Young Frankenstein is a 1974 sci-fi/comedy film distributed by 20th Century Fox, directed and written by Mel Brooks, starring Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Marty Feldman, Cloris Leachman, Madeline Kahn, and Teri Garr. It is loosely based on Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus and on previous film adaptations of that novel. The film is particularly a parody of Frankenstein (1931) and its numerous sequels under the Universal Pictures banner. It played a significant role in popularizing the stock character of Igor as a humorous and sympathetic, rather than tragic and villainous, figure.