Sacha Baron Cohen
Template:Short description Template:About Template:British barrelled name Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox person Sacha Noam Baron Cohen (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell;<ref>Template:Cite AV media 0:22</ref> born 13 October 1971) is an English comedian, actor and performance artist.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Known for his creation and portrayal of the fictional satirical characters Ali G, Borat Sagdiyev, Brüno Gehard, and Admiral General Haffaz Aladeen, he has received various accolades throughout his career, including two BAFTA TV Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and a SAG Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Awards and six Primetime Emmy Awards.
Baron Cohen began his career in television late-night series The 11 O'Clock Show (1998–1999) before creating and starring as his character Ali G in the satirical sketch comedy show Da Ali G Show (2000–2004) where he received two British Academy Television Awards. He created and starred in the Showtime satirical mockumentary series Who Is America? (2018) for which he earned a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy. He portrayed Eli Cohen in the Netflix limited series The Spy (2019) earning a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film nomination, and acted in the Apple TV+ limited series Disclaimer (2024).
Baron Cohen wrote and starred in Borat (2006) and Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (2020), which earned him the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy as well as a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> For his portrayal of Abbie Hoffman in the legal drama The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020) he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He also wrote, produced and starred in the comedy films Ali G Indahouse (2002), Brüno (2009), The Dictator (2012), and Grimsby (2016) and has acted in drama films such as Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), Hugo (2011), and Les Misérables (2012).
He voiced King Julien XIII in the Madagascar film series (2005–2012) and Uncle Ugo in Luca (2021). He has been a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the Actors Branch since 2008.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Early life and educationEdit
Sacha Noam Baron Cohen<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> was born into a British family of Ashkenazi Jewish descent<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> in the Hammersmith area of London on 13 October 1971.<ref name="upi">Template:Cite news</ref> His mother, photographer Daniella (née Weiser), was born in British Mandatory Palestine in 1939.<ref name=bookref1>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> His father, editor-turned-clothing store owner Gerald "Jerry" Baron Cohen (1932–2016), was born into a Belarusian Ashkenazi Jewish family in London and grew up in the Welsh town of Pontypridd.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=moment>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=bwhsosg>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref> Baron Cohen's paternal grandfather, Morris Moses Cohen, added "Baron" to his surname.<ref name=bwhsosg/><ref name=wales1>Template:Cite news</ref> His maternal grandmother, Liesel (née Levi), lived in Haifa and trained as a ballet dancer in Germany before fleeing the Nazis in 1936.<ref name=moment/><ref name=borateasy>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=rollingstone>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name=guardian1>Template:Cite news</ref> He has two older brothers: Erran, a composer with whom he often collaborates, and Amnon.<ref name="guardian2002">Template:Cite news</ref> His cousins include autism researcher Sir Simon Baron-Cohen, playwright Dan Baron Cohen, and filmmaker Ash Baron-Cohen.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Baron Cohen was first educated at the independent Catholic St Columba's College in St Albans, before moving on to attend the independent Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School in Elstree.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He then studied history with a focus on antisemitism at Christ's College, Cambridge, graduating in 1993 with upper-second-class honours.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Christ's College – Alumni – Sacha Baron Cohen Template:Webarchive 2008 Christ's College</ref><ref name=":0" /> As an undergraduate, he wrote his thesis on the role of Jewish activists in the American civil rights movement.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> He was a member of the Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club, where he performed in shows such as Fiddler on the Roof and Cyrano de Bergerac, as well as acted in shows with the Labour youth movement Habonim Dror.<ref name="guardian.co.uk">Sacha Baron Cohen: Our man from Kazakhstan Template:Webarchive. The Observer. 1 September 2006.</ref> He played the cello while growing up, and made his television debut as a cellist on Fanfare for Young Musicians.<ref name=":0" />
CareerEdit
Early rolesEdit
Baron Cohen grew up as a fan of Monty Python and Peter Cook, but his greatest comedic influence was Peter Sellers, whom he saw as "this incredibly realistic actor, who was also hilarious and who managed to bridge the gap between comedy and satire".<ref name="BC Influences">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Sellers">Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Known for portraying a wide range of comic characters using different accents and guises, Sellers was referred to by Baron Cohen as "the most seminal force in shaping [his] early ideas on comedy".<ref>Saunders, Robert A. (2009). The Many Faces of Sacha Baron Cohen: Politics, Parody, and the Battle Over Borat. p. 22. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield.</ref> After leaving university, Baron Cohen worked for a time as a fashion model.<ref name="guardian.co.uk"/> By the early 1990s, he was hosting a weekly programme on Windsor cable television's local broadcasts with Carol Kirkwood, who later became a BBC weather forecaster. In 1995, Channel 4 was planning a replacement for its series The Word, and disseminated an open call for new television presenters. Baron Cohen sent in a tape of himself, which caught the attention of a producer. Baron Cohen hosted Pump TV from 1995 to 1996.
