This comedic genius is also an American filmmaker, an actor, a writer, and a composer. He created “Young Frankenstein” in 1974, which may well be the funniest movie ever made. He’s also responsible for hilarious films like “The Producers” (1967), “Blazing Saddles” (1974), and “Robin Hood: Men in Tights” (1993). Brooks continues to work into his 90s!
In 2001, he achieved EGOT recognition (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards), becoming part of a very short and exclusive list. Mel Brooks grew up in New York to a Jewish family. He fought in WWII, on which he said, “I’m grateful to the army. Grateful to Hitler too. “The Producers” made me the first Jew in history to make a buck out of Hitler.”
Ann-Margret (born 1941)
Ann-Margret was born Ann-Margret Olsson in a small town in Sweden. On the day her family migrated to the U.S. in 1946, her father took her to Radio City Music Hall. This is where she became interested in performance arts. However, it was George Burns who discovered her talent and introduced her to show business.
She became an American sex symbol after her role in "Viva Las Vegas". She also had a two-year-long affair with Elvis Presley. Ann-Margaret was nominated for an Academy Award for the films "Carnal Knowledge" and "Tommy". She continues to work to this day, with features in "Madmen", "The Kominsky Method", and a regular role on "Happy!"
Richard Simmons (born 1948)
Richard Simmons was a huge 1980s celeb born to show business parents in New Orleans, Louisiana. He became a health nut and owner of a fitness club after he managed to go from an obese 268-pound teen to dropping an astounding 123 pounds. By the 1960s, he launched a career as a motivational fitness advisor with his show, "The Richard Simmons Show".
He was one of the pioneers of group exercise on TV, long before yoga was a thing. His approach gradually went out of style until he ultimately went into seclusion from public life. In November 2016, his fitness gym closed. He’s now in his 70s and keeping a low profile.
Eva Marie Saint (born 1924)
Born on the fourth of July in Newark, New Jersey, Eva Marie Saint’s career in acting spans over 70 years. She is best known for starring as Edie Doyle in "On the Waterfront". In the 1954 movie, she starred opposite Marlon Brando, becoming one of the most famous female-leads ever.
It was her film debut and she walked away with an Academy Award. She slowed down in recent years but never really quit. She and producer and director Jeffrey Hayden married in 1951 and shared 65 lovely years together until he passed away.
Norman Lloyd (born 1914)
Meet the film industry’s oldest actor. More than a century old, Norman Lloyd has been in show business for more than nine decades! At 100 years old, he was filming the 2015 comedy "Trainwreck". Lloyd’s big break came in 1942 when he played a convincing Nazi spy in Hitchcock’s "Saboteur". Hitchcock would become good friends with Lloyd and help him become more established in the industry.
When things settled down in the 1970s and 1980s, he landed roles in TV shows "Quincy", "Murder, She Wrote" and "Kojak". With 75 years of marriage to Peggy Lloyd, he has one of the longest marriages in Hollywood. They met on stage co-starring in a play. In May of 2021 he passed away in his sleep, but Lloyd got to live to the age of 106, which is pretty impressive.