Trivia

In contrast to his characters, he is a soft-spoken, gentlemanly Cambridge man who considered pursuing a PhD before going into comedy.

Appears on talk shows in character; he has rarely appeared as his real self. Nevertheless, he did appear as himself on the Golden Globe Awards show in 2007, as well as on the NPR radio talk show "Fresh Air" with Terry Gross. He was also asked to appear in character (as Borat) at the Oscars, but refused and went as himself.

Gave 2004 Harvard class day address in character as Ali G.

When Baron Cohen made a surprise appearance as Ali G at the 2016 Academy Awards (it was truly a surprise-show producers had told him not to do it), his wife, Isla Fisher had to be complicit in the prank, and smuggled the Ali G costume into the awards ceremony under her dress. She then had to stand outside a door backstage at the Oscars while Baron Cohen changed inside and producers kept knocking to see what he was up to. "I had to lie to everyone, which made me feel really guilty," Fisher said on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Afterward Fisher said she "went straight to the bar, I'm not gonna lie.".

For Borat, Sacha takes about 6 weeks to grow body, head, and facial hair. For Ali G., the facial hair takes about 4 weeks to grow. When preparing for Brüno, he shaves all of his hair (including body hair), and works out and cleans his body vigorously.

He is good friends with professional wrestler John Cena.

He considers Peter Sellers to be his greatest influence.

During an "All Things Considered" interview in 2004, Baron Cohen told NPR's Robert Siegel that he wrote his Cambridge thesis on Jewish involvement in the U.S. Civil Rights movement, focusing especially on the 1964 murders of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner in Philadelphia, Mississippi.

He can speak fluent English and Hebrew.

In 2010, it was announced that Baron Cohen was considering starring as singer Freddie Mercury (to whom he bears a resemblance) in a biopic about the late Queen frontman. Baron Cohen was actively involved in trying to get the movie off the ground, even consulting major directors like David Fincher and Tom Hooper, but in 2013, he pulled out and to date (2017), the film still hasn't been made. Queen guitarist Brian May said it was because Baron Cohen's "presence in the movie would be very distracting," doubting that the larger-than-life actor could disappear into the role. In 2016, Baron Cohen gave his side of the story: He left because the surviving members of Queen wanted the movie to be a tame biopic about the entire band; he wanted it to be purely a Freddie Mercury movie, one that included the singer's rock 'n' roll exploits.

His cousin, Simon Baron-Cohen, is a preeminent psychologist who became famous for his theory that autism is caused by an extreme male brain.

When questioned whether he would make another movie based on two of his most famous characters, Borat and Bruno, Baron Cohen said he fears he's too recognizable, and the world too connected and aware, for him to pull off a movie like Borat or Bruno again. There's also the matter of the inherent danger in making those kinds of movies. He's got a family to support, and his wife, Isla Fisher, says she was constantly worried that his actions would get him arrested or sued. Cohen recounted an incident while filming Bruno in Kansas when he was appeared on the show 'WTF with Marc Maron' - he had to make a quick exit when a hotel manager called the cops when he and the actor playing his assistant Gustaf Hammarsten were found "chained to each other in this S&M crazy gear." Baron Cohen and Hammarsten had to jump off of a fire escape to avoid capture.

Daughter, Olive Baron Cohen, born 17 October 2007. Mother is Isla Fisher.

2007 - Ranked #34 on EW's The 50 Smartest People in Hollywood.

His Four By Two film production company is rhyming slang for 'Jew'.

Putting a rest to Ali G and Borat, the anti-Semitic Khazakh. He said to British newspaper "Friday," "I was in character sometimes 14 hours a day, and I came to love them, so admitting I am never going to play them again is quite a sad thing.". (December 2007)

In 2004 he appeared on the "Howard Stern Show" as himself and went into character on camera.

Studied History at Christ's College, Cambridge.

His paternal grandparents, Morris Cohen and Miriam Nichelby, were from Eastern European Jewish families (from Belarus and Poland) that moved to Wales and England. His maternal grandparents, Hans Weiser and Leisel Levi, were both German Jews.

He has been a lifelong fan of professional wrestling.

He plays three principal characters on Da Ali G Show (2000). The title character is Ali G, a lower-class white male who acts like a Jamaican Londoner and enrages his politically active and powerful guests with stupid questions. Another one is the Kazakhstani TV reporter Borat, who naïvely searches for porn and outlets for his scatological, accidental humor and anti-Semitism. The last one is the superficial Austrian fashion expert Brüno, who often talks up heartless fashionistas and makes macho men uncomfortable with his blatant homosexuality.

Attended the "Brüno" Premiere (in full character) at Tuschinski Theatre on June 20th in Amsterdam, Netherlands. (June 2009)

His wife Isla Fisher gave birth to their second child during summer 2010.

Brother of Erran Baron Cohen, a member of the British electronica world-music group, Zohar.

His surname is Baron Cohen, not just Cohen.

His thesis at Chirst's College was about Jewish activists during the Civil Rights movement.

He was voted Personality of the year at the TV Quick awards in London, England, UK. (September 4, 2000)

Went to Haberdashers' Aske's School for Boys in Hertfordshire, the same school as broadcaster Alan Whicker, Little Britain (2003) star Matt Lucas, comedian David Baddiel, and former Formula 1 champion Damon Hill.

He was considered for the role of Boris The Animal in Men in Black³ (2012), but the role was given to Jemaine Clement.

Nominated for the 2019 Golden Globe Award in the Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series category for Who Is America? (2018), but lost to Michael Douglas for The Kominsky Method (2018).

Brüno the reporter, one of Baron Cohen's characters, once interviewed Gisele Bündchen.

One of 105 people invited to join AMPAS in 2008.

Stepbrother-in-law of Conor Reid.