Sacha Baron Cohen
Born 1971 · Age 55
English actor, comedian and performance artist known for creating the characters Ali G, Borat, Brüno and Admiral General Aladeen; multiple award-winner and Academy member.
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Life & Career Timeline
Birth in Hammersmith, London
Sacha Noam Baron Cohen was born into an English Ashkenazi Jewish family in Hammersmith, London.
Television appearance — EastEnders
Credited appearance as a school student in EastEnders (Episode 316).
Graduated Christ's College, Cambridge
Graduated with upper-second-class honours in history; thesis on Jewish activists in the American civil rights movement.
Hosted Pump TV (Channel 4 open call)
After sending a tape to Channel 4's open call for presenters he hosted Pump TV (1995–1996).
Early modeling and local TV hosting
Worked briefly as a fashion model and hosted a weekly Windsor cable TV show in the early 1990s with Carol Kirkwood.
Presented F2F and appeared in McCain ad
Presented youth chat show F2F for Granada Talk TV (1996–1997) and appeared as a chef in a McCain Microchips ad ('Ping Pong').
Clown training at École Philippe Gaulier
Took clown training in Paris under Philippe Gaulier; later credited by Cohen as pivotal to his craft.
Ali G debut on The 11 O'Clock Show
Ali G character first appeared on Channel 4's The 11 O'Clock Show, launching Baron Cohen to mainstream recognition.
GQ Comedian of the Year and British Comedy Award
Named comedian of the year by GQ and won Best Newcomer at the 1999 British Comedy Awards.
Created and launched Da Ali G Show
Da Ali G Show premiered (2000); Cohen created and starred as Ali G (and other characters).
Madonna 'Music' video cameo as Ali G
Appeared as Ali G in Madonna's 'Music' video, directed by Jonas Åkerlund.
First feature film appearance
Small role in British comedy The Jolly Boys' Last Stand (2000).
Da Ali G Show wins BAFTA for Best Comedy
Da Ali G Show won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Comedy (awarded the year after the show's launch).
Presented MTV Europe Music Awards as Ali G
Appeared as Ali G to present at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Frankfurt, Germany.
Released Ali G Indahouse (writer/actor/producer)
Feature film Ali G Indahouse released with Cohen as writer, star and executive producer.
Da Ali G Show exported to HBO (US version)
New episodes set in the United States were produced for HBO, expanding his US profile.
Appeared on talk-show circuit out of character
In 2004 Cohen appeared as himself on Late Show with David Letterman, Howard Stern and NPR to promote Da Ali G Show's US season.
Gave Harvard commencement address as Ali G
Delivered a commencement (class day) speech at Harvard University in character as Ali G (2004).
Voiced King Julien in Madagascar (beginning of series)
Provided the voice of King Julien XIII in DreamWorks' Madagascar (2005), later recurring in sequels.
Appeared in Talladega Nights and other films (2006)
Acted as Jean Girard in Talladega Nights and further increased mainstream film profile.
Kazakhstan government controversy over Borat
Kazakh government threatened legal action and removed Borat-related domain; later softened stance as film generated publicity for the country.
Released Borat in U.S. (major breakout film)
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America... released in the U.S.; film debuted at #1 with an estimated $26.4M opening weekend from 837 theatres.
Golden Globe Award for Borat; Oscar nomination for screenplay
Won Golden Globe for Best Actor – Musical or Comedy (Borat). Nominated for Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (nominated 23 Jan 2007) shared with co-writers.
Published travel guide as Borat
Published Borat-branded travel guide books themed to the character.
Included in Time 100 list
Featured on Time magazine's Time 100 list for 2007 recognizing influential people.
Accepted BAFTA Television Awards (two wins across career)
Across his career Cohen has received two BAFTA TV Awards for Da Ali G Show (confirmed awards in early 2000s).
Announced retirement of Borat
Publicly announced he would retire the Borat character (statement made 21 Dec 2007).
Invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences
Became a member of the Academy (Actors Branch) in 2008.
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa released (voice)
Continued voice role as King Julien in sequel (2008).
Walked onto Milan runway as Brüno (Ágatha Ruiz de la Prada show)
Intruded on a catwalk in Milan in a velcro suit, was removed by security; incident reported Sep 2008.
Legal suits following Borat and Brüno filming
Various lawsuits filed by people featured in Borat and Brüno; some dismissed, some settled (e.g., USC students' suit denied injunction Dec 2006, dismissed Feb 2007; Ayman Abu Aita suit later settled).
MTV Movie Awards stunt as Brüno with Eminem
Appeared at the MTV Movie Awards (May 2009) in an aerial stunt as Brüno that involved Eminem and caused controversy; Eminem later said it was staged.
Released Brüno (writer/producer/star); Universal reportedly paid $42.5M for film rights
Feature film Brüno released July 2009. Prior to production Universal reportedly paid ~$42.5M for rights to a Brüno interview collection amid a bidding war.
Married Isla Fisher
Married Australian actress Isla Fisher in a Jewish ceremony in Milan and Paris.
