Sacha Baron Cohen

"Sacha Cohen" redirects here. For the figure skater, see Sasha Cohen.

This British surname is barrelled, being made up of multiple names. It should be written as Baron Cohen, not Cohen.

Sacha Noam Baron Cohen (born 13 October 1971) is an English actor, comedian, producer, and screenwriter.^[1] He is best known for his creation and portrayal of the fictional satirical characters Ali G, Borat Sagdiyev, Brüno Gehard, and Admiral General Aladeen. He adopts a variety of accents and guises for his characters and interacts with unsuspecting subjects who do not realise they have been set up. At the 2012 British Comedy Awards, he received the Outstanding Achievement Award and accepted the award in-character as Ali G. In 2013, he received the BAFTA Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award for Excellence in Comedy. In 2018, The Times named him among the 30 best living comedians.

Sacha Baron Cohen
Baron Cohen in 2011
Born	Sacha Noam Baron Cohen (1971-10-13) 13 October 1971 (age 51) London, England
Education	Christ's College, Cambridge (BA)
Occupations	Actor comedian producer screenwriter
Years active	1995–present
Spouse	Isla Fisher ​ (m. 2010)​
Children	3
Relatives	Erran Baron Cohen (brother) Ash Baron-Cohen (cousin) Simon Baron-Cohen (cousin) Dan Baron Cohen (cousin)

Baron Cohen has produced and/or performed in comedic films such as Ali G Indahouse (2002), Borat (2006) and its sequel Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (2020), Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006), Brüno (2009), and The Dictator (2012). He has also appeared in dramatic films including Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), Martin Scorsese's Hugo (2011), Tom Hooper's Les Misérables (2012), and Aaron Sorkin's The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020). He made a cameo as a BBC News anchor in Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013). In 2016, he appeared in the comedy film Grimsby and co-starred in the fantasy sequel Alice Through the Looking Glass. His voice acting roles include King Julien XIII in the Madagascar film series (2005–2012) and Uncle Ugo in Luca (2021).

Beginning his career in television, Baron Cohen was named Best Newcomer at the 1999 British Comedy Awards for The 11 O'Clock Show. He created and starred in Da Ali G Show (2000–2004), receiving two BAFTA Awards. His next television project, Who Is America? (2018) for Showtime, saw him nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy. In 2019, he portrayed Eli Cohen in the limited series The Spy for OCS and Netflix, for which he received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Miniseries or Television Film.

Baron Cohen has two nominations for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, three Golden Globe Award nominations, resulting in two wins for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his work in the feature film Borat and its sequel. In 2021, he received Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for his performance as Abbot "Abbie" Hoffman in The Trial of the Chicago 7. He has been a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the Actors Branch since 2008.^[2] 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.^[3] After the release of Brüno, he said he would retire that character.^[4] However, the character of Borat was brought back for the 2020 sequel Borat Subsequent Moviefilm as well as the 2022 Kennedy Center Honors where he did a standup routine as Borat for the induction of U2.

Early life

Sacha Noam Baron Cohen was born in the Hammersmith area of London on 13 October 1971,^[5] the son of Jewish parents.^[6] His mother, photographer Daniella Naomi (née Weiser), was born in British Mandate of Palestine (modern-day Israel) in 1939.^[7][8] His father, editor-turned-clothing store owner Gerald Jerry Baron Cohen (1932–2016), was born in London to a family of Ashkenazi Belarusian Jews who had moved there and to Pontypridd in Wales,^[9][10] and was raised in Wales.^[11][12][13] Baron Cohen was raised Jewish in London^[14] and is fluent in Hebrew.^[15] His paternal grandfather, Morris Moses Cohen, added "Baron" to his surname.^[12][16] His maternal grandmother, Liesel (née Levi), lived in Haifa and trained as a ballet dancer in Germany before fleeing the Nazis in 1936.^{[11][17][18][19]} Baron Cohen has two older brothers: Erran, a composer with whom he has collaborated, and Amnon.^[20] His cousins include autism researcher Sir Simon Baron-Cohen, playwright Dan Baron Cohen, and filmmaker Ash Baron-Cohen.^[21]

Baron Cohen was first educated at the independent Catholic St Columba's College in St Albans, Hertfordshire, before moving on to attend the independent Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School in Elstree, Hertfordshire.^[22] He then studied History with a focus on anti-semitism at Christ's College, Cambridge, graduating in 1993 with upper-second-class honours.^[23][24][13] As an undergraduate, he said that he wrote his thesis on Jewish activists in the American civil rights movement.^[25] 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 in Habonim Dror, a Labour Zionist youth movement.^[26]

Career

Early roles

"He [Peter Sellers] was this incredibly realistic actor, who was also hilarious and who managed to bridge the gap between comedy and satire".

