Mel Brooks does just about everything, from directing, producing, and writing, and he's also a composer and a comedian. His satirical and parody movies became well known, some becoming cult classics, like Spaceballs and Blazing Saddles.
Fans know very well that Brooks made it a habit to appear as a minor or supporting character in many of the movies he directed and produced. Some of his characters became well-liked and it's easy to spot the actor on the big screen. Having started his directing/producer career in the '50s, Mel Brooks' appearances in his movies made them all the more comical.
Rabbi Tuckman (Robin Hood: Men In Tights)
Robin Hood: Men In Tights is a memorable and often regarded spoof comedy movie about the famed Robin Hood. The movie is a bit of a head-scratcher when it comes to its implausible scenarios and storyline, but it's full of comical scenes, like Maid Marian's (Amy Yasbeck) chastity belt. Mel Brooks stole the show as Rabbi Tuckman.
He's first introduced when the Merry Men stop him, asking for wine. Rabbi Tuckman explains he's selling circumcisions, but the Merry Men have no idea what this is and so they want some. When Rabbi uses a small guillotine and a carrot to demonstrate, the Merry Men quickly back out.
Mel Funn (Silent Movie)
The 1976 satirical comedy Silent Movie included an ensemble cast with Mel Brooks in the role of Mel Funn. The movie only uses intertitles instead of spoken dialogue, accompanied by music and sound effects, and revolves around Brooks's character, who's a down on his luck and washed-up movie director.
Funn and his sidekicks try to pitch a silent movie to Big Pictures Studio, promising to get some of Hollywood's biggest actors to stop the studio from being taken over by a conglomerate. The movie is full of fun laughs, comical cartoonish scenarios, and the journey of making a great movie.
Dr. Richard Harpo Thorndyke (High Anxiety)
Shortly after the success of Silent Movie, Brooks would again star in another movie titled High Anxiety. The movie was his first as a producer and in a speaking role. Brooks played the lead role as Dr. Richard Harpo Thorndyke. The storyline revolves around Thorndyke as he tries to overcome a severe nervous disorder.
The movie was a smash hit as Brook's character encounters all kinds of bizarre events and becomes embroiled in a murder plot. It's comical to see Brook's character try to overcome his severe vertigo and acrophobia while trying to prove his innocence in a murder. There's also a fun singing number by Brooks.
Yogurt (Spaceballs)
Spaceballs became one of Mel Brooks's more notable movies that became a cult classic. The movie gained recognition, as it was a spoof on the acclaimed Star Wars franchise. In the movie, Brooks's played two roles. He played the small supporting role of Yogurt, obviously inspired by Yoda.
Yogurt introduces "the Schwartz," a metaphysical power parodying the Force. Fans can't help but laugh when Brooks uses the word with gusto. To make the role even more comical, there's a fourth-wall break where Yogurt tries to sell merchandise from the movie's ad campaign.
President Skroob (Spaceballs)
In Spaceballs, Brooks also played the role of President Skroob, a parody of Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars. Fans laughed at the character, who is a bit dimwitted when to comes to being evil. At one point, his torso is facing backward and he remarks that he never knew he had such a big backside.
Fans also can't forget the character's very thin mustache and slicked-back hair. The movie has many comical scenes with the character, like when the ship's staff greet him in a bizarre salute while Skroob is running into the room. The character also had comical fourth wall breaks including his line, "Ship is too big. If I walk, the movie will be over!"
Professor Van Helsing (Dracula: Dead And Loving It)
The story of Count Dracula has been told many times on the big and small screen. Mel Brooks decided to have some fun with the story and character in a satirical comedy in 1995, Dracula: Dead and Loving It. In the film, he played one of the main characters as the notorious Professor Van Helsing.
Van Helsing is brought in when Count Dracula (Leslie Nielsen) drinks the blood of Lucy Westenra (Lysette Anthony) the night prior, leaving her pale and with bizarre puncture holes. Brooks's interpretation of the vampire hunter is one of the best when it comes to a comedic take on the character and the on-screen pairing of Nielson and Brooks makes the movie comedic gold.
Governor Le Petomane (Blazing Saddles)
Mel Brooks's character, Governor Le Petomane, wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed in Blazing Saddles. The movie takes place in 1874 in a Western that tackles racial issues. The Governor isn't all that bright and is steered towards unfavorable decisions by his attorney general.
The character had many comedic moments, like the office scene when he signs multiple new laws without knowing what they are. Le Petomane even signs off a construction bill that turns a psychiatric facility into a casino. Le Petomane seems more concerned with his image and his voluptuous secretary than being an actual governor.
Goddard Bolt (Life Stinks)
Life Stinks was a 1991 comedy movie with Mel Brooks in the lead role as Goddard Bolt. The movie was different compared to other work by Brooks in that it wasn't a parody and it never broke the fourth wall. In it, Bolt is a CEO who's cold-hearted and wants to tear down the slums in Los Angeles.
When Bolt's rivals also show interest in the property, they make bet. Bolt has to survive for 30 days in the slums wearing an ankle monitor and can't reveal his identity. The movie offers life lessons, as Bolt learns to value life instead of greed and money.
Frederick Bronski (To Be Or Not To Be)
The Mel Brook movie, To Be or Not To Be is actually a remake of the 1942 movie of the same name. This movie version has the Mel Brooks flair that fans can't help but laugh at and it followed the original almost perfectly and even reused the same dialogue. One small difference, though, is that Brooks plays the combined role of Frederick Bronski and Joseph Tura.
The storyline centers on Hitler's regime as Bronski and his wife run a low-rent theater that turns into a refuge for local Jews. Using their acting skills, Bronski and his wife try to outwit and outsmart the Nazis so that the Jews can escape. Fans of the movie will recall the Hitler rap sequence by Brooks's character.
Multiple Roles (History Of The World, Part 1)
The sketch comedy movie, History of the World, Part 1 has Brooks in multiple roles. Brooks plays a total of five characters, as Moses, Comicus, Tomás de Torquemada, King Louis XVI, and Jacques. The movie is divided into different time periods from The Stone Age to The Spanish Inquisition and showcases Brooks's ability to take on different character persona's while still eliciting laughs from an audience.
Brooks takes audiences on a journey through some of history's more profound moments, but it's softened with some comedy, dance numbers, and songs. It's not easy to forget The Last Supper with the annoying waiter.