. “We all laughed a lot,” Brooks told PEOPLE. “I think laughing keeps you healthy and happy.”

As he approaches a career spanning nearly eight decades, Brooks discusses the inspiration behind the upcoming two-part HBO documentary, Mel Brooks: The 99-Year-Old Man! The film combines interviews with Brooks, family, and archival footage, exploring the joy he derives from making others laugh.

Mel Brooks at his Santa Monica, Calif., home in 2023.

Chantal Anderson/The New York Times

“It’s an amazing sound, people laughing at something I created,” he stated. “Making comedy is a great job. It keeps you sane and happy. It gives you a reason to be alive.”

Brooks also credits his long life to the courage he learned from his mother. Born Melvin Kaminsky on June 28, 1926, in Brooklyn, New York, he was the youngest of four boys. His father’s early demise at the age of two forced his mother to raise them alone. “She was an amazing example of courage,” Brooks said. “Losing her husband when she was just a young gal, raising four kids. What an example of a courageous life.”

Brooks’s own courage led him to pause his comedy career at the age of 17 to enlist in the U.S. Army during World War II, where he served in a combat engineering unit. “I got through World War II as a soldier because I made my buddies in the Army laugh,” he explained.

Young Mel Brooks.

Mel Brooks/HBO

After the war, Brooks established a remarkable career in comedy. He co-created the hit television series Get Smart and won an Oscar for screenwriting in 1967 for The Producers, followed by two iconic films, Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein, in 1974. His son, Max Brooks, reflected on his father’s groundbreaking work, saying, “Blazing Saddles was the first major anti-racist movie at a time when that was not cool. My father had incredible courage; all his movies have incredible courage. My father is a true genius.”

Many colleagues echo this sentiment. “Mel Brooks is the greatest of all time. The Rosetta Stone of comedy,” said filmmaker Judd Apatow, who co-directed the documentary. Co-director Michael Bonfiglio described him as “a national treasure.”

In the company of friends, family, and a lifetime of creativity, Brooks humorously considers his future ambitions. “I think I’ve done most of it,” he remarked regarding his career aspirations. “But if I missed anything, it wasn’t my fault.”

The premiere of Mel Brooks: The 99-Year-Old Man! is scheduled for January 22 at 8 p.m. ET on HBO Max, with the second episode following on January 23. Both episodes will be available for streaming on HBO Max starting January 22.