In 1996, Baron Cohen began presenting the youth chat programme F2F for Granada Talk TV and had a small role in an advertisement for McCain Microchips, as a chef in a commercial entitled "Ping Pong".<ref>Template:Cite AV mediaTemplate:Cbignore</ref> He took clown training in Paris, at the École Philippe Gaulier, studying under master-clown Philippe Gaulier. Of his former pupil, Gaulier says: "He was a good clown, full of spirit"<ref>Cavendish, Dominic (12 March 2001). "From the sublime to the ridicule" Template:Webarchive. The Daily Telegraph</ref> while Baron Cohen remarks of Gaulier, "Without him, I really do doubt whether I would have had any success in my field".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He left TV journalist Rob Burley a note reading "Dear Rob, good luck baby, have fun and things, see you soon, Sacha.", when Burley left the programme.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Baron Cohen made his first feature film appearance in the British comedy The Jolly Boys' Last Stand (2000). Also in 2000, he played the part of Super Greg for a series of TV advertisements for Lee Jeans; the advertisements never aired, but the website for Super Greg created an internet sensation.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
CharactersEdit
Ali GEdit
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Baron Cohen appeared during two-minute sketches as his fashion reporter Brüno on the Paramount Comedy Channel during 1998. He shot to fame with his comic character Ali G, a fictional stereotype of a British suburban male "chav" who imitates urban black British hip hop culture and British Jamaican culture, as well as speaking in rude boy-style English with borrowed expressions from Jamaican Patois. Hailing from Staines (a suburban town in Surrey, to the west of London), Ali G started appearing on the British television show The 11 O'Clock Show on Channel 4, which first aired on 8 September 1998. A year after the première of the show, GQ named Baron Cohen comedian of the year.<ref name="Saunders">Robert A. Saunders (2009) The Many Faces of Sacha Baron Cohen: Politics, Parody, and the Battle Over Borat Template:Webarchive Rowman & Littlefield, p.41. Retrieved 27 February 2012</ref> He won Best Newcomer at the 1999 British Comedy Awards, and at the British Academy Television Awards he was nominated for Best British Entertainment Performance.<ref name="Saunders"/>
Da Ali G Show began in 2000, and won the BAFTA for Best Comedy in the following year.<ref>The 2001 Bafta award winners Template:Webarchive BBC. Retrieved 27 February 2012</ref> Also in 2000, Baron Cohen as Ali G appeared as the limousine driver in Madonna's 2000 video "Music", directed by Jonas Åkerlund, who was also responsible for directing the titles for Da Ali G Show. Baron Cohen is a supporter of the UK charity telethon Comic Relief, which is broadcast on the BBC, and as Ali G interviewed David Beckham and wife Victoria in 2001.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In a 2001 Channel 4 poll Ali G was ranked eighth on their list of the 100 Greatest TV Characters.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2002, Ali G was the central character in the feature film Ali G Indahouse, in which he is elected to the British Parliament and foils a plot to bulldoze a community centre in his home town, Staines.<ref>Films – reviews: Ali G Indahouse (2002) Template:Webarchive BBC. Retrieved 27 February 2012</ref> His television show was exported to the United States in 2003, with new episodes set there, for HBO.
