Mel Brooks once jokingly described actor Richard Lewis as “born to be a Nazi”, adding that he thought Lewis “secretly is”, in keeping with the deliberately provocative humour associated with Brooks’s work. The remark appears to have been a comic exaggeration rather than a serious allegation, and reflects their shared willingness to make jokes about authoritarianism and antisemitism.

Brooks, a Jewish filmmaker and comedian, is particularly known for satirising Nazism in works including *The Producers*, where he used ridicule to undermine its imagery and ideology. Richard Lewis was an American comedian and actor known for his neurotic, highly personal comic style and for roles including *Curb Your Enthusiasm*; the quoted comment seems to draw on his eccentric screen persona.