The brilliance of Max Brooks is that he always quotes authorities at the back of his books that never existed. Like a Russian professor he made up that validates a story or character.

He also began acting in summer stock in Red Bank New Jersey and did some radio work. Around this time he changed his professional name to "Mel Brooks" after being confused with the well-known Borscht Belt trumpet player Max Kaminsky. Brooks himself has a cameo as an alcoholic ex-serf who "yearns for the regular beatings of yesteryear.

His most well known films include The Producers Blazing Saddles Young Frankenstein Silent Movie High Anxiety and Spaceballs. Three of his films ranked in the American Film Institute's list of the top 100 comedy films of all-time all of which ranked in the top 20 of the list: Blazing Saddles at number 6 The Producers at number 11 and Young Frankenstein at number 13. He is to receive the 41st AFI Life Achievement Award in 2013.