At the 2012 British Comedy Awards, 13 years after winning Best Newcomer at the 1999 Comedy Awards, Baron Cohen accepted the Outstanding Achievement Award from Sir Ben Kingsley in the guise of Ali G, and stated: "I is grown up now. I ain't living in my nan's house any more. I is living in her garage."<ref name="lifetime award">Template:Cite news</ref> In 2013, he received the BAFTA Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award for Excellence in Comedy.<ref>"Sacha Baron Cohen to get Bafta LA comedy award" Template:Webarchive. BBC. Retrieved 7 January 2014</ref>
Ali G's interviews with notable figures (especially politicians) gained notoriety partly because the subjects were not aware that Ali G, rather than being a real interviewer, was a comedic character. According to Rolling Stone magazine, Baron Cohen would always enter the interview area dressed as Ali G, carrying equipment while acting like an inconspicuous crew member. The crew would be accompanied by a man in a suit and tie, leading the subject to believe that this was the person who would interview them. Baron Cohen, as Ali G, would sit down to ask the interviewee some preliminary questions to give them the impression that this was a test run before the well-dressed man conducted the real interview; this continued until a few moments before the cameras started filming, revealing the suited man as the director and Ali G as the interviewer, granting Baron Cohen the element of surprise as the interviewee would be less likely to opt out of the interview so close to its start.<ref name=manbehindmustache>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Borat SagdiyevEdit
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The Kazakh journalist Borat Sagdiyev was first developed for short skits on F2F on Granada Talk TV in the UK that Baron Cohen presented in 1996–1997, with the character at this time being known as Alexi Krickler.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The character remained dormant while Baron Cohen concentrated on his Ali G persona, but with the subsequent success of Ali G, Baron Cohen revisited his Borat character. The character was featured in segments of Da Ali G Show.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Borat's sense of humour derives from his mocking of society through outrageous sociocultural viewpoints, his deadpan violation of social taboos and use of vulgar language and behaviour.<ref name="Observer">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, a feature film with Borat Sagdiyev at the centre, was screened at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival and released in the United Kingdom on 2 November 2006, in the United States on 3 November 2006 and Australia 23 November 2006. The film follows Sagdiyev as he and his colleague Azamat Bagatov travel the US to produce a documentary about life in the country, as all the while Sagdiyev attempts to enter into marriage with celebrity Pamela Anderson. The film is a mockumentary which includes interviews with various Americans that poke fun at American culture, as well as sexism, racism, homophobia, antisemitism and jingoism. It debuted at the No. 1 spot in the US, taking in an estimated $26.4 million in just 837 theatres averaging $31,600 per theatre.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Baron Cohen won the 2007 Golden Globe for Best Actor – Musical or Comedy, his sixth such award. Although Borat was up for "Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy", the film lost to Dreamgirls. On 23 January 2007, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. He shared his nomination with the film's co-writers, Ant Hines, Peter Baynham, Dan Mazer and Todd Phillips.
Aside from the comic elements of his characters, Baron Cohen's performances are interpreted by some as reflecting uncomfortable truths about his audience. He juxtaposes his own Jewish heritage with the anti-Semitism of his character Borat.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In 2007, Baron Cohen published a travel guide as Borat, with dual titles: Borat: Touristic Guidings To Minor Nation of U.S. and A. and Borat: Touristic Guidings To Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.<ref name="Book">Template:Cite book</ref> On 21 December 2007, Baron Cohen announced he was retiring the character of Borat.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> After the release of Borat, Baron Cohen said he would retire Borat and Ali G because the public had become too familiar with the characters.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After the release of Brüno, he said he would retire that character.<ref name="shed">Entertainment Sacha Baron Cohen to shed Borat persona for good Template:Webarchive digitaljournal.com, 15 July 2009</ref>
The character was brought back on a 2018 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live and appears in the 2020 sequel Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, for which he won another Golden Globe Award, as well as the 2022 Kennedy Center Honors where he did a standup routine as Borat for the induction of U2.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>
Brüno GehardEdit
{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Another alter ego Sacha Baron Cohen performed as is "Brüno", a flamboyantly gay Austrian fashion show presenter who often lures his unwitting subjects into making provocative statements and engaging in embarrassing behaviour, as well as leading them to contradict themselves, often in the same interview. Brüno's main comedic satire pertains to the vacuity and inanity of the fashion and clubbing world. Brüno asks the subjects to answer "yes or no" questions with either "Vassup" (What's up) or "Ich don't think so" (I don't think so); these are occasionally substituted with "Ach, ja!" (Ah yes!) or "Nicht, nicht" ("Nicht" means "no" or "not" in German). In one segment on Da Ali G Show, he encouraged his guest to answer questions with either "Keep them in the ghetto" or "Train to Auschwitz".
In May 2009, at the MTV Movie Awards, Baron Cohen appeared as Brüno wearing a white angel costume, a white jockstrap, white go-go boots, and white wings; and did an aerial stunt where he dropped from a height (using wires) onto Eminem. Baron Cohen landed with his face on Eminem's crotch and with his crotch in Eminem's face, prompting Eminem to exit the venue with fellow rappers D12. Eminem later admitted to staging the stunt with Baron Cohen.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
After an intense bidding war that included such Hollywood powerhouses as DreamWorks, Sony, and 20th Century Fox, Universal Pictures won and paid a reported $42.5 million for the film rights to a collection of interviews Baron Cohen performed as the character Brüno.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> To create these interviews a number of shill companies and websites were created to draw potential interviewees by creating an illusion of legitimacy.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The film was released in July 2009.
