Mel Brooks Reveals His Pick for Comedy’s Greatest Talent
Mel Brooks opens up about the performer he considers the most gifted and hilarious, sharing insights into her unique abilities and lasting impact on comedy and drama.
As the years roll on, a bit of modesty tends to slip away, especially for someone like Mel Brooks, who’s spent a lifetime making the world laugh. He’s never been shy about his achievements, and with a career packed with hits, it’s hard to blame him. If you ask him about the best comedy film ever made, he’ll point straight to his own work, Blazing Saddles. That’s not arrogance—just a bloke who knows his worth and isn’t fussed about playing it down. Even after picking up three Primetime Emmys for his guest spots on Mad About You, Brooks was convinced it was more about his name than his performance. He reckoned his journey to the EGOT was helped along by being, well, Mel Brooks—a legend in his own right.
Given all that, you might expect Brooks to name himself as the top comedy performer of all time. But he doesn’t. He’s more likely to talk up his skills behind the camera than in front of it, and he’s got a soft spot for Life Stinks, a film that didn’t exactly set the box office alight but stands out to him personally. You could also guess he’d pick his wife, Anne Bancroft, as the greatest actor ever—he’s said as much before. But when it comes to comedic brilliance, he looks a little closer to home, singling out someone he worked with on a string of classics: Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, High Anxiety, and History of the World, Part I.
Madeline Kahn: A Standout Among Comedy Legends
Brooks didn’t mince words when he spoke about Madeline Kahn.
“What an incredibly gifted gift from God, Madeline Kahn,”
he told NPR.
“The funniest and most talented comedienne, I think, including people like Carol Burnett, who are great, you know, and Gilda Radner, who was magnificent. But nobody, listen to me, nobody could approach the magnificence and wonder of Madeline Kahn.”
Kahn wasn’t just a master of comedy—she could handle drama just as well, earning Oscar nods for both Blazing Saddles and Paper Moon, two films that couldn’t be more different. With three Golden Globe nominations and a Tony to her name, she was just as comfortable with slapstick as she was with more serious roles. Brooks was certain no one else came close.
Talent Beyond Comedy
Brooks saw something special in Kahn, something that went beyond just being funny.
“She was really a great gift to us all,”
he said, reflecting on his late friend, who died in 1999 at just 57 after a battle with cancer.
“I saw art in her, not just funny. But I saw a person who was gifted with art. She’s the only one who actually could have worked in opera as an opera singer, as a coloratura. She was that talented. Or I think she could have worked as a longshoreman in New Jersey.”
In Brooks’ eyes, there wasn’t anything Kahn couldn’t do, and that’s why she’ll always be his pick for the top spot in comedy acting.