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Trivia
Name: Sacha Baron
Cohen
Date of birth: 13
October 1971
Place of birth: London,
England, UK
Height: 6' 3"
(1.91 m)
He was voted "Personality of the
year" at the TV Quick awards in London, England. [4 September 2000]
Baron Cohen was born into a middle-class Jewish family, the second of three sons of Gerald Baron Cohen and his wife
Daniella.
His father, who owns a menswear shop in Piccadilly, is originally from Wales, while his mother is from Israel.
Studied History at Christ's College,
Cambridge
He attended Haberdashers' Aske's School, a public school in Elstree, and went on to study history at Christ's College, Cambridge.
Engaged to Australian actress Isla Fisher.
In contrast to his characters, he is a
soft-spoken, gentlemanly Cambridge man who considered pursuing a PhD
before going into comedy.
He shot to fame when his character Ali G started appearing on The Eleven O'Clock Show on Channel 4. Da Ali G Show began in 2000 and won the BAFTA for best comedy series the next year.
He plays three principal characters on
"Da Ali G. Show." The title character is a Ali G, a lower
class white englishman playing a black Londoner who enrages his
politically-active, powerful guest with stupid questions. Another one is
the Khazakstani immigrant Borat, who cluelessly searches for porn and
outlets for his scatological humor. The last one is the superficial
Austrian fashion-expert, Bruno, who often talks up heartless fashionatas
and makes macho men uncomfortable with his blatant homosexuality.
The show was taken to the United States in 2003, where it aired on HBO. He has had some troubles because of the racist or prejudiced comments his characters make, HBO spokesman Quentin Schaffer has replied to the criticisms in America with, "Through his alter-egos, he delivers an obvious satire that exposes people's ignorance and prejudice in much the same way All in the Family did years ago."
Gave 2004 Harvard commencement address in
character as Ali G.
Often uses the phrases
"booyakasha" and "respeck" when playing Ali-G.
Other characters created by Baron Cohen include Borat, a television reporter from Kazakhstan with a fervent hatred of Jews and a misogynistic attitude.
Cohen's third alter ego is Bruno, a gay Austrian fashion show presenter, who often lures his subjects into unwittingly making provocative statements and engaging in embarrassing behaviour, as well as leading them to contradict themselves.
As a rule, he only appears on chat shows in
character (usually as Ali G or Borat) rather than as himself.
His cousin, Simon Baron-Cohen, is a
preeminent psychologist who became famous for his theory that autism is
caused by an "extreme male brain".
Went to Haberdashers' Aske's School for Boys
in Hertfordshire, the same school as "Little Britain" (2003)
star Matt Lucas, comedian David Baddiel and former Formula 1 champion
Damon Hill.
The government of Kazakhstan threatened him with legal action after the MTV EMA ceremony in Lisbon. The New York Times has reported that Baron Cohen (in character as his Borat persona) has urged them on, stating “Sue the Jew!!”
It took 6 weeks for Sacha to grow facial
hair and eyebrows to play Borat.
Cohen often fools guests to appear on his show by sending them letters with HBO's letterhead and type.
He is engaged to be married to Australian model-actress Isla
Fisher.
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