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 on Oct. 13, 1971. A comfortable home life afforded him 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.
Both 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” (1998), tentatively titled “Dinner for Schmucks,” which was set-up at Dreamworks. Cohen next provided his vocal talents to “Madagascar” (2005), Dreamworks' animated adventure about four zoo animals who escape and inadvertently find themselves in Africa where the city slickers struggle to survive in the wild. He then costarred opposite Will Ferrell in “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” (2006), playing an obnoxious French Formula One driver who becomes the number one rival to a go-for-broke race car driver (Ferrell) hell-bent on finishing first or not finishing at all.
Cohen made his biggest impact when he brought Borat Sagdiyev to the big screen with “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” (2006), an hysterical mockumentary that followed the crude and backwards Kazakh journalist on a trip to the United States. Zigzagging his way across the country on his way to marry Pamela Anderson after watching an episode of “Baywatch,” Borat engaged unsuspecting people in situations designed to help him learn more about America. Most of the events and people depicted in the film were real, with many of the dupes reporting later that they were thoroughly convinced they were talking to a Kazakh journalist, though some were embarrassed at being made to look the fool. Prior to the film’s release, Cohen lobbied the public like a politician hot on the campaign trail, appearing on any and all talk shows that would have him—“The Today Show,” “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “The Late Show with David Letterman,” “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and even Howard Stern’s Sirius radio show.
Despite objections from the official government of Kazakhstan, which complained about the film’s negative depiction of the country, “Borat” took the number one spot at the box office with a $26 million take in less than 900 theaters. Twentieth Century Fox limited its theater count opening weekend because of the loud complaints that echoed across Eurasia, but realized a gross mistake was made when the per-theater average for “Borat” topped $31,000. Following its triumphant initial release, “Borat” opened wide in 2400 theaters its second week, with Cohen taking a drunken victory lap around the talk show circuit to revel in his box office victory and ask Matt Lauer on “The Today Show” where to get the best prostitutes. Meanwhile, Cohen had another character, Bruno, a gay Austrian TV reporter, set to be turned into a feature film. Though lesser known than Borat and Ali G, Cohen’s creation prompted Universal Pictures to pony up $42.5 million to make the film. Surprisingly, Cohen received a Golden Globe Award nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for “Borat.” Even more surprisingly, he won. Cohen gave perhaps the best acceptance speech of the evening, describing how in his journeys across the country he saw “[a]n ugly side of America. A side of America that rarely sees the light of day. I refer, of course, to the anus and testicles of my co-star Ken Davitian.” Indeed.