Mel Brooks turned 100 on Sunday, 28 June 2026, and Hollywood threw everything it has at the comedy legend, with stars across generations lining up to wish the ‘Blazing Saddles’ director a happy birthday.
Born Melvin Kaminsky in Brooklyn on 28 June 1926, Brooks reaches the century mark as one of only a handful of people alive holding an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony, as reported by People.
That EGOT status puts him in rare company even among Hollywood greats.
Mel Brooks turns 100 with an EGOT and a stack of classics
Brooks built his legend on films that fans still quote line for line, from Blazing Saddles and The Producers to Young Frankenstein and Spaceballs. His humour was loud, fearless and willing to poke at anything, and it shaped how several later generations of comedians learned to write a joke.
His reach went well beyond the screen. The Producers began as a 1967 film, then conquered Broadway decades later as a musical that swept the Tony Awards, proving Brooks could land the same joke in a cinema and a theatre.
Few comedians have worked that successfully across so many formats.
Brooks has long credited comedy itself for keeping him going.
“I think laughing keeps you healthy and happy,” he once said, a line that doubles as the closest thing he offers to a longevity secret as he reaches three figures.
Hollywood tributes pour in as Mel Brooks turns 100
The birthday set social media alight with messages from stars who grew up on his films. Henry Winkler kept it simple, writing “My hero,” while comedian Marc Maron posted, “Happy 100th birthday to the great Mel Brooks!”
Star Trek’s William Shatner marked the day with a string of birthday emojis.
Fans got their own party too. Performer Trip Kennedy staged a musical tribute called “Happy 100th Birthday, Mel!” at the Visionarium in South Pasadena on Sunday, 28 June 2026, honouring the comedian through song and storytelling.
Kennedy happens to share Brooks’ exact birthday, turning 62 on the same day.
The flood of birthday posts showed how widely his influence still runs, from sketch writers to film directors who name him as a starting point.
For audiences who keep finding his films on streaming, the centenary lands while his comedy is very much still in rotation.
With Brooks now a centenarian and still beloved, the tributes are unlikely to slow down, and fans are already revisiting his back catalogue to mark the milestone.
Whether the man himself takes a public victory lap or stays home laughing, his hundredth birthday has Hollywood doing the celebrating for him.
