all about his two marriages

Mel Brooks, a living legend and comedy’s biggest influence on the entertainment world, was married twice to Broadway dancer Florence Baum and actress Anne Bancroft.

The creative force behind such comedy classics as “The Producers,” “Blazing Saddles,” “Spaceballs,” and “Young Frankenstein,” Mel rose to fame both as a comedian in front of the camera and as a writer and director behind the scenes, earning him EGOT status in 2001. He was married to Broadway dancer Florence Baum from 1953 to 1962, and they had three children: Stephanie, Nicholas “Nicky” and Edward. “Eddie” Brooks.

After his divorce, Mel married actress Anne Bancroft in 1964, and the couple had a son, Maximilian “Max” Brooks. The two were together until her death from cancer in 2005, but he has not been publicly involved romantically with anyone since then.

“I never thought in my wildest dreams that Ann would get sick and eventually pass away.[Mel]just adored her,” Eddie said on “Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!,” which premiered on HBO Max on January 22.

Here’s everything you need to know about Mel Brooks’ two wives, Florence Baum and Anne Bancroft.

florence baum

Baum was already an accomplished Broadway dancer when he met Mel, appearing in shows such as “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.” Mel and Baum connected while working on Your Show of Shows. There he was a writer and she was a dancer.

“I got to meet her and I really liked her,” Mel said on “Mel Brooks: The 99-Year-Old Man!” “And she fell in love with me and we got married when I was 23 or 24.”

At the time the couple started dating, Bohm’s career was thriving.

“At one point, my mom was dancing on the Colgate Comedy Hour…and Dean Martin was into her too. He just loved her,” Nicholas says in the documentary, adding that he described Mel as a “dead-end person” who was just beginning her career. “My mom said, ‘I’m sorry, but I really like him and I love him,’ and I got a pass.”

The couple married in 1953 and had three children. Their daughter Stephanie was born on February 21, 1956, followed by Nicholas “Nicky” on December 13, 1957 and Edward “Eddie” on May 24, 1959. All three children were born in New York City.

When Bohm was asked in the docuseries whether she wanted a big family, Mel replied, “Not really. She was always forced into it by her loving husband.”

Having children meant Bohm had to put her career on hold for a while. “I kept getting her pregnant, so I left showbiz and married her, which meant she couldn’t pursue her career while I could pursue mine,” he said.

After Your Show of Shows ended in 1954, Mel said in the documentary series that he struggled financially and emotionally.

“My marriage didn’t work out because it was so hard for me to live with and I didn’t want my creativity to reach a dead end,” he continued. “I don’t blame her for divorcing me. Life with me was hell.”

Mel and Baum eventually divorced in 1962.

Anne Bancroft

Bancroft had already had a successful career in Hollywood when he met Mel while rehearsing for an appearance on The Perry Como Show in 1961.

“She was truly incredibly beautiful,” Mel wrote in her 2021 memoir, All About Me!: My Incredible Life in Show Business. “When the song ended, I jumped up and clapped like crazy and yelled, ‘Anne Bancroft! I love you!'” She laughed and yelled back, “Who the hell are you?” ”

Over the next few days, Mel kept his friends informed of her upcoming appearances so he could “chance” meet her.

“By the end of the week, I said to her, ‘Wow! We always show up at the same place! It’s kismet!'” he wrote. “She laughed and said back, ‘It’s not kismet. You’re stalking me! If you want to meet me, why don’t you be brave and ask me out on a date?’ So I did.”

In archival footage shown in the documentary series, Bancroft recalled their first few encounters, saying, “It went on and on. The guy never left me alone. Thank God.”

Both Bancroft and Mel later said it was love at first sight. “I fell in love with him right away,” Bancroft said in footage from the documentary series. “He looked like my father and acted like my mother.”

The couple married in 1964 and had one son, Maximilian “Max”, born May 22, 1972.

During this time, Bancroft’s star continued to rise, playing the iconic Mrs. Robinson in 1967’s The Graduate, and appearing in films such as 1975’s The Prisoner of Second Avenue and 1980’s The Elephant Man. However, during the first few years of their marriage, Mel struggled with her career and was still years away from blockbusters such as Blazing Saddles.

“I was penniless for a while,” he said in the documentary. “Anne kept me going.”

The couple remained strong. According to Vanity Fair, Bancroft once said, “When I hear his key in the keyhole at night, my heart beats faster.” “I’m so happy to have him back. It’s so much fun.”

Bancroft died of uterine cancer in 2005 at the age of 73. Mr. Mel never remarried.

“It’s not easy living this life without her. There were a lot of great kisses and great spaghetti,” he told PEOPLE in November 2021.

In the documentary series, Mel recalled his strong connection with Bancroft. “She got me,” he said. “She understands me.”