—Baron Cohen on his greatest influence, fellow British comedian Peter Sellers.^[27]

Growing up, Baron Cohen played the cello and made his television debut on Fanfare for Young Musicians.^[13] He was a fan of Monty Python and Peter Cook, but his greatest comedic influence was Peter Sellers.^[27][28] 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".^[29] After leaving university, Baron Cohen worked for a time as a fashion model.^[26] 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 in the character of Kristo, an Albanian fictional television reporter (who developed into the Kazakh Borat Sagdiyev), 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".^[30] 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"^[31] while Baron Cohen remarks of Gaulier, "Without him, I really do doubt whether I would have had any success in my field".^[32] 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.^[33]

Characters

Ali G

Main article: Ali G

 

Baron Cohen as Ali G, offering a speech at Harvard University's Class Day during Commencement ceremonies in 2004

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.^[34] 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.^[34]

Da Ali G Show began in 2000, and won the BAFTA for Best Comedy in the following year.^[35] 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.^[36]

In a 2001 Channel 4 poll Ali G was ranked eighth on their list of the 100 Greatest TV Characters.^[37][38] 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.^[39] 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."^[40] In 2013, he received the BAFTA Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award for Excellence in Comedy.^[41]

Ali G's interviews with celebrities (often politicians) gained notoriety partly because the subjects were not privy to the joke that Ali G, rather than being a real interviewer, was a comic character played by Baron Cohen. According to Rolling Stone magazine, Baron Cohen would always enter the interview area in character as Ali G, carrying equipment and appearing to be an inconspicuous crew member. He would arrive with a suited man, whom the interviewee naturally thought was the interviewer. Baron Cohen, as Ali G, would sit down to begin conducting the interview by asking the interviewee some preliminary questions. The interviewee, however, would remain under the impression that the smartly dressed director would be conducting the interview until short notice prior to cameras rolling: this would grant an advantage of surprise, whereby the interviewee would be less likely to opt out of the Ali interview prior to its start.^[42]

Borat Sagdiyev

Main article: Borat Sagdiyev

 

Baron Cohen as Borat in Cologne, Germany, 2006

The Kazakh journalist Borat Sagdiyev was first developed for short skits on F2F on Granada Television in the UK that Baron Cohen presented in 1996–1997, with the character at this time being known as Alexi Krickler.^[43] 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.^[44] 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.^[45][46]

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, anti-Semitism 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.^[47]

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.^[48]

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.^[49] On 21 December 2007, Baron Cohen announced he was retiring the character of Borat.^[50] 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.

Brüno Gehard

Main article: Brüno Gehard

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.^[51]

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.^[52] To create these interviews a number of shill companies and websites were created to draw potential interviewees by creating an illusion of legitimacy.^[53] The film was released in July 2009.

Admiral General Aladeen

Further information: The Dictator (2012 film)

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".^[54] Baron Cohen played Admiral General Aladeen, a dictator from a fictional country called the Republic of Wadiya.^[55][56] Borat and Brüno film director Larry Charles directed the film.^[57] The main target of the film's satire was Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was still alive when the film was written.^[58] 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.^[58]

On 26 February 2012, Baron Cohen was allegedly 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".^[59] 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?

Further information: Who Is America?

Baron Cohen portrays various characters in Who Is America?, the most prominent and controversial being 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.^[60][61][62] 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,^[63] but was expected to serve the rest of his term until November.^[64] He eventually did step down on 31 July 2018, leaving the seat vacant.^[65]

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.^[66]

In 2018, The Times named him among the 30 best living comedians.^[67]

Other work

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).^[68] 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.^[69][70][71] He appeared as a BBC News Anchor in Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013).^[72]

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",^[73] 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.^[74][75] He dropped out of the project in July 2013, citing "creative differences" between him and the surviving members of Queen.^[76] 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.^[77] Baron Cohen shot a spread with supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio for Marie Claire magazine to promote the film Brüno.^[78] 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, ^[79] and the deal was renewed in 2014 for three years and a two-film commitment.^[80]

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.^[81]

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.^[82]

Controversies and criticism

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.^[83]

At the 2006 MTV Movie Awards, Borat introduced Gnarls Barkley's performance of "Crazy",^[84] 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.^[85]

At the 2006 UK premiere of Borat, he arrived in Leicester Square 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 Kings Cross. We will all drink, wrestle with no clothes on and shoot dogs from the window".^[86]

Baron Cohen has been criticised for the racist or prejudiced comments his characters have made (see Da Ali G Show). HBO spokesman Quentin Schaffer has replied to criticism concerning Baron Cohen's characters, "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".^[87] 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.^[88] "Borat essentially works as a tool. By himself being anti-Semitic, he lets people lower their guard and expose their own prejudice", Baron Cohen explains.^[18] Addressing the same topic in an NPR interview with Robert Siegel, Baron Cohen said, "I think that's quite an interesting thing with Borat, which is people really let down their guard with him 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".^[89]

