Booyakasha! Happy birthday, Sacha Baron Cohen: Honouring the master of anarchic satire

Sacha Baron Cohen turns 55 on Tuesday (13.10.26), hitting a major milestone just in time for the arrival of his most explosive movie yet!

Releasing in cinemas on October 23, the secretly filmed mockumentary Ali G: Who Iz I? has already triggered fierce controversy, sparking online backlash and boycott threats over its lawless humour.

With the new movie releasing this month, take a look back at some of Sacha's most memorable roles!

Ali G: Da Ali G Show / Ali G Indahouse (2000–2002)

The role that started it all! Sacha first shot to superstardom on the small screen with his brilliant, tracksuit-loving stereotype who hilariously bewildered high-profile politicians and public figures.

The character was such a cultural phenomenon that he quickly graduated to the big screen for Ali G Indahouse, trading his Staines leisure centre for a seat in Parliament as an accidental MP.

It remains an absolute masterclass in deadpan brilliance, leaving us with immortal, culturally confusing one-liners like: "What's up with so many nuns working part time as strippers?"

King Julien XIII: Madagascar franchise (2005-2012)

Proving he can conquer the family market just as easily as late-night satire, Sacha stole the show in this animated blockbuster by voicing the world’s most narcissistic lemur.

He completely hijacked the franchise across three massive cinematic outings with his bizarre, unidentifiable accent and relentless main-character energy.

It is impossible to hear the phrase, "I like to move it, move it!" , without picturing this delightfully conceited cartoon monarch.

Borat Sagdiyev: Borat (2006)

The cinematic hand-grenade that changed pop culture forever.

On the surface, it was a riotous road trip packed with catchphrases like "Very nice!", plus the sight of a neon green mankini that we still can't unsee.

But beneath the chaos - and that infamous, security-strewn attempt to "bride-nap" Pamela Anderson - Sacha used his clueless Kazakh alter-ego as a mirror to expose the deep-seated prejudices, casual racism, and polite bigotry of everyday America.

Great success!

Admiral General Aladeen: The Dictator (2012)

Trading hidden cameras for a massive fake beard and a fully scripted Hollywood sandbox, Sacha took aim at global tyranny by playing the buffoonish, spoiled ruler of Wadiya.

The film allowed him to unleash pure, unfiltered political incorrectness, culminating in a brilliantly sharp speech to the UN where he asked: "Why are you guys so anti-dictators? Imagine if America was a dictatorship - you could let 1 per cent of the people have all the nation's wealth!"

Adolfo Pirelli: Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

For his first musical collaboration Sacha teamed up with Tim Burton and co-star Helena Bonham Carter for this darkly delicious musical horror, stepping into the flamboyant boots of a theatrical, counterfeit-tonic-peddling Italian barber.

Complete with a ridiculously camp accent and a brilliant faux-aristocratic swagger, he went razor-to-razor with Johnny Depp in a "shaving contest" before meeting a famously grisly end.

It was a short-lived but totally scene-stealing turn that proved Sacha could inject pure comedic energy into the bleakest of gothic tales.