SF Sketchfest 2025

SF Sketchfest is thrilled to pay tribute to the one and only Albert Brooks, who will sit down for an in-depth conversation with Kevin Pollak.

Albert Brooks is an American filmmaker, actor, author, and comedian. Brooks revolutionized comedy in the late 1960’s when he came on the scene with a new form of standup, one that made fun of comedy itself. From 1968 to 1972, Brooks appeared on over one hundred network variety and talk shows, always performing new material that he had never tried out beforehand.

Knowing he wanted to go into motion pictures, Brooks made his first short film for the Public Broadcasting System in 1972, "Albert Brooks’ Famous School for Comedians", a satire on schools that claimed they could teach people how to be artists. In 1975, he made six original short films for the very first season of "Saturday Night Live", creating the short film segment, still in place fifty years later.

In 1979, Brooks wrote, directed, and starred in his first feature film, "Real Life", which purported to make a real family’s life into a major motion picture, showing how the filmmaker and family affected each other. The movie foreshadowed what reality television would become thirty five years later. After "Real Life", Brooks wrote, directed and starred in the now classic movies "Modern Romance", "Lost in America", "Defending Your Life", "Mother",  "The Muse", and "Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World".

As an actor, Brooks has appeared in over thirty films beginning with Martin Scorsese’s legendary "Taxi Driver". Some of the other co-starring roles include "Private Benjamin", "Unfaithfully Yours", "Out of Sight", "Concussion", and "This is 40". He was nominated for an Academy Award for his work in the 1987 film "Broadcast News". He also received multiple major acting awards for his performance as the villain in the movie "Drive".

In animation, Brooks voiced many legendary characters for "The Simpsons" and starred in animated films including "Dr. Doolittle", "The Secret Life of Pets", "The Little Prince" and "Finding Nemo", which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Film. 

Most recently, Brooks’ life and career was featured in the HBO documentary "Albert Brooks: Defending My Life" directed by Rob Reiner. The documentary received four Emmy nominations, including Best Documentary of the Year.

He is currently working on an adaptation for television of his New York Times best-selling novel "2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America". His latest role will be in James L. Brooks’ film, "Ella McKay", which will be released in 2025.