Admiral General AladeenEdit
Baron Cohen's 2012 film, The Dictator, was described by its press as "the heroic story of a dictator who risked his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Baron Cohen played Admiral General Aladeen, a dictator from a fictional country called the Republic of Wadiya.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="officialsite">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Borat and Brüno film director Larry Charles directed the film.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The main target of the film's satire was Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was still alive when the film was written.<ref name="freshair">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The producers of the film were concerned it would anger Gaddafi, possibly even resulting in a terrorist attack, so they released deliberate misinformation saying that the film was loosely based on a romance novel written by former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.<ref name="freshair" />
On 26 February 2012, Baron Cohen claimed he was banned from attending the 84th Academy Awards in his role as Admiral General Aladeen but the rumour was denied by the Academy, saying "we haven't banned him, he is lying" but made it clear that "Cohen is not welcome to use the red carpet as a platform for a promotional stunt".<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Baron Cohen eventually appeared at the awards' red carpet with a pair of uniformed female bodyguards, holding an urn which he claimed was filled with the ashes of Kim Jong-il. The "ashes", which Baron Cohen admitted to Howard Stern on the Tuesday, 8 May 2012 episode of The Howard Stern Show was flour, were "accidentally" spilt onto Ryan Seacrest.
Who Is America?Edit
Baron Cohen portrays various characters in Who Is America?, including Erran Morad, an Israeli anti-terrorism expert. The character is referred to as a colonel (and later captain, general, major, sergeant, brigadier, sergeant corporal and lieutenant) in the Israeli military and a former agent of Mossad (or "not in the Mossad", as he often interjects). Before Who Is America? aired on Showtime, some conservative public figures made statements saying that Baron Cohen had deceived them while in character.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Hours before the premiere, Showtime uploaded the "Kinderguardians" segment on their YouTube channel, in which Morad explains to Philip Van Cleave, the president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, of the proposal of a new program where children ages 3 to 16 are armed with guns. He also interviews other conservatives, such as Dana Rohrabacher, Joe Wilson, and Joe Walsh, who are openly supportive. Only Matt Gaetz expresses skepticism of Morad's proposal and declines to be in his video.
In the second episode, Morad teaches Jason Spencer, a Republican state representative from Georgia, how to detect and repel terrorists by taking pictures up a woman's burqa with a selfie stick, walking backwards while baring his buttocks, and yelling racial epithets. After the airing of the episode, Spencer initially refused to step down, stating that he was exploited by the producers. In May 2018, Spencer lost his primary to a political novice, Steven Sainz,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> but was expected to serve the rest of his term until November.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He eventually did step down on 31 July 2018, leaving the seat vacant.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Baron Cohen has denied Who is America? will return for a second season, noting the publicity surrounding the show and his interviews would make it harder for him to dupe guests.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Other workEdit
Baron Cohen guest-starred in the fifth season of Curb Your Enthusiasm, with Dustin Hoffman, as a guide to Heaven. He also provided the voice of the ring-tailed lemur king, King Julien, in DreamWorks Animation's film series, Madagascar, and appeared as Will Ferrell's arch rival, the French Formula One speed demon Jean Girard, in the hit Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He also appeared alongside Johnny Depp in the film Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) as Signor Adolfo Pirelli, co-starred in Martin Scorsese's adventure film Hugo (2011), and portrayed Thénardier in the 2012 film version of the musical Les Misérables.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Cohen&Others">Template:Cite journal</ref> He appeared as a BBC News Anchor in Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013).<ref name=Cameos>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Baron Cohen has twice presented the MTV Europe Music Awards, first as Ali G on 8 November 2001, in Frankfurt, Germany, and then as Borat on 3 November 2005 in Lisbon, Portugal. Baron Cohen appeared out of character to accept an award at the British Comedy Awards in December 2006. He said at the time that Borat could not make it to the awards as "he's guest of honour at the Holocaust denial conference in Tehran",<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> referring to the International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust.
In September 2010, representatives for Baron Cohen confirmed that he was set to play Freddie Mercury in the Bohemian Rhapsody biopic about the rock singer.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He dropped out of the project in July 2013, citing "creative differences" between him and the surviving members of Queen.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Queen guitarist Brian May later said that even though the band and Baron Cohen were on good terms, they felt that his presence would be "distracting". The role was later played by Rami Malek.<ref>Brian May Speaks on Queen Biopic Problems Template:Webarchive. Ultimate Classic Rock. 19 October 2013.</ref> Baron Cohen shot a spread with model Alessandra Ambrosio for Marie Claire magazine to promote the film Brüno.<ref name=elite>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Dead link</ref> In 2010, Baron Cohen guest-starred in The Simpsons episode, "The Greatest Story Ever D'ohed", as Jakob, a quick-tempered Israeli tour guide.
