Equal parts debaucherous rock star and grammatically correct intellectual, Russell Brand first made his mark on Britain as a stand-up comedian and MTV VJ with a penchant for skin-tight black pants. Battling a nasty drug addiction throughout the beginning of his career, Brand parlayed his controversial antics into a successful and critically acclaimed comedy act and talk show gig on MTV UK’s “1 Leicester Square” (2006). Catching the eye of American moviegoers as Aldous Snow in the hit 2008 comedy “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” Brand found a whole new audience. Serving as host of MTV’s “2008 Video Music Awards,” the quirky Brit was primed for Hollywood stardom.
Born June 4th, 1975 in Grays, Essex, England to Barbara Elizabeth and Ronald Henry Brand, a photographer, Brand grew up in Grays with his mother after his parents separated when he was only six months old. Brand led a troubled adolescence – his mother, Barbara, suffered a bout with cancer, and Brand himself struggled with bulimia as a teen. Finding an outlet for his troubles in acting, Brand landed his first stage performance at the age of 15, portraying Fat Sam in a school production of “Bugsy Malone.” Turning in an impressive performance, Brand landed a council-funded education at the private Italia Conti Academy in London, Britain's oldest theatre arts training school, and went on to earn a three-year scholarship to London's prestigious Drama Centre. Though Brand showed an obvious talent and aptitude for the dramatic arts, he was kicked out of the school a week shy of graduation for destruction of school property.
Undeterred, Brand began to perform stand-up comedy in local clubs around London. He landed his first major stand-up gig as a finalist in the Hackney New Act of the Year competition in 2000. Though he did not place in the top three, Brand did garner the attention of an agent John Noel and he began to book regular gigs around the UK. While performing a show at the Edinburgh Fringe festival, Brand caught the eye of MTV producers, who quickly hired him as a VJ on “Dance Floor Chart” (MTV UK). Brand’s days at MTV were short-lived however; when he showed up to work on Sept. 12, 2001 dressed as Osama Bin Laden – a prank Brand later chalked up to drug-induced stupidity - he was promptly fired. He went on to host his own comedy show in the UK, “RE: Brand” (UK Play, 2002), a documentary-style show that commented on cultural taboos. Often drunk or on heroin during the series, Brand had a difficult time balancing a career with his drug habit. Forced into rehab a year later by his longtime manager, Brand cleaned up his act and began to rebuild his career.
In 2004, Brand landed a gig hosting the live discussion series “Big Brother’s Efourum” (E4, 2004-07) and “Kings of Comedy” (E4, 2004). Returning to stand-up, he took his one-man show, “Better Now,” to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Documenting his life as a sex and heroin addict, the show received four and five-star reviews in The Times, The Guardian and The Scotsman. He returned to the festival in 2005 with the stand-up show, “Eroticized Humour.” Brand quickly became tabloid fodder in 2006 after receiving treatment for sex addiction and romancing supermodel Kate Moss. Never one to shy away from publicity, Brand embraced the media attention and incorporated it into his stand-up routine.
Brand was also given a second chance at MTV, who invited him back to the network to host the celebrity talk show “1 Leicester Square” (MTV UK, 2006). Something of a comeback for Brand, he went on to host the “2007 Brit Awards” (ITV1) and “Comic Relief 2007: The Big One” (BBC1), as well as publishing the bestselling memoir, My Booky Wook, which chronicled his troubled childhood and struggle with drug addiction as an adult. Though already well-known in the UK, Brand landed his first major American gig in 2008 when he was cast as narcissistic British-rocker Aldous Snow in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” (2008) – a role re-written for him after his audition. With this one part, Brand stole the show and caught the eye of American audiences. Riding the coattails of Brand’s growing popularity in the U.S., MTV asked him to host the “2008 Video Music Awards,” in which he made jokes on everything from purity rings to the presidential race.