Albert Brooks | |
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 Brooks at theToronto International Film Festival in 2011 | |
| Born | Albert Lawrence Einstein (1947-07-22)July 22, 1947 (age 78) |
| Alma mater | Carnegie Mellon University |
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| Years active | 1969–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Parents |
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| Relatives |
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| Website | albertbrooks |
Albert Brooks (bornAlbert Lawrence Einstein; July 22, 1947)[1] is an American actor, comedian, director and screenwriter. He received anAcademy Award nomination forBest Supporting Actor for his performance in the comedy-dramaBroadcast News (1987) and was widely praised for his performance in the action dramaDrive (2011).[2] Brooks has also acted in films such asTaxi Driver (1976),Private Benjamin (1980),Unfaithfully Yours (1984),Out of Sight (1998),My First Mister (2001) andConcussion (2015). He has written, directed, and starred in several comedy films, such asModern Romance (1981),Lost in America (1985), andDefending Your Life (1991). He is also the author of2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America (2011).
Brooks has also voiced several characters in animated films and television shows. His voice acting roles include Marlin inFinding Nemo (2003) and its sequelFinding Dory (2016), Tiberius inThe Secret Life of Pets (2016), and several one-time characters onThe Simpsons, including Hank Scorpio in "You Only Move Twice" (1996) and Russ Cargill inThe Simpsons Movie (2007).
Brooks was born Albert Lawrence Einstein on July 22, 1947, into aJewish show business family inBeverly Hills,California,[3][1] toThelma Leeds (née Goodman), an actress, andHarry Einstein, a radio comedian who performed onEddie Cantor's radio program and was known as "Parkyakarkus".[1] He is the youngest of three sons. His older brothers are the comedic actorBob Einstein (1942–2019), and Clifford Einstein (b. 1939), a partner and longtime chief creative officer at Los Angeles advertising agency Dailey & Associates. His older half-brother wasCharles Einstein (1926–2007), a writer for such television programs asPlayhouse 90 andLou Grant. His grandparents emigrated from Austria and Russia. He grew up among show business families in Southern California, attendingBeverly Hills High School withRichard Dreyfuss andRob Reiner.[4]
Brooks attended Carnegie Institute of Technology (nowCarnegie Mellon University) inPittsburgh (where his classmates includedMichael McKean andDavid L. Lander), but dropped out after one year to focus on his comedy career.[5] By the age of 19, he had changed his professional name to Albert Brooks, joking that "the realAlbert Einstein changed his name to sound more intelligent".[6] He quickly became a regular on variety and talk shows during the late 1960s and early 1970s, and was on the writing staff for the ill-fated ABC showTurn-On, which was cancelled after one episode.[7] In 1970–71, he also worked with college friends McKean and Lander (alongsideHarry Shearer) as a writer/guest performer on some early material by radio and LP record comedy groupThe Credibility Gap. Brooks led a new generation of self-reflective baby-boomer comics appearing on NBC'sThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. His on-stage persona, that of anegotistical,narcissistic, nervous comic, an ironic showbiz insider who punctured himself before an audience by disassembling his mastery of comedic stagecraft, influenced otherpost-modern comedians of the 1970s, includingSteve Martin,Martin Mull, andAndy Kaufman.
After two successful comedy albums,Comedy Minus One (1973) and theGrammy Award-nominatedA Star Is Bought (1975), Brooks left the stand-up circuit to try his hand as a filmmaker. He had already made his first short film,The Famous Comedians School, a satiric short and an early example of themockumentary subgenre that was aired in 1972 on thePBS showThe Great American Dream Machine.[8]
In 1975, Brooks directed six short films for the first season ofNBC'sSaturday Night Live.[9] In 1976, he appeared in his first mainstream film role, inMartin Scorsese's landmarkTaxi Driver; Scorsese allowed Brooks to improvise much of his dialogue.[10]
Brooks directed his first feature film,Real Life, in 1979, which he co-wrote with Harry Shearer andMonica Johnson. The film, in which Brooks (playing a version of himself) films a typical suburban family in an effort to win both anOscar and aNobel Prize, was a sendup ofPBS'sAn American Family documentary. It has also been viewed as foretelling the emergence ofreality television.[11] Brooks also appeared in the filmPrivate Benjamin (1980), starringGoldie Hawn.[12]
Through the 1980s and 1990s, Brooks co-wrote (with long-time collaboratorMonica Johnson), directed and starred in a series of well-received comedies, playing variants on his standard neurotic and self-obsessed character. These include 1981'sModern Romance, where Brooks played a film editor desperate to win back his ex-girlfriend (Kathryn Harrold). The film received a limited release and ultimately grossed under $3 million domestically.[13] His best-received film, the satirical road movieLost in America (1985), featured Brooks andJulie Hagerty as a couple who leave theiryuppie lifestyle and drop out of society to live in a motor home as they have always dreamed of doing, meeting disappointment.