In 2012, Baron Cohen and his production company Four By Two Films signed a first-look deal with Paramount Pictures,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and the deal was renewed in 2014 for three years and a two-film commitment.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In Baron Cohen's Grimsby (2016; The Brothers Grimsby in the US), he plays the football hooligan brother of a British MI6 spy. The film received mixed reviews from critics and was a failure at the box office.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Baron Cohen portrayed political activist/anarchist Abbie Hoffman in the drama The Trial of the Chicago 7, with Aaron Sorkin writing and directing. The film was released in September 2020 to positive reviews.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He is set to star opposite Keke Palmer in the David O. Russell film Super Toys.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
ActivismEdit
PhilanthropyEdit
Baron Cohen is a campaigner and philanthropist.<ref name=":5">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":6">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He has donated to numerous causes and children's charities in countries including Syria, Lebanon, Sudan, Yemen and Somalia.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":2" /> He is a founding member of Stop Hate For Profit,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> a vocal critic of social media companies, and has spoken publicly against racism, antisemitism, and online hate speech.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name=":5" />
On 28 December 2015, Baron Cohen and his wife, Australian actress Isla Fisher, donated £335,000 ($500,000) to Save the Children as part of a programme to vaccinate children in northern Syria against measles; they donated the same amount to the International Rescue Committee, also aimed at helping Syrian refugees.<ref>"Sacha Baron Cohen donates £670,000 for Syria" Template:Webarchive, BBC, Retrieved 29 December 2015.</ref> Baron Cohen has also donated to support children and families in Somalia during a severe hunger crisis, and funded the building of a maternity hospital in Hodeidah, Yemen.<ref name=":2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":4">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In 2019, Baron Cohen was awarded the Anti-Defamation League's International Leadership Award for opposing bigotry and prejudice. In accepting the award, Baron Cohen gave an impassioned speech directing criticism at internet companies, singling out Facebook, Google, YouTube and Twitter as part of "the biggest propaganda machine in history" and claiming that their rules on hate speech meant "they would have let Hitler buy ads".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In 2020, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher partnered with Marc Benioff to send a planeload of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to National Health Service workers in the UK.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In August 2023, Baron Cohen spoke alongside Martin Luther King III and Al Sharpton at the 60th Anniversary of the March on Washington.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":1" />
In October 2024, Baron Cohen donated $500,000 to Save the Children and the International Rescue Committee to help support their work tackling a displacement crisis and famine in Sudan, and called for more aid to support the cause.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" />
Gaza warEdit
In 2023, he was one of the actors to sign an open letter to President Biden calling for the release of all hostages taken by Hamas.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In October 2023, Baron Cohen was among the members of the Writers Guild of America that called out its guild leaders for not speaking in support of Israel during the Gaza war.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Better source
In November 2023, Baron Cohen was among more than a dozen creators and celebrities who challenged TikTok executives on the subject of content moderation and the safety of Jewish users amidst the early stages of the Gaza war.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Image and reputationEdit
Public personaEdit
For much of the early part of his career, Baron Cohen avoided doing interviews out of character. However, in 2004, he did the talk show circuit appearing as himself on Late Show with David Letterman, The Opie and Anthony Show, The Howard Stern Show,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} The Howard Stern Show</ref> and others to promote the forthcoming season of his show on HBO. He was also interviewed on NPR's All Things Considered<ref name="npr1" /> and did an interview with Rolling Stone, published in November 2006, that the magazine labelled as "his only interview as himself".<ref name="rollingstone" /> He also appeared in an interview out of character with Terry Gross on NPR's Fresh Air on 4 January 2007.<ref name="npr2">Meet the Real Sacha Baron Cohen Template:Webarchive. Fresh Air. 4 January 2007 (advance to 21:10 in the interview).</ref>
Borat director Larry Charles explains that Baron Cohen generally appears in character partly to "protect his weakness", by focusing public interest on his characters rather than himself.<ref name="newsweek">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His other reason, Newsweek claims, is that Baron Cohen is fiercely private: "...according to the UK press, his publicists denied that he attended a party for the London premiere of Borat and that a party even occurred".<ref name="newsweek" />
Baron Cohen was featured in the Time 100 list for 2007.<ref name="time">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Sports IllustratedTemplate:'s 6 November 2006 issue contains a column called "Skater vs. Instigator", which illustrates various amusing "parallels" between Baron Cohen and figure skater Sasha Cohen, ranging from their mutually held personal significance of the number 4<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> to their shared romantic interests in redheads.
