Sacha Baron Cohen

Belmont, Belcourt Biographies

Description

Sacha Noam Baron Cohen is a British comedian, writer, actor, sketch artist, and voice actor. He is most widely known for his portrayal of three fictional characters: Ali G, Borat Sagdiyev, and Brueno Gehard.Baron Cohen's comedy career has been shrouded in controversy and his films have been banned in several countries. He has been accused of being racist, anti-Semitic, sexist, and homophobic; however, Baron Cohen maintains that he utilizes his characters as tools to expose the stereotypes and prejudices held by society.This unauthorized biography follows Baron Cohen from his beginnings in Hammersmith, West London and Cambridge University through his television career on The Eleven O'Clock Show and Da Ali G Show up to the release of The Dictator. Although he is an intensely private man, seldom giving interviews out of character, what is known about his personal life is also explored and detailed.

Sujets

• Bibliographies
• Bibliography

Informations

• Publié par: Belmont & Belcourt Books
• Date de parution: 29 mai 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781619841703
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

S ACHA B ARON C OHEN
An Unauthorized Biography
Copyright © 2012 by Belmont & Belcourt Biographies
All rights reserved. Neither this book nor any parts within it may be sold or reproduced in any form without permission.
eISBN: 9781619841703
Table of Contents
Overview
Early Life and Career
Ali G
Character Overview
Da Ali G Show
Ali G Indahouse
Notable Interviews
Criticism and Controversy
Borat
Character Overview
Borat Feature-Length Film
Criticism and Controversy
Litigation
Brüno
Character Overview
Brüno Feature-Length Film
Criticism and Controversy
Litigation
The Dictator
Other Work and Future Projects
Personal Life and Family
Overview
Sacha Noam Baron Cohen is a British comedian, writer, actor, sketch artist, and voice actor. He is most widely known for his portrayal of three fictional characters: Ali G, Borat Sagdiyev, and Brüno Gehard.
Baron Cohen’s comedy career has been shrouded in controversy and his films have been banned in several countries. He has been accused of being racist, anti-Semitic, sexist, and homophobic; however, Baron Cohen maintains that he utilizes his characters as tools to expose the stereotypes and prejudices held by society.
For the most part, critics have given positive reviews of his films, calling Baron Cohen "revolutionary," "iconic," "a comic genius," and "pushing the boundaries of what is acceptable in film."
This unauthorized biography follows Baron Cohen from his beginnings in Hammersmith, West London, to Cambridge University, the beginning of his television career on The Eleven O’Clock Show and Da Ali G Show, and his successful film career. Although he is an intensely private man, seldom giving interviews out of character, what is known about his personal life is also explored and detailed.
Early Life and Career
Sacha Noam Baron Cohen was born on October 13, 1971 in Hammersmith, West London. Baron Cohen is the middle child; he has an older brother, Erran, and a younger brother, Amnon. His mother, Daniella (née Weiser), is originally from Israel, whereas his father, Gerald, was born in Pontypridd, Wales. His father owned several clothing stores and his mother worked as a fitness instructor.
As a child, Baron Cohen attended Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School, a prestigious, independent school for boys aged four to nineteen. Haberdashers’ was named the best school in the United Kingdom in 1997 by the Daily Telegraph as well as the Daily Mail . In 2001, the Sunday Times awarded Haberdashers’ with the title of Independent School of the Year. The school has a long list of distinguished alumni, including celebrities such as Richard Wright (vocalist for the band Pink Floyd), actor Jason Isaacs, and computer pioneer Andrew Donald Wright.
Approximately 20% of the student body at Haberdashers’ goes on to study at either Oxford or Cambridge University, putting Haberdashers’ at 19 th place in the United Kingdom in terms of Oxbridge admissions. Baron Cohen followed this tradition and attended the University of Cambridge, where he entered Christ’s College in order to study history.
While attending Cambridge, Baron Cohen was a member of the Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club. Through the club, he acted in various plays such as Fiddler on the Roof and Cyrano de Bergerac . He also acted in performances at the Habonim Dror Jewish theatre, a theatre associated with the Habonim Zionist youth movement. In his third year at Cambridge University, Baron Cohen traveled to the United States in order to conduct research for his thesis concerning the role of Jews in the American civil rights movement.
Upon graduation, Baron Cohen was encouraged to continue studying history at a graduate level; however, it was not meant to be. Baron Cohen wished to pursue a career as a comedian. In order to hone his comedic skill, he traveled to Paris, France to enroll in clown training at the Ecole Philippe Gaulier, where he studied under Philippe Gaulier himself, a master clown trainer. Other famous actors who have studied with Gaulier include Emma Thompson and Helena Bonham Carter. Baron Cohen attributes much of his success to Gaulier, and has the following to say about his time spent training in Paris:
During the time I studied with him he was brutally honest, constantly reminding me of when my performance was rubbish and very occasionally telling me when it was not so bad. Gaulier was so lacking in pretension that he made acting what it should be, which is fun. He is also probably the funniest man I have ever met.