Ayman Abu Aita files defamation lawsuit
Palestinian Christian grocer Ayman Abu Aita filed suit claiming he was defamed in Brüno; case initially dismissed, settled out of court in Sept 2012 for undisclosed amount.
Announced to play Freddie Mercury (later dropped)
In Sept 2010 representatives confirmed he was set to play Freddie Mercury in the Bohemian Rhapsody biopic; he later dropped out in July 2013 citing creative differences.
Appeared in Hugo (Martin Scorsese film)
Acted in Hugo (2011), a high-profile dramatic role.
Released The Dictator and Les Misérables role (Thénardier)
Wrote/produced/starred in The Dictator (2012) and played Thénardier in Les Misérables (2012).
Accepted British Comedy Awards Outstanding Achievement as Ali G
At the 2012 British Comedy Awards he accepted the Outstanding Achievement Award in character as Ali G.
Claimed banned from Oscars for The Dictator stunt (disputed)
On 26 Feb 2012 claimed he was banned from attending the 84th Academy Awards in character as Admiral General Aladeen; Academy denied banning him but warned against using red carpet for stunts.
Four By Two Films first-look deal with Paramount
Cohen's production company signed a first-look deal with Paramount Pictures; renewed in 2014 for three years and a two-film commitment.
Received BAFTA Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award for Excellence in Comedy
Honoured with the BAFTA Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award for Excellence in Comedy in 2013.
Philanthropic donations to Syrian relief
Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher donated £335,000 (reported $500,000) to Save the Children and the same amount to the International Rescue Committee to vaccinate children in northern Syria and help refugees.
Released Grimsby (The Brothers Grimsby)
Starred in, co-wrote and produced Grimsby (US: The Brothers Grimsby); the film performed poorly at the box office.
Created and starred in Who Is America?
Premiered the Showtime satirical series Who Is America?, playing multiple characters including Erran Morad; provoked controversy and political fallout.
Named among the 30 best living comedians (The Times)
The Times included him in a list of 30 best living comedians in 2018.
Jason Spencer scandal and resignation after Who Is America? segment
After appearing in a Who Is America? segment, Georgia Rep. Jason Spencer faced backlash and eventually resigned (seat vacated 31 July 2018).
Awarded ADL International Leadership Award
Received Anti-Defamation League's International Leadership Award for opposing bigotry; used acceptance speech to criticize social media companies.
Portrayed Eli Cohen in Netflix's The Spy
Starred as Israeli operative Eli Cohen in the limited series The Spy (2019); earned Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film.
Founder-level activism: Stop Hate For Profit
Listed as a founding member of Stop Hate For Profit, criticising social media companies for hate speech policies.
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm released and Golden Globe win
Released Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (2020); Cohen won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and received Academy nomination for his screenplay work on the original and sequel.
PPE donation partnership during COVID-19
Partnered with Isla Fisher and Marc Benioff to send a planeload of PPE to NHS workers in the UK (early 2020).
Olympia 'March for Our Rights 3' prank (Borat disguise)
Crashed a right-wing protest in Olympia, Washington, in disguise as part of filming Borat Subsequent Moviefilm; event nearly turned violent, later revealed as staged for the film.
Portrayed Abbie Hoffman in The Trial of the Chicago 7
Appeared as Abbie Hoffman in Aaron Sorkin's The Trial of the Chicago 7 (released Sept 2020); later nominated for Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor at the 93rd Oscars.
Voiced Uncle Ugo in Luca
Provided the voice of Uncle Ugo in Disney/Pixar's Luca (2021).
Academy Award nomination — The Trial of the Chicago 7
Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (93rd Academy Awards) for role as Abbie Hoffman.
Signed open letter re: release of Hamas hostages & WGA criticism
Signed an open letter to President Biden calling for release of hostages taken by Hamas (2023) and publicly criticized WGA and social platforms about Israel/Gaza coverage (Oct–Nov 2023).
Spoke at 60th anniversary of the March on Washington
Spoke alongside Martin Luther King III and Al Sharpton at the event in August 2023.
Starred in Apple TV+ miniseries Disclaimer
Appeared in Alfonso Cuarón's Apple TV+ miniseries Disclaimer (Oct–Nov 2024) as the husband of Cate Blanchett's character.
Revealed divorce filing with Isla Fisher
On 5 April 2024 Baron Cohen and Fisher revealed they had filed for divorce at the end of 2023.
Donation to Sudan relief
In Oct 2024 donated $500,000 to Save the Children and the International Rescue Committee to assist Sudan displacement and famine relief.
Attached to David O. Russell film Super Toys
Reportedly set to star opposite Keke Palmer in David O. Russell's Super Toys (announced/ongoing casting status).
Divorce from Isla Fisher finalized
Both Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher announced on 13 June 2025 that their divorce had been finalized and said they remain friends.
Guest appearance as Mephisto in Marvel's Ironheart
Made a guest appearance as Mephisto in the MCU miniseries Ironheart (Disney+), with the role revealed in the series finale (July 2025).
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