Baron Cohen, the grandson of a Holocaust survivor, says he also wishes in particular to expose the role of indifference in that genocide. "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."^[18] Regarding the enthusiastic response to his song, "In My Country There Is Problem" (also known as "Throw the Jew Down the Well"), he says, "Did it reveal that they were anti-Semitic? Perhaps. But maybe it just revealed that they were indifferent to anti-Semitism."^[18]

Baron Cohen walked onto the runway during the Ágatha Ruiz de la Prada fashion show in Milan on 26 September 2008. In the character of one of his alter-egos 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 allegedly accessed the fashion show using fake IDs.^[90]

Lawsuits

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".^[91] He was, however, defended by Dariga Nazarbayeva, a politician and the daughter of Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who stated, "We should not be afraid of humour and we shouldn't try to control everything..."^[92] 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".^[93] After the success of the Borat film, the Kazakh government, including the president, altered their stance on Baron Cohen's parody, tacitly recognising the invaluable press coverage the controversy created for their country.^[94]

Baron Cohen encountered another problem around his Borat character. 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.^[95][96]

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.^[97] 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".^[98] 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.^[99][100]

On 30 April 2010, Palestinian Christian grocer Ayman Abu Aita, of the West Bank and former member of Fatah, filed a lawsuit against Baron Cohen, alleging that he had been defamed by false accusations that he was a terrorist in the movie Bruno. 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.^[101] 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.^[102] In September 2012, the defamation claim was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount, and the court case was dismissed.^{[103][104][105]}

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.^[106][107] 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.^[108] Moore has filed notice of his intent to appeal the decision.^[109] On 8 July 2022, Baron Cohen defeated the lawsuit.^[110]

Public persona and activism

For much of the early part of his career, Baron Cohen tended to avoid 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,^[111] and others to promote the forthcoming season of his show on HBO. He was also interviewed on NPR's All Things Considered^[89] and did an interview with Rolling Stone, published in November 2006, that the magazine labelled as "his only interview as himself".^[18] He also appeared in an interview out of character with Terry Gross on NPR's Fresh Air on 4 January 2007.^[112]

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.^[113] 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".^[113]

Baron Cohen was featured in the Time 100 list for 2007.^[114]

Sports Illustrated'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^[115] to their shared romantic interests in redheads.

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.^[116]

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".^[117][118]

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 now-violent crowd.^[119][120] 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.^[121]

Personal life

Baron Cohen first met Australian actress Isla Fisher at a party in Sydney in 2001, and they became engaged in 2004.^[122] Subsequent to Fisher's conversion to Judaism,^[123] the pair married on 15 March 2010 in a Jewish ceremony in Paris.^{[124][125][126]} They have two daughters, born 2007^[127] and 2010,^[128] and a son, born 2015.^[129][130] They previously divided their time between Marylebone in London and Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles,^[131][132] before moving to Sydney.^[133][134]

Baron Cohen has said, "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." He tries to keep kosher and attends synagogue about twice a year.^[17] He first acted in theatrical productions with the Labour Zionist youth movement Habonim Dror.^[135][136] He spent a year in Israel as a kibbutz volunteer at Rosh HaNikra and Beit HaEmek as part of the Shnat Habonim Dror, as well as taking part in the programme Machon L'Madrichei Chutz La'Aretz for Jewish youth movement leaders.

Filmography

Film

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
	Goofy (by "Folkmanis Puppets" 2005 film)	Goofy	Voice; Puppeteer
2006	Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby	Jean Girard	MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss (with Will Ferrell)
2006	Borat	Borat Sagdiyev	Also writer and producer Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Breakthrough Performance San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Nominated—Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay Nominated—Central Ohio Film Critics Association Award for Actor of the Year Nominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Performer Nominated—Empire Award for Best Actor Nominated—Irish Film & Television Awards – Best International Actor Nominated—London Film Critics Circle Award for British Actor of the Year Nominated—New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor Nominated—Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actor
2007	Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street	Signor Adolfo Pirelli	Nominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Acting Ensemble
2008	Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa	King Julien XIII	Voice
2009	Brüno	Brüno Gehard	Also writer and producer Evening Standard British Film Awards: Peter Sellers award for Best Comedy Nominated—Teen Choice Award Choice Summer Movie Actor
2010	Dinner for Schmucks	—	Executive producer
2011	Hugo	Inspector Gustav Dasté
2012	The Dictator	Admiral General Haffaz Aladeen	Also writer and producer
2012	Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted	King Julien XIII	Voice
2012	Les Misérables	M. Thénardier	National Board of Review Award for Best Cast Satellite Award for Best Cast – Motion Picture Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble Nominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Acting Ensemble Nominated—Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast Nominated—San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Performance by an Ensemble Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2013	Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues	BBC News Reporter	Cameo Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Fight
2016	Grimsby	Kyle Allen "Nobby" Butcher	Also writer and producer
2016	Alice Through the Looking Glass	Time
2020	The Trial of the Chicago 7	Abbie Hoffman	Also associate producer Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Nominated—MTV Movie & TV Award for Best Performance in a Movie Nominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Nominated—Houston Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—London Film Critics' Circle Award for Supporting Actor of the Year Nominated—San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role Nominated—St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor
2020	Borat Subsequent Moviefilm	Borat Sagdiyev	Also writer and producer Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Nominated—Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay
2021	Luca	Uncle Ugo	Voice^[137]

