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Sacha Baron-Cohen

Actor

Sacha Baron-Cohen (born 13 October 1971 in Hammersmith, London) is an English actor, writer and comedian best known for creating a string of satirical characters, including Ali G, Borat Sagdiyev, Brüno Gehard and Admiral General Aladeen. He first came to prominence with Da Ali G Show (2000-2004), for which he won two British Academy Television Awards.

Baron-Cohen's father, Gerald "Jerry" Baron Cohen, was born in London to a Belarusian Jewish family but grew up in Pontypridd, south Wales, where the family later ran a clothing business. Sacha himself was born and raised in London and did not grow up in Wales, but his father's Pontypridd upbringing gives the family a genuine Welsh connection.

On screen, Baron-Cohen has written, produced and starred in the comedy films Ali G Indahouse (2002), Borat (2006), Brüno (2009), The Dictator (2012) and Grimsby (2016), and taken on dramatic roles in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), Hugo (2011) and Les Misérables (2012). He also portrayed Abbie Hoffman in The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020).

His work has earned him three Golden Globe Awards, including Best Actor for Borat (2006) and its 2020 sequel, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, along with three Academy Award nominations.

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Award-winning comic actor behind Ali G and Borat, whose father was raised in Pontypridd, Wales.

Baron-Cohen studied history at Christ's College, Cambridge, where he began developing his talent for character comedy before launching his television career in the late 1990s.

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Career Highlights

  • Created and starred as Ali G, Borat Sagdiyev and Bruno Gehard across multiple hit films and TV series.
  • Won three Golden Globe Awards, including Best Actor for Borat (2006) and Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (2020).
  • Received three Academy Award nominations, including Best Supporting Actor for The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020).
ℹ️ Born 13 October 1971, Hammersmith, London, England.

Sacha Baron-Cohen's father, Gerald Baron Cohen, was born in London but grew up in Pontypridd, south Wales, where his family later ran a clothing shop; his paternal grandfather also had roots in the town. Sacha was born and raised in London, so the Welsh connection comes through his father's upbringing rather than his own.

From: Swansea-Jack
Ali-G's family own 'Calders' the clothing shop in Cardiff.
From: Thedude
Both of his parents are from Cardiff. He graduated from Cambridge University with a degree in history.
From: wewoggle
Gerald Baron Cohen (his father), is originally from Wales and his paternal grandfather was born in Pontypridd. Sacha Baron Cohen has presented the MTV Europe Music Awards twice. Once as Ali G in 2001, and once as Borat in 2005.
From: sarajay
His father Gerald Baron Cohen comes from Wales, his paternal grandfather comes from Pontypridd. He is an Academy Award Nominated and Golden Globe winning comedian, writer and actor. He was born in Hammersmith, London to an othodox Jewish family. He is the youngest son of parents Gerald Baron Cohen and Daniella Weisher. His father is from Wales and his mother from Israel.
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