Riotous, rude, controversial, even racist (or "racialist," as he might say)�these have been just a few adjectives used to describe the cultural phenomenon Ali G, the creation of British-born actor-comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. Invented for the short-lived British sketch comedy series, �The 11 O�Clock Show� (Channel 4, 1998-2000), Ali G made an immediate impact as "Channel 4�s official voice of youth." Ali G�s often hilarious interviews with unsuspecting politicians and celebrities became an immediate hit with UK viewers.

                                     

So believable was Cohen as Ali G that many thought the former didn�t exist. Some politicians, including Labour party member Tony Benn, left studio interviews believing the ignorant rapper-wannabe was genuine, though Ali G�s comment to Benn that Margaret Thatcher was a communist did come off as suspect. But for Cohen, his alter ego proved to be more than just a comedic vehicle�it was the beginning of a bright and prosperous career.

Cohen was born into a prominent home in December of 1970�the Baron Cohen family owned several business in England, including Baron Suits in London, Knightsbridge and Calders Outfitters in Cardiff, Wales. His comfortable home life afforded Cohen the opportunity to attend the best schools, including Haberdasher-Askes Boys� School and later Cambridge University.
                     
It was at Haberdasher that Cohen met Dan Mazer, who later became a producer during Cohen�s reign as Ali G. Meanwhile, in 1989, Cohen joined the Habonim Jewish Youth Group and appeared in Neil Simon�s �Biloxi Blues�, thus igniting a passion for acting. But his acting plans soon went on hold, as Cohen left London for Israel, where he spent a year at the Rosh Hanikra Kibbutz learning more about his roots and faith.

Upon returning to Britain, Cohen attended Cambridge, where he worked toward a degree in history while continuing his focus on acting. In 1991, he played Doolittle the Dustman in a production of �My Little Fairy�; he played the lead in a West End production of �Fiddler on the Roof�; and in 1993, Cohen had a singing role in �My Fair Lady�. 

Later in the decade, Cohen made the jump from stage to screen on the Paramount Comedy Channel. Cohen appeared on the station as filler in between programmes, where he developed his skill for embarrassing interviews�a later hallmark of Ali G.

                            

Cohen was hired on to the �11 O�Clock Show� after sending the producers a tape of him posing as an Albanian reporter interviewing fox hunters, and Ali G was soon born. In 1999, Cohen won Best Newcomer in the British Comedy Awards, which led to his own programme, �Da Ali G Show� (Channel 4, 2000). On the new show, Cohen created a new character, Borat, Kazakhstan's top media personality, while further developing Ali G�s comical antics.

Cohen continued to receive accolades, including Personality of the Year in 2000 from the TV Quick Awards and Best TV Entertainment Production at the 2000 Ethnic Multicultural Awards, despite complains from critics that Ali G was racist. In 2001, Ali G appeared in Madonna�s music video �Music�, in which the two went head-to-head on turntables in cartoon form.

             

Ali G and Borat soon crossed the Atlantic Ocean, where �Da Ali G Show� (HBO, 2003- ) appeared on American cable television. Despite the new location, Ali G kept up old tricks, including his famed interviews with unsuspecting political figures.

In one memorable interview, Ali G pushed former presidential candidate Pat Buchanan into admitting that Mel Gibson�s �The Passion of the Christ� (2003) was only slightly better than �Lethal Weapon 3� (1992). Ali G�s popularity led Cohen to make a feature film with the character, �Ali G Indahouse� (2002). In the movie, the clueless rapper gets hand-picked by an unscrupulous member of Parliament intent on upsetting the Prime Minister in the next election.

Despite his obvious ignorance, Ali G finds himself climbing the political ladder. The movie was released in the UK in 2002, but never found it�s way to the States. Meanwhile, Cohen began developing a remake of the French feature, �"Le Diner de Cons "Le Diner de Cons� (1998), tentatively titled �Dinner for Schmucks�, which was set-up at Dreamworks. Meanwhile, Cohen provided his voice to �Madagascar� (2005), Disney�s animated adventure about four zoo animals who escape and inadvertently find themselves in Africa where the city slickers struggle to survive in the wild. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, a feature film with "Borat" at the centre, was screened at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival and released in the United Kingdom November 2, 2006, in the United States on November 3, 2006 and Australia November 23, 2006. The film is about a journey across the United States in an ice cream van, in which the main character is obsessed with the idea of marrying Pamela Anderson. The film is a mockumentary which includes interviews with various American citizens that poke fun at the hobgoblins of American culture, including sexism, racism, homophobia, anti-Semitism, jingoism and Baywatch.