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1988	EastEnders	School Student	Episode 316
1995	Jack and Jeremy's Police 4	Execution victim	Television film
1995	Pump TV	Himself (presenter)
1996–1997	F2F	Himself (presenter)
1998	Comedy Nation	Various roles	9 episodes
1998	Live from the Lighthouse	Ali G	Television special
1998–1999	The 11 O'Clock Show	Ali G	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	2 episodes; also creator^[138]
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)^[139]	Episode: "The Greatest Story Ever D'ohed"
2013	Eastbound and Down	Ronnie Thelman	Episode: "Chapter 29"
2015	Highston	—	Executive producer
2018	The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling	Himself	Television documentary
2018	Seth Rogen's Hilarity for Charity	Himself	Television special
2018	Who Is America?	Various characters	7 episodes; also creator, writer, director, and executive producer^[140]
2019	The Spy	Eli Cohen	6 episodes; also executive producer
TBA	Disclaimer		Upcoming miniseries

Music videos

Year	Title	Role	Artist
2000	"Music"^[141]^[142]^[143]	Ali G.	Madonna

Major accolades

Year	Award	Category	Work	Result	Ref.
2000	British Academy Television Awards	Best Entertainment Performance	The 11 O'Clock Show	Nominated	^[144]
2001		Best Comedy Performance	Da Ali G Show	Won	^[145]
		Best Comedy (Programme or Series)		Won
2003	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Writing for a Nonfiction Programming		Nominated	^[146]
		Outstanding Non-Fiction Program (Alternative)		Nominated
2005		Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series		Nominated
		Outstanding Variety Series		Nominated
2006	Golden Globe Awards	Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy	Borat	Won	^[147]
		Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy		Nominated
	Writers Guild of America Awards	Best Adapted Screenplay		Nominated
	Academy Awards	Best Adapted Screenplay		Nominated	^[148]
2007	Critics' Choice Movie Awards	Best Acting Ensemble	Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street	Nominated
2013	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture	Les Misérables	Nominated
2018	Golden Globe Award	Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy	Who Is America?	Nominated	^[147]
	Directors Guild of America Awards	Outstanding Directing – Variety Series		Nominated
2019	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series		Nominated	^[149]
		Outstanding Variety Sketch Series		Nominated
	Anti Defamation League	International Leadership Award		Honoree	^[150]
2020	Golden Globe Awards	Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film	The Spy	Nominated	^[151]
2021		Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy	Borat Subsequent Moviefilm	Won	^[152]
		Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy		Won
		Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture	The Trial of the Chicago 7	Nominated	^[147]
	Critics' Choice Movie Awards	Best Supporting Actor		Nominated
	Writers Guild of America Awards	Best Adapted Screenplay	Borat Subsequent Moviefilm	Won
	Producers Guild of America Awards	Best Theatrical Motion Picture		Nominated
	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture	The Trial of the Chicago 7	Won	^[153]
		Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role		Nominated
	Academy Awards	Best Supporting Actor		Nominated	^[154]
		Best Adapted Screenplay	Borat Subsequent Moviefilm	Nominated
	MTV Movie & TV Awards	Best Performance in a Movie	The Trial of the Chicago 7	Nominated	^[155]
		Comedic Genius Award		Won	^[156]

See also

• List of British Academy Award nominees and winners
• List of Jewish Academy Award winners and nominees
• List of actors with Academy Award nominations

