Albert Brooks (born Albert Lawrence Einstein, 1947) is an American actor, screenwriter, and director, renowned for his intellectual and self-deprecating comedic style. His characters are often neurotic, full of existential anxieties, and engaged in clumsy attempts to navigate the absurdities of modern life.

Among his most distinctive films, which he also wrote and directed, are *Modern Romance* (1981), *Lost in America* (1985), and *Defending Your Life* (1991), true social and psychological satires. As an actor, he received an Academy Award nomination for *Broadcast News* (1987) and demonstrated surprising versatility by portraying a darker role in the thriller *Drive* (2011). He has also lent his voice to iconic animated characters such as Marlin in *Finding Nemo* (2003). His humor, subtle and often awkward, makes him a unique filmmaker in the cinematic landscape.