MAIN Art & ... Pop Culture Pop Icons Sacha Baron Cohen

Comedian Sacha Baron Cohen is most famous for raising hackles with outrageous social commentary that often pushes the boundaries of "acceptable" comedy.

His portrayal of fictional Kazakh Borat — the reporter who often portrays Kazakhs as a bunch of drunks who enjoy punching cows — is the latest in a string of outrageous characters created by Sacha Baron Cohen.

Equally controversial is the comic's character, Ali G, a white man pretending to be black, along with another of Baron Cohen's alter egos, the flamboyant Bruno, a gay Austrian fashionista.

Born October 13, 1971 into an upper middle class Jewish family in London, Baron Cohen attended a UK public school before joining a Jewish youth group, where the acting bug first bit after appearances in local stage productions.

Following a year-long stay at an Israeli kibbutz, he returned to the UK to study history at Cambridge University while continuing to turn his hand at acting. This also reportedly included a singing part in a production of "My Fair Lady" in 1993.

In the late 90's, Baron Cohen moved from stage to TV with short skits on the Paramount Comedy Channel in which he exhibited his early talent for ambushing real guests with very embarassing interviews.

The brash comedian was soon hired by the "11 O' Clock Show" where his interviewing style became fully realized in the character of Ali G, (full name: Alistair Leslie Graham) a white man pretending to be black.

Critics have accused Baron Cohen of insensitivity at best, and at worst outright racism for his portrayal of Ali G, while fans have defended the comedian for his send up non-blacks who emulate black street culture.

Despite the controversy, praise for Baron Cohen's cutting edge comedy led to his own starring role on the wildly popular Ali G Show wherein a new character, Borat, the star reporter from Kazakhstan, was born.

Meanwhile, Ali G's reputation was to precede him in the U.S. when Baron Cohen's most famous character assumed a starring role on HBO's Da Ali G Show in 2003 garnering him an even larger fan following.

The comedian's other U.S. credits soon came to include the voice of King Julien in the Disney animated film Madagascar as well as a cameo appearance on the cable hit Curb Your Enthusiasm.

The comedian's name spread throughout the blogosphere in 2005 as the Kazakhastan government threatened legal action due to his caustic satire during his appearance on the European MTV Awards in character as Borat Sagdiyev.

Today, Baron Cohen's star continues to rise on ambush interviews that embarass his guests, although he seldom allows serious interviews by others.

In 2006, Sacha Baron Cohen appeared on the big screen in the race circuit send-up, Talladega Nights, playing French race car driver Jean Girard.

Most notably, his full-length movie based on his character, Borat, enjoyed phenomenal success worldwide when it was released in November, earning Sacha Baron Cohen a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy.

He is now the highest-paid actor in the UK, and will receive a record salary of £16,000,000 for his next film based on Baron Cohen's "fabulous" Austrian interviewer persona, Bruno.

The film, based on Baron Cohen's outrageously gay character, has already caused controversy in the U.S. in July 2008 when a wrestling match in the state of Arkansas was staged before unsuspecting fans — who watched as Baron Cohen and an unnamed actor stripped down to their underwear inside the ring and kissed.

The brash actor has also appeared alongside Johnny Depp as the shady Italian barber Signor Pirelli in the film version of "Sweeney Todd" in 2007.

Offscreen, Baron Cohen's is engaged to be married to Australian actress Isla Fisher, who gave birth to the couple's first baby, a daughter named Olive, in October 2007.

Ali G - HBO - Ali G, Borat and Bruno - on display on the cable channel special featuring video clips, pictures, program guide, profiles on cast & crew, Ali G glossary, busy forum, and an online shop.

The Ultimate Ali G Site - Boyakasha.co.uk - Very popular fan community offering the latest news and updates, picture gallery, video and audio clips, special features on Ali G, Borat and Bruno, an Ali G dictionary, online forum.

Borat - Wikipedia entry on the fictional character with deep background on his life and work, notable quotes, news reports and controversies.

The Unofficial Borat Homepage - UK site with a wealth of Borat quotes, pictures, historic timelines, movie news, video & audio clips, screen savers & desktop images, busy discussion boards.

Sacha Baron Cohen - Yahoo! Movies - Complete biography, filmography, picture gallery, plus links to message boards and groups, related Web sites.

Sacha Baron Cohen - Biography, complete filmography and notable TV appearances, picture gallery, related forum from the IMDb.

Bruno Unofficial Fan Site - News & updates, plus more about the upcoming movie, and classic Bruno video clips.

Sacha Baron Cohen News - All the latest news, all the time, from various sources collected around the Web, at Topix.net.