Mel Brooks' 4 Kids: Everything to Know
Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic
Mel Brooks is a living legend.
The 96-year-old has starred in, written and directed some of the greatest comedies of all time, including Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles and The Producers — both the movie and the Broadway musical. So it should come as no surprise that his four kids — Stefanie, Nicky, Eddie and Max — have all followed in his creative footsteps, working in the film industry and other artistic fields.
Brooks, who achieved EGOT status in 2001, was married to Broadway dancer Florence Baum from 1953 to 1962. Brooks and Baum had three kids: Stefanie, Nicky and Eddie. He later married Oscar-winning actress Anne Bancroft, another Hollywood legend known for roles like Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate. They remained together until her death in 2005. Brooks and Bancroft had one son, Max.
"She always said, 'Follow your heart. It will be a good adventure,' " Brooks wrote in his 2021 memoir All About Me! "What an adventure life turned out to be!" It seems that Bancroft passed her encouraging nature on to their son; when Brooks was hesitant to write the memoir in the first place, Max encouraged him to do it.
"He said, 'What are you gonna do, Dad, just sit around and wait for the pandemic to be over? Write a memoir!' " Brooks recalled to the Orange County Register. "'Just tell the stories you told me when I was growing up.' "
After four kids and nearly six decades in the entertainment industry, Brooks still isn't slowing down at 96. The sequel to his seminal film History of the World, Part I premiered as a Hulu series on March 6, 2023.
Here's everything to know about Mel Brooks' four children: Stefanie, Nicky, Eddie and Max.
Stefanie Brooks, 67
Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection/Getty
Stefanie Brooks was born on Feb. 21, 1956, in New York City. She was the first child born to Brooks and his first wife Florence Baum. In 1978, Brooks told the New Yorker that his eldest was taking film courses at New York University.
Stefanie has worked in film, both in front of and behind the camera. According to Turner Classic Movies, she had a role in Human Traffic in 1999. She also worked as a production assistant on Tootsie and I, the Jury and as a casting assistant for Speed.
Nicholas "Nicky" Brooks, 65
Chance Yeh/Getty
Nicholas "Nicky" Brooks was born on Dec. 13, 1957, in N.Y.C. to Brooks and Baum. He had a role in the 1971 film Who Says I Can't Ride a Rainbow!, but he has since focused on writing and producing films. Like his sister Stefanie, Nick studied film at NYU.
Nicky wrote the screenplay for the 2016 movie Sam, for which his father was an executive producer (per Variety), and has produced several short films, including Beautiful and Confession on Pleasant Street.
Edward "Eddie" Brooks, 63
Bennett Raglin/WireImage
Edward "Eddie" Brooks was born on May 24, 1959, in N.Y.C. to Brooks and Baum. As a child, he made an appearance in the 1970 movie Where's Poppa? directed by Carl Reiner. In 1978, the New Yorker reported that Eddie was studying music in Manhattan.
As an adult, Eddie has stayed behind the scenes. He directed the short films The Green Room and Of the Woods: Prologue. He and his wife Sarah have a daughter, Samantha Brooks, who is a journalist. Samantha interviewed her grandfather in November 2022, and the two touched on everything from dating tips to Brooks' Hulu series History of the World: Part II.
Maximillian "Max" Brooks, 50
Michael Kovac/WireImage
Maximillian "Max" Michael Brooks was born on May 22, 1972, in N.Y.C. He's the only child of Brooks and Anne Bancroft. After Max's birth, Brooks and Bancroft moved to California. Max graduated with a bachelor's degree in history from Pitzer College and a master's degree in film from American University, according to the Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity.
He acted throughout the 1990s, appearing in episodes of shows like Melrose Place, 7th Heaven and Roseanne. Max was a writer on Saturday Night Live from 2001 to 2003, but he hit a new level of success with his novel World War Z, which was adapted into a movie starring Brad Pitt and Mireille Enos in 2013. He has written several other novels, comic books and screenplays. In 2010, he spoke at his father's Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony.
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Brooks and Max shared a video about the importance of social distancing. "Hi, I'm Max Brooks, I'm 47 years old. This is my dad, Mel Brooks, he's 93," Max said, standing outside as Brooks stood behind a glass door. "If I get the coronavirus, I'll probably be okay. But if I give it to him, he could give it to Carl Reiner, who could give it to Dick Van Dyke, and before I know it, I've wiped out a whole generation of comedic legends. When it comes to coronavirus, I have to think about who I can infect. And so should you."
Later in the year, Max appeared in a video with Brooks to endorse Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.
Max married playwright Michelle Kholos in 2003. They have one son, Henry.