Mel Brooks, 99, Reveals the Private Heartache and Joy of His 41-Year Marriage to Anne Bancroft: ‘She Kept Me Going’
In a new HBO documentary, the comedian shares the most poignant memories of his late wife: 'She was a gift from God'
At 99, Mel Brooks is the very definition of a living legend, and the newly released two-part HBO documentary Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!, directed by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio, provides an in-depth look at the life and work of the beloved writer, director, actor and comedian. Using a mix of archival footage and new interviews with the remarkably sharp star, the documentary paints a vivid portrait of the EGOT-winning comedy trailblazer behind classics like The Producers, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein and Spaceballs and captures the ups and downs of his long life.
The 99 Year Old Man’s most poignant moments come when Brooks shares memories of his 41-year marriage to Anne Bancroft. Brooks and Bancroft were married from 1964 until her death from uterine cancer at age 73 in 2005. The glamorous, Catholic Bancroft, who famously played Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate, and the proudly goofy, Jewish Brooks seemed like an odd couple on the surface, but their marriage became one of the most enduring unions in Hollywood, and their relationship continues to inspire over two decades after Bancroft’s passing.
Read on to learn all about Anne Bancroft and Mel Brooks’ marriage and see the lovely things the director said about his late wife in the new documentary.
How Mel Brooks fell head over heels for Anne Bancroft at first sight
Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft first met when the actress was rehearsing for an appearance on Perry Como’s variety show in 1961. At the time, Brooks was a comedy writer known for his work with Sid Caesar on Your Show of Shows, while Bancroft already had a number of acting credits and had recently won a Tony Award for her performance in The Miracle Worker (she’d go on to win the Best Actress Oscar for her work in the 1962 film adaptation of the play).
Both Brooks and Bancroft had been previously married—Brooks’ divorce from his first wife, dancer Florence Baum, with whom he had three children, Stefanie, Nicky and Eddie, was finalized in 1962, while Bancroft divorced her first husband, Martin May, in 1957. As soon as Brooks saw Bancroft, he was enchanted, recalling in his memoir, All About Me!: My Incredible Life in Show Business, “She was just incredibly beautiful. When the song was over, I leapt to my feet, applauded madly, and shouted, ‘Anne Bancroft! I love you!’ She laughed and shouted back, ‘Who the hell are you?’”
In The 99 Year Old Man!, Brooks says that he was so smitten with Bancroft that he’d have mutual friends let him know of her appearances and follow her all over town. The actress sassily said that he was stalking her and told him that if he wanted to go on a date, he should just ask her. Brooks’ approach to courting his future wife may sound unconventional, but it worked. In archival interviews featured in the documentary, Bancroft said, “It just went on and on, the man never left me alone. Thank God,” and amusingly analyzed her attraction to Brooks with the line, “I was in love with him instantly. He looked like my father and he acted like my mother.”
Though Brooks had early success in his TV writing work, as the ’60s came around, he was transitioning into the film world and facing financial challenges. In the early days of their relationship, Bancroft would discreetly slip Brooks money when they were out at dinner, and she always supported his artistic ambitions, even when times were hard. In the documentary, he says, “I was penniless for a while. Anne kept me going.”
Brooks and Bancroft married in 1964. In 1972, they welcomed their son Max, who followed in his parents’ creative footsteps and became a writer. In the documentary, Brooks’ children from his first marriage shared that once he was with Bancroft, he continued to see them regularly and was a loving presence throughout their childhoods, exemplifying his devotion as a father.
When Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft brought their magic to the screen together
Three years after his marriage to Bancroft, Brooks made his directorial debut with The Producers in 1967. That same year, Bancroft had her iconic role in The Graduate, which was written by Buck Henry, with whom Brooks cocreated the ’60s spy spoof series Get Smart. The husband and wife worked together several times. In 1974, Bancroft made an uncredited appearance as an extra in Brooks’ Western comedy Blazing Saddles, and Brooks appeared in her TV special Annie and the Hoods. Bancroft then made a memorable cameo playing herself in Brooks’ 1976 film Silent Movie.
In the ’80s, Brooks established his production company, Brooksfilms, and their first project was Bancroft’s directorial debut, Fatso (1980), which she also wrote and starred in. That year, Brooks produced David Lynch’s The Elephant Man, in which Bancroft had a supporting role. Seven years later, he produced 84 Charing Cross Road, a drama starring Bancroft.
Brooks and Bancroft’s most famous creative collaboration came when they starred as husband and wife in To Be or Not to Be, a 1983 remake of the 1942 World War II-themed comedy, which originally starred Jack Benny and Carole Lombard. The couple’s natural chemistry and brilliant comic timing were on full display, and Brooks later spoke effusively of her versatility as a performer, saying, “She could be the leading lady or an aide-de-camp. She could help people, be quietly on their side, pushing them, or she could just be on stage with the spotlight and star in something. She was a great gift. She was a gift from God.”
In their later years, Bancroft made a cameo in Brooks’ 1995 horror spoof Dracula: Dead and Loving It, and the couple appeared as themselves in a 2004 episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Brooks’ loving memories of his late wife: ‘She got me’
When Bancroft passed away in 2005, Brooks was understandably distraught over the loss of his wife of 41 years, and he never remarried. In The 99 Year Old Man!, it’s clear that in the nearly 21 years since Bancroft’s death, Brooks has continued to grieve for her. In a particularly moving scene, Brooks simply says, “She got me. She gets me.”
When asked what he misses most about his late wife, Brooks responds, “Too many things. Things that nobody in the world would understand. When faced with an unhappy moment, the look on her face. When making up her mind to go somewhere, how fast she turned and moved. It’s hard to explain, there are some things that stay with you forever.”
At 99, Brooks is contemplating his own mortality, and he shares some pointed words about managing grief in the documentary, saying, “You can’t indulge yourself in being unhappy and miserable because it doesn’t make the pain go away or better. You just find something in you that gives you the grit and the courage to get through the bad times that come after somebody you love passes away.”
The connection that Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft shared was truly special, and The 99 Year Old Man! isn’t just a comprehensive overview of the comedy star’s life and career; it’s also a powerful testament to his singular love story.
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