In 2018, The Times named him among the 30 best living comedians.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Controversies, criticism and lawsuitsEdit
Baron Cohen has been criticized for the racist or prejudiced comments his characters have made. HBO spokesman Quentin Schaffer replied to the criticism and said, "Through his alter-egos, [Baron Cohen] delivers an obvious satire that exposes people's ignorance and prejudice in much the same way All in the Family did years ago."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Regarding his portrayal as the anti-Semitic Borat, Baron Cohen says the segments are a "dramatic demonstration of how racism feeds on dumb conformity, as much as rabid bigotry" rather than a display of racism by Baron Cohen himself.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He said, "Borat essentially works as a tool. By himself being anti-Semitic, he lets people lower their guard and expose their own prejudice."<ref name=rollingstone/> Addressing the same topic in an NPR interview with Robert Siegel, he said, "People really let down their guard with [Borat] because they're in a room with somebody who seems to have these outrageous opinions. They sometimes feel much more relaxed about letting their own outrageous, politically incorrect, prejudiced opinions come out."<ref name=npr1>Template:Cite news</ref> Baron Cohen said he also wishes in particular to expose the role of indifference in the Holocaust: "When I was in university, there was this major historian of the Third Reich, Ian Kershaw, who said, 'The path to Auschwitz was paved with indifference.' I know it's not very funny being a comedian talking about the Holocaust, but it's an interesting idea that not everyone in Germany had to be a raving anti-Semite. They just had to be apathetic."<ref name=rollingstone/> Regarding the enthusiastic response to his song "In My Country There Is Problem" (also known as "Throw the Jew Down the Well"), he said, "Did it reveal that [the cheering audience] were anti-Semitic? Perhaps. But maybe it just revealed that they were indifferent to anti-Semitism."<ref name=rollingstone/>
In an interview with former Tory MP politician Neil Hamilton in 2000, Ali G offered Hamilton what was allegedly cannabis, which Hamilton accepted and smoked, creating some minor controversy in the British media.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The government of Kazakhstan threatened Baron Cohen with legal action following the 2005 MTV Europe Music Awards ceremony in Lisbon, and the authority in charge of the country's country-code top-level domain name removed the website that he had created for his character Borat (previously: http://www.borat.kz) for alleged violation of the law—specifically, registering for the domain under a false name. The New York Times, among others, has reported that Baron Cohen (in character as Borat) replied: "I'd like to state that I have no connection with Mr. Cohen and fully support my government decision to sue this Jew".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He was, however, defended by Dariga Nazarbayeva, a politician and the daughter of Kazakhstan's then-President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who stated, "We should not be afraid of humour and we shouldn't try to control everything...".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The deputy foreign minister of Kazakhstan later invited Baron Cohen to visit the country, stating that he could learn that "women drive cars, wine is made of grapes, and Jews are free to go to synagogues".<ref>"Kazakh invite for Borat creator" Template:Webarchive, BBC News, 19 October 2006.</ref> After the success of the Borat film, the Kazakh government, including the president, altered their stance on Baron Cohen's parody, tacitly recognising the valuable press coverage the controversy created for their country.<ref>Saunders, Robert A. (Spring 2008), "Buying into Brand Borat: Kazakhstan's Cautious Embrace of Its Unwanted 'SonTemplate:'", Slavic Review, 67 (1): 63–80.</ref>
At the 2006 MTV Movie Awards, Borat introduced Gnarls Barkley's performance of "Crazy",<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> where he made a comment about Jessica Simpson, saying that he liked her mouth and that he could see it clearly through her denim pants.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
At the 2006 UK premiere of Borat at Leicester Square, he arrived in in a cart pulled by a mule and a number of "Kazakh women," announcing: "Good evening, gentleman and prostitutes. After this, I stay in a hotel in King's Cross. We will all drink, wrestle with no clothes on and shoot dogs from the window".<ref>Oscars 2012: Sacha Baron Cohen spills 'Kim Jong-il's ashes' on Ryan Seacrest Template:Webarchive Telegraph. Retrieved 27 February 2012</ref>
Two of the three University of South Carolina students who appear in Borat sued the filmmakers, alleging that they were duped into signing release forms while drunk, and that false promises were made that the footage was for a documentary that would never be screened in the US. On 11 December 2006, a Los Angeles judge denied the pair a restraining order to remove them from the film. The lawsuit was dismissed in February 2007.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
