Photo: BANG Showbiz. All rights reserved. Mel Brooks is now an ultra-rare PEGOT winner.
‘The Producers’ director, 97, added a Career Achievement Award to his trophy of gongs at the 84th annual Peabody Awards on Sunday (09.06.24) – making him one of only four entertainers in the world to have a Peabody, Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony trophy.
He was presented with the honour by his fellow comedy veteran Billy Crystal, 76, who said at the ceremony at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angels that Mel’s “fearless genius and boundary-pushing humour” have been his “guiding light” in showbusiness “since day one”. Billy went on: “Mel is a genius who believes that comedy should push boundaries, challenge societal taboos and yes, be a little vulgar when the mood calls for it. “And with Mel, the mood often calls for it.
Mel is one of the big reasons that I have a life in comedy. Dad-of-four Mel said about being only the world’s fourth PEGOT winner: “It’s a big deal – I’m just an ET.” He also joked about how he had no idea what a Peabody was for: “I want to tell you, I wasn’t sure when they said, ‘You’ve won a Peabody.
’ “I said, ‘No s***?’ “I thought, ‘Well, maybe it was for being the best looking guy in show business.’” The ‘Spaceballs’ and ‘Young Frankenstein’ filmmaker also made a gag about how he is “not humble”. He added: “Humility is not a part of my vocabulary.
I don't even know how to spell. I think humility p.
