Mel Brooks celebrates 100th birthday

Mel Brooks, born Melvyn Kaminsky on June 28, 1926, celebrated his 100th birthday on Sunday with profiles and tributes across major outlets. Publications ran a gift piece titled "100 Reasons to Love Mel Brooks on His 100th Birthday" and a profile headlined "Still blazing after all these years: Mel Brooks at 100," noting Brooks as the director of The Producers and a uniquely beloved entertainer. The profiles emphasize Brooks's career as a director, writer, actor, comedian, producer and composer and quote his belief that "comedy is the opposite of death." Social posts and essays recalled landmark works including Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein and cited Brooks's recurring use of satire such as "Springtime for Hitler." Commentators also highlighted Brooks's role as a backer of other filmmakers, noting his support for David Lynch and others. Coverage framed the centenary as both a celebration of Brooks's long creative output and a moment to revisit how his satire and genre-parody shaped American comedy.