On 26 September 2008, Baron Cohen walked onto the runway during the Ágatha Ruiz de la Prada fashion show in Milan. In-character as Brüno, he was wearing a costume made of velcro. He appeared on the stage with a blanket and items of clothing stuck to his velcro suit. Lights were turned off while security intervened and escorted him off the stage, and the fashion show resumed normally shortly thereafter. Baron Cohen and his team had allegedly accessed the fashion show using fake IDs.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
During the filming of Bruno, Baron Cohen was chased through Jerusalem by an angry, rock-throwing Jewish mob. He had outraged Hasidic Jews in the city by dressing in a "camp version" of their traditional clothing.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He escaped the incident by hiding in a shop. The scene was cut from the film.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
On 22 May 2009, a charity worker at a seniors' bingo game sued Baron Cohen, claiming an incident shot for Brüno at a charity bingo tournament left her disabled.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> However, the worker later retracted her statement, saying the "actor never struck her", but that he "beat her down emotionally to the point she's now confined to a wheelchair".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The scene did not make the final cut for the film. The case was dismissed in late November 2009 on Anti-SLAPP grounds, with all lawyer's fees to be paid by the charity worker. The dismissal was appealed and upheld on 12 September 2011.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
On 30 April 2010, Palestinian Christian grocer Ayman Abu Aita filed a lawsuit against Baron Cohen. In the film Brüno, Abu Aita was described as a member of Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades. Abu Aita's lawsuit stated that he had been defamed by false accusations that he was a "terrorist" in the movie Bruno, adding that, though he had been a member of Fatah, he had never been a member of Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade<ref name=":7" /> and was a non-violent activist and a board member of Holy Land Trust, a non-profit. He had agreed to the interview under the impression it was a documentary about the daily life of Palestinians.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Aita included David Letterman in the suit based on comments made during a 7 July 2009 appearance by Baron Cohen on the Late Show with David Letterman in which he claimed that Abu Aita was a "terrorist".<ref>Complaint filed in the District of Columbia, Case No. 2010CA002966 Template:Webarchive, retrieved on 30 May 2010</ref> Unlike the other lawsuits, Aita did not sign a release form, and his case centred around whether Baron Cohen's portrayal of Aita was false, not whether he was defrauded.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The case was initially dismissed, as Abu Aita was not an American citizen.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In September 2012, the defamation claim was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":7">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In 2018, former Senate candidate Roy Moore of Alabama sued Baron Cohen for $95 million relating to a mock interview in Who is America? and allegations of paedophilia.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 13 July 2021, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York dismissed the lawsuit after finding that Moore had signed a consent agreement barring his claims.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Moore has filed notice of his intent to appeal the decision.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 8 July 2022, Baron Cohen defeated the lawsuit.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In June 2020, Baron Cohen crashed the right-wing "March for Our Rights 3" protest in Olympia, Washington, a counter-protest to the March for Our Lives demonstration as a result of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. Disguised under heavy make-up, Baron Cohen sang a song telling listeners to attack liberals, CNN, the World Health Organization, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Anthony Fauci, Bill Gates and "mask-wearers". The crowd, which initially sang along, realized they were being pranked when counter-protestors recognized Baron Cohen and began laughing. Baron Cohen's security stopped the organizers from taking him off stage and turning off the power, and Baron Cohen was forced to flee in a private ambulance from the crowd.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="colbert">Template:Cite episode</ref> The incident was later revealed to have been organized as part of filming for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, with Baron Cohen in-character as Borat in disguise.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Personal lifeEdit
