American actor and comedian Albert Brooks mentioned how his parents burdened him with the name after genius physicist Albert Einstein at a reunion with his school friend Rob Reiner.
Though not many know, Albert Brooks’s real name was Albert Lawrence Einstein. At the beginning of his career, he decided to change his name to Albert Brooks.
He said, “I asked. Believe me, I asked. And all I got was, ‘Ask your dad.’ ‘Ask your mom.’ Nobody would tell me.”
However, now both of his parents have passed away, and the reason behind Albert Brooks’ real name still remains in the dark.
Albert Brooks’ parents also shared the same profession with their son as they were comedians and singers!
The Drive actor Albert Brooks was born on July 22, 1947, to his parents, Thelma Leeds and Harry Parke, in Beverly Hills.
As he is the youngest of three sons in the family, he grew up alongside his two older brothers, Bob Einstein, a comedic actor, and Clifford Einstein.
Furthermore, as Thelma was Harry’s second wife, Brooks also has an older half-sibling, Charles Einstein.
May 06: Today would be Harry Einstein's 114 Birthday. Einstein was famous as the character Parkyakarkus https://t.co/cu3s1wkAnn pic.twitter.com/62Ga9p8r8p
— OTRCAT Test (@TestOtrcat) May 6, 2018
Before his father, Harry became a full-time comedian, he worked as a newspaper journalist and an advertising manager. However, in his leisure time, he showcased his comedic talent.
Eventually, a friend encouraged Harry to embrace comedy as a full-time profession, leading to his national breakthrough soon after.
On the other hand, Thelma Leeds was born Thelma Goodman in New York City. According to various sources, she sang light operas on the radio and also performed in New York City nightclubs.
Born on this date: Thelma Leeds (December 18, 1910-May 27, 2006)#DYK Leeds was the wife of Harry Parke, aka Parkyakarkas, making her the mother of the great Albert Brooks. She met and worked with her husband in New Faces of 1937 (1937). pic.twitter.com/8pZrLgNcsT
— The Tinseltown Twins (@TinseltownTwins) December 18, 2022
Later on, a studio signed her to a contract and changed her name, and she began landing roles in films like The Toast of New York, New Faces of 1937, and Modern Romance.
Thelma later married Irving ‘Bernie’ Bernstein two years after her husband, Harry, passed away due to a fatal heart attack. At the age of 95, Thelma Leeds also passed away due to natural causes.
Additional Information
- In addition to being an actor, comedian, director, and screenwriter, Albert Brooks also provided the voice for animations like ‘Finding Nemo’ and ‘Finding Dory.’
- Brooks is married to Kimberly Shlain, and they share two children, Jacob and Claire.