Brooks'sDefending Your Life (1991) placed his lead character in theafterlife, put on trial to justify his human fears and determine his cosmic fate. Critics responded to the off-beat premise and the chemistry between Brooks andMeryl Streep, as his post-death love interest. His later efforts did not find large audiences, but still retained Brooks's touch as a filmmaker. He garnered positive reviews forMother (1996), which starred Brooks as a middle-aged writer moving back home to resolve tensions between himself and his mother (Debbie Reynolds).1999'sThe Muse featured Brooks as a Hollywood screenwriter who has "lost his edge", using the services of an authenticmuse (Sharon Stone) for inspiration. In an interview with Brooks with regard toThe Muse, Gavin Smith wrote, "Brooks's distinctive film making style is remarkably discreet and unemphatic; he has a light, deft touch, with a classical precision and economy, shooting and cutting his scenes in smooth, seamless successions of medium shots, with clean, high-key lighting."[14]
Brooks has appeared as a guest voice onThe Simpsons seven times during its run (always under the nameA. Brooks). He is described as the best guest star in the show's history byIGN, particularly for his role as supervillainHank Scorpio in the episode "You Only Move Twice".[15]
Brooks also acted in other writers' and directors' films during the 1980s and 1990s. He had a cameo in the opening scene ofTwilight Zone: The Movie, playing a driver whose passenger (Dan Aykroyd) has a shocking secret. InJames L. Brooks's hitBroadcast News (1987), Albert Brooks was nominated for anAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor for playing an insecure, supremely ethical television news reporter, who offers the rhetorical question, "Wouldn't this be a great world if insecurity and desperation made us more attractive?" He also won positive notices for his role in 1998'sOut of Sight, playing an untrustworthy banker and ex-convict.
Brooks received positive reviews for his portrayal of a dying retail store owner who befriends a disillusioned teenager (played byLeelee Sobieski) inMy First Mister (2001). Brooks continued his voiceover work inPixar'sFinding Nemo (2003), as the voice of Marlin, one of the film's protagonists.
His 2005 filmLooking for Comedy in the Muslim World was dropped bySony Pictures due to their desire to change the title.Warner Independent Pictures purchased the film and gave it a limited release in January 2006; the film received mixed reviews and a low box office gross. As withReal Life, Brooks plays a fictionalized "Albert Brooks", a filmmaker ostensibly commissioned by the US government to see what makes the Muslim people laugh, and sending him on a tour of India and Pakistan.