Baron Cohen first met Australian actress Isla Fisher at a party in Sydney in 2001, and they became engaged in 2004.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She later converted to Judaism,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and they were married in a Jewish ceremony on 15 March 2010 in Milan and Paris.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> They have two daughters (born 2007<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and 2010)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and a son (born 2015).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> They previously divided their time between the Marylebone district of London and the Laurel Canyon neighbourhood of Los Angeles,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> before settling in Sydney.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On 5 April 2024, they jointly revealed that they had filed for divorce at the end of 2023.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Baron Cohen has said of his Jewish identity, "I wouldn't say I am a religious Jew. I am proud of my Jewish identity and there are certain things I do and customs I keep."<ref name=borateasy/> He tries to keep kosher,<ref name=borateasy/> attends synagogue about twice a year,<ref name=borateasy/> and is fluent in Hebrew.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He first acted in theatrical productions with the Labour youth movement Habonim Dror.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He spent a year in Israel as a kibbutz volunteer at Rosh HaNikra and Beit HaEmek as part of the Shnat Habonim Dror, also taking part in the programme Machon L'Madrichei Chutz La'Aretz for Jewish youth movement leaders.Template:Citation needed
FilmographyEdit
FilmEdit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Punch | Unnamed character | Short film | |
| 2000 | The Jolly Boys' Last Stand | Vinnie | ||
| 2002 | Ali G Indahouse | Ali G / Borat Sagdiyev | Also writer and executive producer | |
| 2003 | Spyz | Ali G / James Bond | Short film; Also writer and executive producer | |
| 2005 | Madagascar | King Julien XIII | Voice | |
| 2006 | Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby | Jean Girard | ||
| Borat | Borat Sagdiyev | Also writer and producer | ||
| 2007 | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street | Signor Adolfo Pirelli | ||
| 2008 | Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa | King Julien XIII | Voice | |
| 2009 | Brüno | Brüno Gehard | Also writer and producer | |
| 2010 | Dinner for Schmucks | Template:N/A | Executive producer | |
| 2011 | Hugo | Inspector Gustav Dasté | ||
| 2012 | The Dictator | Admiral General / Prime Minister Haffaz Aladeen / Allison Burgers and his double Efawadh | Also writer and producer | |
| Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted | King Julien XIII | Voice | ||
| Les Misérables | M. Thénardier | |||
| 2013 | Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues | BBC News Reporter | Cameo | |
| 2016 | Grimsby | Kyle Allen "Nobby" Butcher | Also writer and producer | |
| Alice Through the Looking Glass | Time | |||
| Past Foward | The Man with No Mouth | Short film | ||
| 2020 | The Trial of the Chicago 7 | Abbie Hoffman | Also associate producer | |
| Borat Subsequent Moviefilm | Borat Sagdiyev | Also writer and producer | ||
| 2021 | Luca | Uncle Ugo | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| Template:TBA | Ladies First | Template:TBA | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
TelevisionEdit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | EastEnders | School Student | Episode 316 | |||
| 1995 | Jack and Jeremy's Police 4 | Execution victim | Television film | |||
| Pump TV | Himself (presenter) | |||||
| 1996–1997 | F2F | |||||
| 1998 | Comedy Nation | Various roles | 9 episodes | |||
| Live from the Lighthouse | Ali G | Television special | ||||
| 1998–1999 | The 11 O'Clock Show | 45 episodes; also writer | ||||
| 2000–2004 | Da Ali G Show | Ali G / Borat Sagdiyev / Brüno Gehard | 18 episodes; also creator, writer and executive producer | |||
| 2004 | Borat's Television Programme | Borat Sagdiyev / Brüno Gehard | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | ||
| 2005 | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Larry's guide | Episode: "The End" | |||
| 2006 | Night of Too Many Stars | Borat Sagdiyev | Television special | |||
| 2010 | The Simpsons | Jakob (voice)<ref>The Greatest Story Ever D'ohed (#21.16) Template:Webarchive. IMDb.</ref> | Episode: "The Greatest Story Ever D'ohed" | |||
| 2013 | Eastbound and Down | Ronnie Thelman | Episode: "Chapter 29" | |||
| 2015 | Highston | Template:N/A | Executive producer | |||
| 2018 | The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling | Himself | Television documentary | |||
| Seth Rogen's Hilarity for Charity | Television special | |||||
| Who Is America? | Various characters | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |||
| 2019 | The Spy | Eli Cohen | 6 episodes; also executive producer | |||
| 2024 | Disclaimer | Robert Ravenscroft | Main role; miniseries<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | |||
| 2025 | Ironheart | TBA | citation | CitationClass=web
}} – via {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Music videosEdit
| Year | Title | Role | Artist | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | "Music"<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref name="bbc">Template:Cite news</ref> |
Ali G | Madonna |
Awards and nominationsEdit
{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}
See alsoEdit
- List of British actors
- List of British comedians
- List of Academy Award winners and nominees from Great Britain
- List of European Academy Award winners and nominees
- List of Jewish Academy Award winners and nominees
- List of actors with Academy Award nominations
- List of Golden Globe winners
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
- [https://www.imdb.com/{{#if: 56187
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- Template:National Public Radio in 2007
- Sacha Baron Cohen audio interview with NPR's Robert Siegel
- Sacha Baron Cohen 2019 International Leadership Award acceptance speech at Anti Defamation League
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