It debuted at the #1 spot in the US, taking in an estimated $26.4 million in just 837 theatres averaging $31,600 per theatre, the third highest per-theatre average of all time for movies opening wide (500 screens or more), behind Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and Spider-Man. It easily outdistanced the expected #1 movie of the weekend, Disney's The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, which earned an estimated $20 million in 3,458 cinemas.

Baron Cohen won the 2007 Golden Globe in the "Best Actor - Musical or Comedy" category, his sixth such award. Although Borat was up for "Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy," the film lost to Dreamgirls. On 23 January 2007, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. He shared his nomination with the film's co-writers, Ant Hines, Peter Baynham, Dan Mazer, and Todd Phillips.

Aside from the comic elements of his characters, Baron Cohen's performances are interpreted by some as reflecting uncomfortable truths about his audience. He juxtaposes his own Jewish lineage with the anti-Semitism of his character Borat. In one sketch from the TV show (and as such, not included in the film), Borat performs at a small-town USA bar singing an anti-Semitic song called 'In My Country There is Problem' (including lyrics such as "Throw the Jew down the well!", "You must grab [the Jew] by his horns" and "[The Jews] take everybody['s] money; they never give it back"), with many in the bar singing along.

Although the character Borat is Kazakh, he frequently begins segments with Polish expressions "Jak się masz?" (How are you?), "Dzień dobry" (Good day) and "Dziekuję" (Thank you). His use of "Boutrous" was used on BBC's The Fast Show sketches, and Mahir "I Kiss You" �ağrı publicly claims much of the Borat character was based on him. Borat's favorite singer is Korki Buchek. He sings the famous song "Bing Bang". In one scene of the film, Borat encounters some men from Atlanta, Georgia. When asked of his favourite music, he shares the name Korki Buchek and proceeds to sing a song, which causes the men from Atlanta to laugh at him.

In 2007 Cohen published a travel guide as Borat, with dual titles: Borat: Touristic Guidings To Minor Nation of U.S. and A. and Borat: Touristic Guidings To Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, however on 21st Dec it was announced Borat would retire'

                

The Baron Cohens enjoyed a high standard of living. Sacha attended Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School, a privileged private school in Elstree. The same school was also attended by fellow Jewish comedians Matt Lucas and David Baddiel. He also attended Dulwich College (Dulwich - South London). He then attended Christ's College, Cambridge where he studied history under Niall Ferguson and wrote his thesis on Jewish involvement in the American Civil Rights movement, with emphasis on the 1964 murders of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner in Mississippi.

At the Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club, Baron Cohen acted in plays such as Cyrano de Bergerac and Fiddler on the Roof, in which he played Tevye. His long-time collaborator Dan Mazer also attended the University of Cambridge and was a member of the Cambridge Footlights, and although Baron Cohen himself was not a member, he performed in at least one Footlights presentation as well as other shows (including singing the part of Guy Fawkes in the musical Gunpowder, Treason and Plot).

Baron Cohen first acted in theatrical productions featuring the Socialist-Zionist youth movement Habonim Dror. He spent a year in Israel at Kibbutz Rosh HaNikra and Kibbutz Beit HaEmek as part of the Shnat Habonim Dror, before matriculating to university.

According to Baron Cohen, "I wouldn't say that I am a religious Jew, but I'm still proud to be Jewish." However, he keeps kosher and generally observes the Jewish Sabbath, refusing to answer the phone on Shabbat.

Baron Cohen frequently speaks in Hebrew and Polish while playing the anti-Semitic character Borat. He also sang the lyrics from an old Hebrew folk song in an episode of Da Ali G Show. Additionally he identifies his country's greatest scientist, who he says discovered a woman's brain is the same size as that of a squirrel, as "Dr Yarmulke". (A yarmulke, or kippah, is the skullcap worn by Jews.)

Baron Cohen is engaged to Australian actress Isla Fisher, and the pair plan to wed in a traditional Jewish ceremony. After several years of study, Isla has converted to Judaism, and has received the approval of Baron Cohen's observant Jewish parents. On October 19, 2007 Isla gave birth to a baby girl named Olive in Los Angeles, California.

Why is he famous?
Sacha Baron Cohen has propagated the hilarious characters of Ali G, Borat, the inept Kazakhstani TV reporter, and Bruno, the over-the-top Austrian fashion expert. Baron Cohen first performed his shtick on The 11 O'Clock Show and then landed his own series, Da Ali G Show. Cohen scored hits with the filming of Ali G Indahouse and the video release of Ali G: Bling Bling, and HBO broadcasts Da Ali G Show in North America. Baron Cohen continued to go mainstream as the voice of King Julian the Lemur in Madagascar, and he acted alongside Will Ferell in Stranger than Fiction. His low budget mockumentary Borat: Cultural Learnings from America for make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan is something people around the world were waiting for.