Mel Brooks is ready to look back at his life and success in show business in a memoir set to release this Fall.
Ballantine Books announced Wednesday that they have acquired and will publish the comedy legend’s upcoming memoir, All About Me! My Remarkable Life in Show Business.
In All About Me!, the director, producer, writer, and actor will reflect on growing up in Brooklyn during the Depression era from serving in the military during World War II to being a teenage comedian in the Catskills. The 95-year-old will also chronicle his eventual journey to Hollywood and Broadway and detail the groundbreaking moments from his career, from co-creating the classic television series Get Smart to his Tony-winning musical, The Producers that also secured him an Oscar for best screenplay.
“I hope fans of comedy will get a kick out of the stories behind my work, and really enjoy taking this remarkable ride with me,” Brooks said in a statement.
Brooks’ career began with Sid Caesar’s Your Show of Shows in which he worked alongside the late Carl Reiner, Neil Simon, and Larry Gelbart. He would eventually write, direct, and star in a myriad of projects such as Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, The Twelve Chairs, Silent Movie, High Anxiety, and Spaceballs. Brooks is recognized as one of the select figures in Hollywood to be a part of the EGOT circle after winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award. He won his first Emmy award in 1967 with outstanding writing achievement in variety for The Sid Caesar, Imogene, Coca, Carl Reiner, Howard Morris Special. He went on to win his first Grammy in 1998, for best spoken comedy album for The 2000 Year Old Man in the Year 2000.
In addition to offering insight into the inspiration behind his work, Ballantine Books describes the memoir as one that will give readers the opportunity to also learn about the “many close friendships and collaborations Brooks had, including those with Sid Caesar, Carl Reiner, Gene Wilder, Madeleine Kahn, Alfred Hitchcock, and the great love of his life, Anne Bancroft.”
“Filled with tales of struggle, achievement, and camaraderie (and dozens of photographs), readers will gain a more personal and deeper understanding of the incredible body of work behind one of the most accomplished and beloved entertainers in history,” Ballantine Books describes of the memoir.
(Excerpt) Read more in: The Hollywood Reporter