One of the most talented people who ever lived

The much missed Madeline Kahn would have been 65 today. Her long-time collaborator and friend Mel Brooks summed her up thus "one of the most talented people that ever lived. I mean, either in stand-up comedy, or acting, or whatever you want, you can't beat Madeline Kahn".

I loved Miss Kahn. She was a key player in so many of my favourite films, including the classic role of "Eunice Burns" in What's Up Doc with Barbra Streisand and Ryan O'Neil. But by far the most memorable were her appearances in a succession of Mel Brooks' best comedies: Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, High Anxiety and History of the World Part I.

Madeline Kahn as "Empress Nympho"

For two decades Madeline was a hugely popular regular on the US hit TV show Saturday Night Live, a show that made little impact elsewhere in the world but was responsible for launching the careers of John Belushi, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, the late Gilda Radner, Eddie Murphy, Mike Myers, Adam Sandler, Jim Carrey and Billy Crystal, and had a myriad of big-name hosts over the years including Steve Martin, Milton Berle, Candice Bergen, Alec Baldwin, Christopher Walken and Danny DeVito - whew!! And even at the very end she was still appearing at the top of the TV ratings, with a regular part in The Cosby Show.

Madeline Kahn was diagnosed in early 1999 with ovarian cancer, and sadly died on December 3rd that same year. A huge loss to the entertainment industry, and we shall never see her like again!

Madeline Kahn on Wikipedia