Mel Brooks

The screenwriter, producer, director and actor, whose name has become synonymous with American comedy, talks about his penchant for spoofs and his decades-long friendship with Carl Reiner. Brooks is among a handful of people who've won Emmy, grammy, Oscar and Tony awards.

The screenwriter, producer, director and actor, whose name has become synonymous with American comedy, talks about his penchant for spoofs and his decades-long friendship with Carl Reiner. Brooks, who is among a handful of people who've won Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards, is the subject of a new documentary on PBS.

Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick have just returned to Broadway and their starring roles in The Producers -- the show based on Brooks' first feature film. They're doing a limited run through April 14. The Producers won 12 Tonys in 2001, including best musical, best book of a musical, best original score, and best actor. The book, the music and lyrics were written by Brooks. He's made some of the funniest films in movie history, including The Producers, Young Frankenstein, and Blazing Saddles.

In the event of a zombie attack, author Max Brooks will be ready. His books The Zombie Survival Guide and World War Z are fictional manifestations of his own fears and anxieties — and his impulse to overcome them by preparing for the worst.

Film director Carl Reiner. He was a writer and appeared in "Sid Caesar's Show of Shows." He's best-known to baby boomer audiences as the creator and writer of "The Dick Van Dyke Show." He also staged several Broadway plays, including "Enter Laughing," which is based on his novel and which he later adapted to the screen. Since then, he has concentrated on film direction, specifically comedies.

Composer John Morris is film director Mel Brooks' longtime collaborator. In addition to writing the music for comedies, Morris also scored David Lynch's The Elephant Man.