References

1. . BFI Film & TV Database. Archived from the original on 12 February 2007. Retrieved 6 November 2006.
2. EmanuelLevy. "Oscar 2008: Academy Invites 105 New Members | Emanuel Levy". Retrieved 5 March 2021.
3. . The Daily Telegraph. 21 December 2007. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
4. Entertainment Sacha Baron Cohen to shed Borat persona for good 29 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine digitaljournal.com, 15 July 2009
5. "UPI Almanac for Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2020". United Press International. 13 October 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2021. ...Sacha Baron Cohen in 1971 (age 49)...
6. "Sacha Baron Cohen: The men in his life". The Independent. 27 April 2009. from the original on 2 July 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2018. He was born in 1971, the youngest of three boys in a middle-class Jewish family from west London.
7. Tracy, K. (2007). Sacha Baron Cohen: The Unauthorized Biography: From Cambridge to Kazakhstan. St. Martin's Press. p. 10. ISBN 9781429993937. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
8. Pfefferman, Naomi (13 July 2007). "The musical Baron Cohen brother comes into his own". Jewish Journal. from the original on 25 May 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
9. "An Interview With The Real Sacha Baron Cohen". NPR. 16 July 2009. from the original on 26 May 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2018. Sacha Baron Cohen: "I'd say that I'm very, very proud of my Jewish identity. I'm proud to be a Jew"
10. "'Borat da!' Sacha Baron Cohen's Welsh roots revealed". Nation.Cymru. 22 October 2020.
11. Glazer, Sarah (July–August 2010). . Moment. Archived from the original on 26 July 2010. Retrieved 31 July 2010.
12. Who's who in Finance and Industry. Vol. 32. Marquis Who's Who. 2001. p. 38.
13. Dowd, Maureen (26 October 2020). "Sacha Baron Cohen: This Time He's Serious". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on 17 October 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
14. "Profile: Sacha Baron Cohen and the making of Bruno". London Evening Standard. 18 June 2009. from the original on 24 April 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
15. Staff and agencies (20 December 2006). "Secret of Borat's fluent Kazakh – it's Hebrew". The Guardian.
16. "Valley G's wicked Welsh rootz". BBC News. 28 March 2002. Retrieved 22 November 2006.
17. White, Roland (21 January 2007). . The Times. London. Archived from the original on 19 June 2007. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
18. Strauss, Neil (30 November 2006). "Sacha Baron Cohen: The Man Behind the Mustache". Rolling Stone. from the original on 25 May 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
19. Rayner, Jay (24 February 2002). "Mutha of invention". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 6 November 2006.
20. Jay Rayner (4 November 2005). "Mutha of invention". The Observer. London. from the original on 21 April 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
21. "Nick Cohen meets Simon Baron-Cohen, Cambridge professor of developmental psychopathology". New Statesman. 26 February 2007. from the original on 18 June 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
22. Andrew Anthony (7 June 2009). . The Observer. Archived from the original on 11 November 2011.
23. . Christ's College, Cambridge. Archived from the original on 13 October 2011.
24. Christ's College – Alumni – Sacha Baron Cohen 13 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine 2008 Christ's College
25. ADL International Leadership Award Presented to Sacha Baron Cohen at Never Is Now 2019, from the original on 13 November 2020, retrieved 24 November 2019
26. Sacha Baron Cohen: Our man from Kazakhstan. The Observer. 1 September 2006.
27. "Sacha Baron Cohen: The comic who is always in your face". The Guardian. from the original on 20 February 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
28. "Sacha Baron Cohen is the Peter Sellers of our age". The Telegraph. 30 May 2016. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022.
29. Saunders, Robert A. (2009). The Many Faces of Sacha Baron Cohen: Politics, Parody, and the Battle Over Borat. p. 22. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield.
30. McCain's Micro Chips Ping Pong TV Ad Commercial. 20 May 2012. Archived from the original on 28 October 2021 – via YouTube.
31. Cavendish, Dominic (12 March 2001). "From the sublime to the ridicule". The Daily Telegraph
32. "From the sublime to the ridicule". The Telegraph. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
33. Lauerman, Kerry (3 November 2006). . Salon. Video Dog. Archived from the original on 7 July 2009. Retrieved 12 August 2009.
34. Robert A. Saunders (2009) The Many Faces of Sacha Baron Cohen: Politics, Parody, and the Battle Over Borat Rowman & Littlefield, p.41. Retrieved 27 February 2012
35. The 2001 Bafta award winners BBC. Retrieved 27 February 2012
36. "Ali-G Interviews Posh Spice and David Beckham". Youtube.com. 26 February 2006. from the original on 18 January 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
37. . Channel 4. Archived from the original on 31 May 2009. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
38. . ITN Source. Archived from the original on 21 February 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
39. Films – reviews: Ali G Indahouse (2002) BBC. Retrieved 27 February 2012
