Sacha Baron Cohen was born in London to a Welsh father and an Israeli mother. After attending private schools in London, he studied history at Cambridge and then turned to comedy.
He first assumed his Ali G role on Channel 4's The Eleven O'Clock Show before being given his own series, Da Ali G Show. He interviwed celebrities, public figures and various people who did not realise who he was and inadvertently made fools out of themselves. His victims include Donald Trump, Mohammed al Fayed, Gore Vidal, Neil Hamilton and Newt Gingrich. The show was hugely successful, spawning videos, a film and even a hit single. Boron Cohen played three main characters, Ali G, gay Autrian TV presenter Bruno, and Kazakh reporter Borat.
Frequently accused of vulgarity, racism, anti-Semitism, and homophobia, Baron Cohen is himself an orthodox Jew and many failed to see the humour behind his dumb-act intterviewing technique. His 2006 film Borat: Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, was a box office smash and brought him wide acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic. The film has courted controversy for its portrayal of Kazakhstan and the Kazakh government even threatened to sue, despite the interest Baron Cohen has incicted through the film (hotel searches report a 300% increase). In fact, many have pointed out that the film is very mcuh a satire on American culture apart from anything else.
Baron Cohen is engaged to Australian actress Isla Fisher. |
Biography