In 2006, he appeared in the documentary filmWanderlust as David Howard fromLost in America. In 2007, he continued his long-term collaboration withThe Simpsons by voicing Russ Cargill, the central antagonist ofThe Simpsons Movie. He portrayed Lenny Botwin,Nancy Botwin's estranged father-in-law, during the 2008 season of theShowtime seriesWeeds.[16]
2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America, his first novel, was published bySt. Martin's Press on May 10, 2011.[17]
Brooks co-starred as the vicious gangster Bernie Rose, the main antagonist in the 2011 filmDrive, alongsideRyan Gosling andCarey Mulligan. His performance received much critical praise and positive reviews. After receiving awards and nominations from several film festivals and critic groups, but not an Academy Award nomination, Brooks responded humorously onTwitter, "And to the Academy: 'You don't like me. You really don't like me'."[18][19]
Brooks voiced Tiberius, a curmudgeonly red-tailed hawk, in the 2016 filmThe Secret Life of Pets, and reprised the role of Marlin inFinding Dory the same year. In 2019, Brooks did not return to do the voice of Tiberius inThe Secret Life of Pets 2, because he was not available.[20]
In early November 2023, a documentary about the comedian/filmmaker,Albert Brooks: Defending My Life, directed by his friendRob Reiner, was released onMax. The documentary includes interviews fromDavid Letterman,Sharon Stone,Larry David,James L Brooks,Conan O'Brien,Sarah Silverman,Ben Stiller, and others. Later that month, on the podcastWTF with Marc Maron, Brooks supplemented the biographical information in the documentary with additional stories from his life.[21]
In 1997, Brooks married artistKimberly Shlain, daughter of surgeon and writerLeonard Shlain.[22][1] They have two children, Jacob and Claire,[23][1] and live inSanta Monica, California.[24]
| Year | Title | Distribution |
|---|---|---|
| 1971/1972 | "Albert Brooks's Famous School for Comedians"[25] | PBS |
| 1979 | Real Life | Paramount Pictures |
| 1981 | Modern Romance | Columbia Pictures |
| 1985 | Lost in America | Warner Bros. |
| 1991 | Defending Your Life | |
| 1996 | Mother | Paramount Pictures |
| 1999 | The Muse | October Films |
| 2005 | Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World | Warner Independent Pictures |
| Year | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Comedy Minus One | live[26] |
| 1975 | A Star Is Bought | studio[27] |
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Taxi Driver | Tom | Film debut |
| 1979 | Real Life | Albert Brooks | Also writer and director |
| 1980 | Private Benjamin | Yale Goodman | |
| 1981 | Modern Romance | Robert Cole | Also writer and director |
| 1983 | Twilight Zone: The Movie | Car Driver | Segment: "Prologue" |
| Terms of Endearment | Rudyard | Voice; credited as "A. Brooks" | |
| 1984 | Unfaithfully Yours | Norman Robbins | |
| 1985 | Lost in America | David Howard | Also writer and director |
| 1987 | Broadcast News | Aaron Altman | Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor |
| 1991 | Defending Your Life | Daniel Miller | Also writer/director |
| 1994 | I'll Do Anything | Burke Adler | |
| The Scout | Al Percolo | Also writer | |
| 1996 | Mother | John Henderson | Also writer and director |
| 1997 | Critical Care | Dr. Butz | |
| 1998 | Dr. Dolittle | Jacob the Tiger | Voice |
| Out of Sight | Richard Ripley | ||
| 1999 | The Muse | Steven Phillips | Also writer and director |
| 2001 | My First Mister | Randall 'R' Harris | |
| 2003 | Finding Nemo | Marlin | Voice |
| Exploring the Reef with Jean-Michel Cousteau | Voice,short film | ||
| The In-Laws | Jerry Peyser | ||
| 2005 | Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World | Himself | Also writer and director |
| 2007 | The Simpsons Movie | Russ Cargill | Voice; credited as "A. Brooks" |
| 2011 | Drive | Bernie Rose | |
| 2012 | This Is 40 | Larry | |
| 2014 | A Most Violent Year | Andrew Walsh | |
| 2015 | The Little Prince | The Businessman | Voice |
| Concussion | Cyril Wecht | ||
| 2016 | Finding Dory | Marlin | Voice |
| The Secret Life of Pets | Tiberius | ||
| 2017 | I Love You, Daddy | Dick Welker | Voice; credited as "A. Brooks" |
| 2021 | The Super Bob Einstein Movie | Himself | Documentary |
| 2023 | Albert Brooks: Defending My Life | ||
| 2025 | Ella McCay | Governor Bill | Post-production |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Hot Wheels | Mickey Barnes / Kip Chogi | Voice |
| 1970 | The Odd Couple | Rudy | 2 episodes[28] |
| 1971 | Love, American Style | Christopher Leacock | Episode 2.16: "Love and Operation Model" |
| 1972 | The New Dick Van Dyke Show | Dr. Norman | Episode 2.2: "The Needle" |
| 1975–1976 | Saturday Night Live | Interviewer / Bob / Heart Surgeon | Assistant director: 7 episodes; Writer: 5 episodes; Actor: 4 episodes |
| 1990–2023 | The Simpsons | Hank Scorpio, Jacques, Various roles | Voice, 9 episodes; credited as "A. Brooks" |
| 2008 | Weeds | Lenny Botwin | 4 episodes |
| 2021 | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Himself | Episode: "The Five-Foot Fence" |