40. "Sacha Baron Cohen honoured at British Comedy Awards". BBC News.
41. "Sacha Baron Cohen to get Bafta LA comedy award". BBC. Retrieved 7 January 2014
42. Strauss, Neil (14 November 2006). . Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2 January 2007. Retrieved 14 August 2008.
43. "Sacha Baron Cohen on mocking 'hilarious' Gaddafi". BBC News. 18 May 2012.
44. Stewart, Sara (3 March 2016). "Sacha Baron Cohen was nearly killed filming 'Bruno'". New York Post.
45. "Sacha Baron Cohen: Our man from Kazakhstan". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
46. "Guilt-free pleasures". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
47. "'Borat' takes U.S. by storm Finishes No. 1 with $26.4 mil on just 837 screens". The Hollywood Reporter. 9 October 2015.
48. . Archived from the original on 27 March 2006.
49. Ant Hines, Borat Sagdiyev and Sacha Baron Cohen (2007). Borat: touristic guidings to glorious nation of Kazakhstan : touristic guidings to minor nation of U. S. and A. Boxtree. ISBN 978-0-7522-2661-3. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
50. . AFP. 21 December 2007. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2010.
51. . MSNBC. 6 February 2009. Archived from the original on 25 January 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
52. . Forbes. 13 November 2006. Archived from the original on 24 January 2009. Retrieved 21 November 2006.
53. . 19 March 2009. Archived from the original on 22 March 2009. Retrieved 20 March 2009.
54. "Sacha Baron Cohen to make film of 'Saddam Hussein book'". BBC News. 20 January 2011.
55. "First Official Shot From The Dictator". Empireonline.com. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
56. "The Dictator Trailer & Official Movie Site". Paramount Pictures. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
57. "A 'Borat' reunion on Sacha Baron Cohen's 'Dictator'?". Los Angeles Times. 15 November 2010.
58. "Sacha Baron Cohen: The Fresh Air Interview". NPR. 21 May 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
59. Belloni, Matthew (22 February 2012). "Academy: Sacha Baron Cohen Not 'Banned' From Oscars But 'Dictator' Stunt Unwelcome". The Hollywood Reporter.
60. Pedersen, Erik (11 July 2018). "Sacha Baron Cohen Also Duped Ex-Congressman Joe Walsh – Who's Not Thrilled About It". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
61. Haring, Bruce (12 July 2018). "Sacha Baron Cohen Adds Alabama Judge Roy Moore To His Showtime Spoof Victims". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
62. Resnick, Gideon (13 July 2018). "Sacha Baron Cohen's Latest Victim Is GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz: 'They Totally Got Me'". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
63. JACKSON, GORDON. "Spencer loses primary election after four terms". The Brunswick News. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
64. "Georgia state Rep. Jason Spencer says Sacha Baron Cohen 'took advantage of my paralyzing fear'". Washington Post. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
65. Respers France, Lisa (25 July 2018). "Georgia lawmaker who came under fire after yelling 'n-word' on 'Who Is America?' says he'll quit". CNN. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
66. Sharf, Zach (20 December 2018). "'Who Is America?' Season 2 Never Happening, Sacha Baron Cohen Says It's 'Impossible'". IndieWire. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
67. "From Hannah Gadsby to Sacha Baron Cohen: the 30 best living comedians". The Times. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
68. Lundergaard, Erik. . Today. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
69. "Sacha Baron Cohen and His 'Sweeney Todd' Crotch Bulge". Vulture. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
70. Dargis, Manohla (22 November 2011). "Inventing a World, Just Like Clockwork". The New York Times. from the original on 26 November 2011. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
71. Jones, Kenneth (16 March 2012). . Playbill. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
72. Zuckerman, Esther (18 December 2013). "A Definitive Ranking of All the 'Anchorman 2' Cameos". Atlantic Monthly Group. from the original on 11 May 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
73. "Merchant takes top comedy honour". BBC News. 14 December 2006. from the original on 15 December 2006. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
74. May, Brian (17 September 2010). "Sacha Baron Cohen to play Freddie Mercury in film". HARDtalk. BBC News. from the original on 13 November 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
75. Mawuse Ziegbe (16 September 2010). "Sacha Baron Cohen To Play Freddie Mercury 'Borat' star will portray legendary Queen frontman". MTV. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
76. Finke, Nikki (22 July 2013). "Sacha Baron Cohen Exits Freddie Mercury Biopic Over Creative Differences With Queen". Deadline Hollywood. from the original on 23 July 2013. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
77. BRIAN MAY SPEAKS ON QUEEN BIOPIC PROBLEMS 25 June 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Ultimate Classic Rock. 19 October 2013.
78. "Marie Claire Spread". Elitemodels.com. Retrieved 31 July 2010.^{[permanent dead link]}
79. Kroll, Justin (29 February 2012). "Par signs Baron Cohen to 3-year deal". Variety. from the original on 13 November 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
