With his latest film “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” Sacha Baron Cohen has proven he is a master of comedy — not to mention, a master of disguise. Since he first broke out his zany characters on “The Ali G Show” more than two decades ago, countless audiences have simultaneously laughed and cringed at the Golden Globe winner on the big screen and on TV. However, Baron Cohen has also left a mark on the drama realm with a Golden Globe-nominated role on Netflix’s “The Spy” and Aaron Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” which hopes to make a splash at this year’s Oscars.
See some of his most popular films and shows below, and read Variety’s cover story with Baron Cohen, in which he reflects on his career and talks about the challenges of shooting his undercover films.
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Borat
Image Credit: ©Amazon/Courtesy Everett Collection Kazakstan’s No. 1 journalist first hit the big screen back in 2006, and quickly became a controversial, yet instantly quotable character. Baron Cohen won the Golden Globe for the role and picked up a nomination for best comedy or musical, but perhaps 15 years later “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” can take home more awards. Maria Bakalova, who played Borat’s daughter Tutar in the sequel, is the undeniable breakout star and has fans rallying for her awards recognition.
“There were moments in making this movie where I thought, why the hell am I doing this?” says Baron Cohen. “This is illogical. You think, am I mad? Have I got something deeply wrong with me?”
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Da Ali G Show
Image Credit: ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Col Before there was Borat, there was Ali G, a streetwise, politically incorrect British “chav” who starred in “Da Ali G Show” and “Ali G Indahouse.” As the character, Baron Cohen interviewed famed astronaut Buzz Aldrin, soccer superstar David Beckham, politician Newt Gingrich and many more. He even pitched the genius idea of “ice cream gloves” to future U.S. President Donald Trump, who had an unamused response and left the interview abruptly. Throughout its run, the series picked up four Emmy nominations
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Brüno
The third character from “Da Ali G Show” to get a standalone movie, Brüno is a gay Austrian fashion journalist who travels to the U.S. to reach superstardom. During the film, he interviews Paula Abdul while sitting on “Mexican chair people,” mistakes politician Ron Paul for drag star RuPaul and crashes a mixed-martial arts cage fight in Arkansas.
“After ‘Bruno,’ I was fairly traumatized,” Baron Cohen says. “For about six months afterwards whenever I heard a police siren, I would start to get tense, because I’d been chased by the police so much. I vowed never to make another undercover movie again.”
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Who Is America?
Image Credit: ©Showtime Networks Inc./Courtes Baron Cohen pulled out all the stops on Showtime’s political satire series “Who Is America?,” in which he created, executive produced and played several characters. As Erran Morrad, an Israeli anti-terrorism expert, he gets Dick Cheney to sign a waterboarding kit; as far-right conspiracy theorist Billy Wayne Ruddick Jr., he interviewed Sen. Bernie Sanders; and as Italian billionaire Gio Monaldo, he nearly gets a confession from O.J. Simpson about the murder of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman. The series earned a Golden Globe nomination and three Emmy nods.
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The Trial of the Chicago 7
Image Credit: Netflix In Aaron Sorkin’s Oscar hopeful, Baron Cohen joins a star-studded cast to retell the story of anti-Vietnam War protesters who were charged with conspiracy and intention to incite a riot at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. He plays activist Abbie Hoffman, alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Eddie Redmayne, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jeremy Strong, Michael Keaton and Mark Rylance.
“He used humor to inspire followers, and he realized that absurdity was a way to undermine institutions that he thought were corrupt,” Baron Cohen says of Hoffman.
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The Dictator
Image Credit: ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Col Inspired by real-life dictators and dedicated “in loving memory” to Kim Jong-Il, Cohen plays Admiral-General Haffaz Aladeen, ruler of the fictional country Wadiya in this political satire from 2012. The film abandons the celebrity interviews and pranks from Cohen’s previous films and focuses more on gross-out gags and shock humor.
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The Spy
Image Credit: David Lukacs This dramatic turn puts Baron Cohen in the shoes of the real-life Eli Cohen, an Israeli spy who did undercover work in Syria in the 1960s. The Netflix series earned him a Golden Globe nod for best actor on a limited series or television film.
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Madagascar
Image Credit: ©DreamWorks/Courtesy Everett Co Baron Cohen voiced the lovably annoying lemur King Julien in the animated “Madagascar” film trilogy. The Central Park Zoo animals meet the self-proclaimed leader when they are shipwrecked on the tropical island. The character proved popular enough to get his own Nickelodeon spinoff series, though with a different voice actor.
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Les Miserables
Image Credit: ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Col Baron Cohen showed off his singing chops in Tom Hooper’s film adaptation of “Les Miserables” in 2012. With Helena Bonham Carter, the two played the Thénardiers, a pair of greedy innkeepers who looked after Cosette (Amanda Seyfried) until her debt is paid off and later crash her wedding in an attempt to blackmail her husband Marius (Eddie Redmayne.)