Sacha Baron Cohen
- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
British actor and comedian Sacha Baron Cohen was born in Hammersmith,
London. He is the son of Daniella (Weiser), a movement
instructor, and Gerald Baron Cohen, a clothing store owner. His father, born in England and raised in Wales, was of Eastern European Jewish descent, while his mother was born in Israel, to German Jewish parents. He was educated at a
private school, Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School in Hertfordshire, and
went on to read History at Christ's College, Cambridge. Baron Cohen had
an interest in performing from an early age, forming a breakdancing
group as a teenager and acting in amateur plays with a Jewish youth
group. While at university he joined the Cambridge University Amateur
Dramatic Club, and took part in such plays as "Cyrano de Bergerac" and
"Fiddler on the Roof".
Upon leaving University, Baron Cohen briefly worked as a model, before
moving on to work as a host on a satellite TV station. In 1995, Channel
4 put out an open call for new presenters, and Baron Cohen sent in a
tape featuring himself in character as an Albania TV reporter (an early
prototype for Borat). He was hired and worked on various 'youth TV'
projects before, in 1998, appearing in
The 11 O'Clock Show (1998)
which became a cult hit thanks to his character, Ali G. Ali G proved so
popular that a spin-off show
Da Ali G Show (2000) and film
Ali G Indahouse (2002) where
produced.
America soon beckoned with a stateside version of Da Ali G Show.
Feature film work followed with Baron Cohen providing the voice of
Julien in Madagascar (2005) and
appearing as Jean Girard alongside
Will Ferrell in
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006).
He followed this with the smash-hit
Borat (2006),
for which he won a Golden Globe and was nominated for a writing Oscar. His other film work includes supporting roles in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) and Hugo (2011), and starring in the title roles of Brüno (2009), The Dictator (2012), and The Brothers Grimsby (2016).
London. He is the son of Daniella (Weiser), a movement
instructor, and Gerald Baron Cohen, a clothing store owner. His father, born in England and raised in Wales, was of Eastern European Jewish descent, while his mother was born in Israel, to German Jewish parents. He was educated at a
private school, Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School in Hertfordshire, and
went on to read History at Christ's College, Cambridge. Baron Cohen had
an interest in performing from an early age, forming a breakdancing
group as a teenager and acting in amateur plays with a Jewish youth
group. While at university he joined the Cambridge University Amateur
Dramatic Club, and took part in such plays as "Cyrano de Bergerac" and
"Fiddler on the Roof".
Upon leaving University, Baron Cohen briefly worked as a model, before
moving on to work as a host on a satellite TV station. In 1995, Channel
4 put out an open call for new presenters, and Baron Cohen sent in a
tape featuring himself in character as an Albania TV reporter (an early
prototype for Borat). He was hired and worked on various 'youth TV'
projects before, in 1998, appearing in
The 11 O'Clock Show (1998)
which became a cult hit thanks to his character, Ali G. Ali G proved so
popular that a spin-off show
Da Ali G Show (2000) and film
Ali G Indahouse (2002) where
produced.
America soon beckoned with a stateside version of Da Ali G Show.
Feature film work followed with Baron Cohen providing the voice of
Julien in Madagascar (2005) and
appearing as Jean Girard alongside
Will Ferrell in
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006).
He followed this with the smash-hit
Borat (2006),
for which he won a Golden Globe and was nominated for a writing Oscar. His other film work includes supporting roles in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) and Hugo (2011), and starring in the title roles of Brüno (2009), The Dictator (2012), and The Brothers Grimsby (2016).