80. Kit, Borys (13 February 2014). "Sacha Baron Cohen Re-Ups With Paramount". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
81. Lang, Brent (13 March 2016). "Box Office: 'Zootopia' Rules With $50 Million, Sacha Baron Cohen's 'Brothers Grimsby' Bombs". Variety. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
82. "Aaron Sorkin to Direct "Trial of the Chicago Seven" Starring Sacha Baron Cohen". Collider.com. Collider. 26 October 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
83. "Hamilton 'shared joint' with Ali G". BBC News. 18 January 2000. from the original on 13 November 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
84. "MTV Movie Awards: Will Ferrell Freaks Out; Jessica Simpson Dusts Off Daisy Dukes". MTV News.
85. Ryan McKee. "Sacha Baron Cohen: 5 Things You Didn't Know". AskMen.
86. Oscars 2012: Sacha Baron Cohen spills 'Kim Jong-il's ashes' on Ryan Seacrest Telegraph. Retrieved 27 February 2012
87. Leibovitz, Liel (26 August 2004). . The Jewish Week. New York. Archived from the original on 26 August 2004. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
88. . 23 March 2007. Archived from the original on 23 March 2007. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
89. Siegel, Robert (23 July 2004). "Ali G: Fooling Serious Interviewees, All for a Laugh". NPR. Retrieved 31 July 2010.
90. . 29 September 2008. Archived from the original on 29 September 2008. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
91. . 24 February 2007. Archived from the original on 24 February 2007. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
92. . 11 February 2007. Archived from the original on 11 February 2007. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
93. "Kazakh invite for Borat creator", BBC News, 19 October 2006.
94. Saunders, Robert A. (Spring 2008), "Buying into Brand Borat: Kazakhstan's Cautious Embrace of Its Unwanted 'Son'", Slavic Review, 67 (1): 63–80.
95. "Borat has last laugh after lawsuit fails". The Sydney Morning Herald. 21 January 2008.
96. . Defamer.com. 16 February 2007. Archived from the original on 1 February 2009. Retrieved 31 July 2010.
97. . 23 August 2011. Archived from the original on 23 August 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
98. "Sacha Baron Cohen – BINGO! Re-Sued". TMZ.com. 13 January 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
99. "Olson v. Cohen Cal: Court of Appeal, 2nd Appellate Dist., 7th Div., 2011". Retrieved 17 January 2012.
100. "Universal Wins 'Bruno' Lawsuit Over Woman Injured in Bingo Hall". The Hollywood Reporter. 13 September 2011.
101. Complaint filed in the District of Columbia, Case No. 2010CA002966, retrieved on 30 May 2010
102. Deb, Sopan (19 August 2018). "Sacha Baron Cohen Pranked Me, Can I Sue? Yes. Win? Not So Much". The New York Times. from the original on 20 August 2018.
103. "SCROLL". iapps.courts.state.ny.us. from the original on 24 January 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
104. "Sacha Baron Cohen settles slander suit over grocer portrayed as terrorist in film". 20 July 2012. from the original on 9 October 2017. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
105. . The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 14 August 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
106. Roy Moore is suing Sacha Baron Cohen for $95 million over the comedian's 'Who is America?' prank Nicole Chavez and Joe Sutton, CNN, 7 September 2018
107. Sacha Baron Cohen's latest prank: Using a fake pedophile detector on Roy Moore Elahe Izadi, Washington Post, 30 July 2018
108. Gutterman, Roy S. (7 April 2022). "Liable, Naaaht: The Mockumentary: Litigation, Liability and the First Amendment in the Works of Sacha Baron Cohen" (PDF). Harvard Journal of Sports and Entertainment Law. 13 (1): 178. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
109. Stempel, Jonathan (13 July 2021). "Sacha Baron Cohen, Showtime win dismissal of Roy Moore defamation lawsuit". Reuters. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
110. "Sacha Baron Cohen defeats Roy Moore's $95m lawsuit over 'pedophile detector'". The Guardian. 8 July 2022.
111. . Archived from the original on 31 October 2006. Retrieved 12 November 2006.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) The Howard Stern Show
112. Meet the Real Sacha Baron Cohen. Fresh Air. 4 January 2007 (advance to 21:10 in the interview).
113. Gordon, Devin. . MSNBC. Archived from the original on 28 August 2007. Retrieved 31 July 2010.
114. Barr, Roseanne (4 May 2007). . Time. Archived from the original on 5 May 2007. Retrieved 4 May 2007.
115. . www.cubicao.tk. Archived from the original on 30 April 2008.
116. "Sacha Baron Cohen donates £670,000 for Syria", BBC, Retrieved 29 December 2015.
117. "Sacha Baron Cohen's Keynote Address at ADL's 2019 Never Is Now Summit on Anti-Semitism and Hate". adl.org. Anti-Defamation League.
118. Ben Weich (22 November 2019). "Sacha Baron Cohen attacks Mark Zuckerberg for facilitating 'hate and violence' as he accepts ADL International Leadership Awards". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
119. Haring, Bruce (2 June 2020). "Sacha Baron Cohen Crashes Right Wing Event, Leads Absurd Sing-Along". Deadline. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
120. Colbert, Stephen (26 October 2020). "Sacha Baron Cohen, Jeff Tweedy". The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Season 6. Episode 24 (in American English and British English). CBS All Access. from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
