When he was 11, he wanted to be a comedian like Sid Caesar. Then, when he was 15 and saw Lee J. Cobb in 'Death of a Salesman,' he decided he would be a comedy actor and found that Mel Brooks was a great influence on his screen writing. He combined both talents with directing in Der größte Liebhaber der Welt (1977), followed by Sherlock Holmes' cleverer Bruder (1975).
