Summary

• Legendary director Mel Brooks boasts a $100 million net worth, making him one of the richest comedy directors ever.
• Over his seven-decade career, Brooks' films made $395 million worldwide, with hits like Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein.
• At 97, Mel Brooks continues to bring laughter to major franchises and TV series, refusing to retire anytime soon.

Mel Brooks has built himself a substantial net worth over the course of his seven-decade career. Brooks has become a prolific actor, writer, producer, and director since starting his work in Hollywood in the '40s. Known for comedic juggernauts like Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, and The Producers, as well as partnering up with the masterful Gene Wilder until his death in 2016, Brooks has cemented himself as possibly the greatest Hollywood comedy creator of all time. At the age of 97, Brooks continues to provide in-person acting and voice acting for comedy TV.

Brooks wasn't just contained to comedy, either. The Oscar winner has served as producer for a handful of crime thrillers, romance dramas, and horror movies, including The Doctor and the Devils, 84 Charing Cross Road, David Cronenberg's remake of The Fly, and David Lynch's The Elephant Man, where he met John Hurt and cast him in Spaceballs. Like Lynch, Mel Brooks has a knack for taking low-budget projects and turning most of them into roaring successes at the box office with a great story, hilarious actors, and memorable joke writing.

Mel Brooks' 2024 Net Worth Is Estimated At $100 Million

Brooks Is One Of The Richest Comedy Directors Ever

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Mel Brooks has accumulated a net worth of about $100 million as of 2024. This makes him one of the richest comedy directors out there, especially considering the last film he directed was in 1996. Only a handful of comedy directors have a higher net worth than Brooks: a couple of modern directors like Tyler Perry and Judd Apatow, and some who have already ed on, like Ivan Reitman and John Hughes. It's surprising he isn't worth more, considering he's one of the few faces in Hollywood with an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony.)

How Much Money Mel Brooks' Movies Have Made At The Box Office

Mel Brooks Has Had 11 Full-Release Features

Since 1967, starting with The Producers, Mel Brooks has directed and released 11 feature films. Brooks' genius writing and casting of incredible comedic actors helped make most of his films successful at the box office. In the prime of their comedy careers, Brooks cast Gene Wilder, Leslie Nielson, Cary Elwes, Rick Moranis, and John Candy in his films. Only three of Brooks' 11 movies undershot their budgets. The Producers garnered $375,524 against $941,000; 1991's Life Stinks missed by $11 million; and Brooks' last movie, Dracula: Dead and Loving It only amassed $10.7 million against its $30 million budget.

Two of Mel Brooks' best movies with Gene Wilder, Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein, made more than 30 and 40 times their budgets at the box office. The financial achievements of both of those films carried over to his next two, Silent Movie and High Anxiety in the late '70s, but as time went on, the gaps between budget and box office success got smaller. According to The Numbers, Mel Brooks' films have made a total of $395,691,627 at the box office, absolutely crushing the amount spent, which was $112,956,000.

Well into his '90s, Brooks continues to do comedy work in both major franchises like Toy Story and Hotel Transylvania, and hit TV series like Little Demon and Only Murders in the Building. A continuance of his 1981 film History of the World: Part I was finally released on Hulu in 2023. Mel Brooks was back in the writer's chair for the series, and while critics gave it mostly positive reviews, its comedy fell a little flat for modern audiences. Brooks' refusal to retire is well known, and at this rate, his career could go well into his 100s.

Source: Celebrity Net Worth, The Numbers