121. "Sacha Baron Cohen Apparently Emerged From Quarantine to Prank Alt-Right Rally". 28 June 2020.
122. "Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher Wed". People. 22 March 2010. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
123. "Isla Fisher says marriage with Sacha Baron Cohen is like 'winning the lottery'". Hello Magazine. 30 October 2012.
124. "Isla Fisher and Sacha Baron Cohen finally wed". News.com.au. 22 March 2010. from the original on 24 March 2010. Retrieved 31 July 2010.
125. . Showbiz.sky.com. Archived from the original on 25 March 2010. Retrieved 31 July 2010.
126. "Isla Fisher and Sacha Baron Cohen's Secret, Six-Guest Wedding". People. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
127. . Herald Sun. 20 October 2007. Archived from the original on 26 October 2007.
128. "Find Out The Name of Isla Fisher's Baby". Us Weekly. 10 March 2011. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
129. "Sacha Baron Cohen & Isla Fisher Holy Moses It's A Boy!!". TMZ. 16 April 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
130. "Isla Fisher and Sacha Baron Cohen have welcomed a baby boy! His name has been revealed". The Daily Telegraph. Perth, Australia. 17 April 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2021 – via Perth Now. the celebrity couple have named their third child Montgomery Moses Brian Baron Cohen.
131. Nathanson, Hannah (10 April 2012). "Isla Fisher's My London". www.standard.co.uk.
132. . The Daily Telegraph. Australia. Archived from the original on 13 November 2020. Retrieved 5 July 2020.Lipworth, Elaine (15 October 2016). "Isla Fisher on living with Borat and Ali G, and Keeping up with the Joneses". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
133. "Isla Fisher's My London". Standard.co.uk. 10 April 2012.
134. David, Mark (26 July 2010). "Sacha Baron Cohen Lists and Goes Big In Los Angeles". Variety.
135. Scott, Kirsty (29 September 2006). "He becomes the character, certainly with Ali G and Borat. He has a mix of Sellers's acting and Rod Hull's bottle". The Guardian. Features. UK. from the original on 6 July 2008. Retrieved 16 January 2007. First acted with the Habonim Dror Jewish youth group and at Cambridge in plays such as Cyrano de Bergerac and Fiddler on the Roof.
136. Steinberg, Jessica (11 May 2012). "Before 'The Dictator' and 'Borat', Friends Recall, Sacha Baron Cohen Was a Very Nerdy, Very Funny, Israel-Oriented Guy". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
137. Feeney, Mark. "In 'Luca,' Pixar's latest, it's a story about fish out of water — literally". Boston Globe. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
138. Johnson, Ted (5 December 2022). "Sacha Baron Cohen's Borat Singes Donald Trump, Kanye West And Anti-Semitism In Irreverent Appearance For Kennedy Center Honors". Deadline. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
139. The Greatest Story Ever D'ohed (#21.16). IMDb.
140. "IMDb". IMDb. from the original on 13 November 2020.
141. Manning, Kara (31 May 2000). "Madonna Wraps Video As "Music" Leaks Online". MTV News. Viacom. Retrieved 6 September 2010.
142. "Top 'TRL' Video Cameos: Ali G Shows Madonna The Real Big Ben!". MTV Buzzworthy. Viacom. 13 November 2008. from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
143. "Ali G 'stars in Madonna video'". BBC News. 30 April 2000. from the original on 11 September 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
144. "Television | Entertainment Performance in 2000". BAFTA.org. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
145. "Television | Comedy Performance in 2001". bafta.org. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
146. "Da Ali G Show". Television Academy. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
147. "Sacha Baron Cohen". Golden Globes. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
148. Montagne, Renee. "'Dreamgirls,' 'Babel' Top Oscar Nominees". NPR.org. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
149. "Who is America? Awards and Nominations". Television Academy. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
150. "Sacha Baron Cohen's Keynote Address at ADL's 2019 Never Is Now Summit on Anti-Semitism and Hate". Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
151. "Golden Globes 2020: Full list of winners and nominees". BBC News. 6 January 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
152. Rubin, Rebecca (March 2021). "Sacha Baron Cohen Thanks the 'All-White' HFPA and Rudy Giuliani in Golden Globes Speech". Variety. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
153. "See the 2021 Screen Actors Guild Award winners". EW.com. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
154. Dove, Steve. "Oscar Nominations 2021 List: Nominees by Category". American Broadcasting Company.
155. "Your 2021 MTV Movie & TV Awards Nominations Are Here: See The Full List". MTV. 20 April 2021. from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
156. "MTV Movie and TV Awards: Full List of Winners". Media Rants. 18 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.

External links

• Sacha Baron Cohen at IMDb
• Sacha Baron Cohen at the BFI's Screenonline
• Sacha Baron Cohen discography at Discogs  
• Sacha Baron Cohen on 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

Media offices
Preceded by Wyclef Jean Xzibit	MTV Europe Music Awards host 2001 (as Ali G) 2005 (as Borat)	Succeeded by Sean Combs Justin Timberlake