Actor Sasha Baron Cohen turns 54 today, so now is a good time to look back at some of his most iconic roles of the past 25 years and more.
English actor Sasha Baron Cohen first rose to prominence in the UK in the late 1990s on the late-night TV show, The 11 O’Clock Show. Since then, his star has continued to rise, including a move to Hollywood where he has consistently starred in high-profile – and sometimes controversial – movies and TV shows. Some of these were written by himself, others where he takes on supporting – but often memorable – roles in other people’s films.
As the actor celebrates his 54th birthday today, here are some of his most iconic movie and TV roles that, if you haven’t already, you should really check out.
Ali G In Da House
In Da House was the long-form debut for Sasha’s well-established Ali G character. Ali G first gained national attention in the UK for his appearances on the 11 O’Clock Show in the late 1990s, where the character was used in an interview setting to ambush unsuspecting stars and politicians and get them to make unguarded comments on certain topics. For the movie, Sasha expanded out the Ali G universe – including the appearance of his oft-mentioned but until then never seen girlfriend ‘me Julie’ – and saw his character make an unlikely move into politics, becoming an MP in the UK Parliament – with chaos inevitably following.
Borat
Another of Sasha’s early characters – and one that gained him international notoriety – was Kazakhstani reporter Borat Sagdiyev. Again, a character who first did spoof interviews on TV, the Borat movie took the character and went large, including touring across the United States of America (including his pursuit of Pamela Anderson) and a now legendary mankini scene. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this movie was not a hit in Kazakhstan.
Madagascar films
Many people might not realise that Sasha provides the voice for ring-tailed lemur King Julien XIII in the Madagascar films (2005-12). The lemur tended to steal scenes he was in and became a firm favourite across the trilogy of movies. His cover of ‘I Like to Movie It’ (originally by Reel 2 Real featuring the Mad Stuntman) also became popular and a recurring theme song in the movies.
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
In this movie, Sasha puts in a scene-stealing turn as flamboyant Formula One star Jean Girard, who is signed to the same NASCAR team as the titular hero, played by Will Ferrell. Girard and Bobby quickly become rivals, and Sasha revels in his role as the French fish out of water. But that rivalry turns to friendship as the characters develop throughout the film.
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Sasha is much more than just a comedy performer though. One of the best examples is his role as Abbie Hoffman in Aaron Sorkin’s historical drama The Trial of the Chicago 7 in 2020. The film followed a group of anti-Vietnam War protestors – including Hoffman – who are charged with “crossing state lines” to incite a riot. Sasha was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance.
The Spy
Sasha has mostly appeared in movies since the success of Ali G In Da House, but he returned to the small screen in 2019 for the Netflix drama series The Spy, in which he played Eli Cohen. The series was based on the life of Cohen, who was Israel’s top Mossad spy in the mid-1960s, and how he infiltrated the Syrian Ministry of Defence. Sasha was nominated for a Golden Globe in the Best Actor category for his work in this series.
