Sacha Baron Cohen - Early Life

Early Life

Baron Cohen, the middle of three brothers, was born in Hammersmith, West London. His mother, Daniella Naomi (née Weiser), was born in Israel, and his father, Gerald Baron Cohen, an accountant, is a native of London. Baron Cohen has two brothers: Erran and Amnon. Baron Cohen was raised Jewish. His paternal grandfather, Morris Cohen, who was from Pontypridd, Wales, had added "Baron" to his surname. His maternal grandmother, who lives in Haifa, Israel, trained as a ballet dancer in Germany. Erran is a composer and has worked on several of Sacha's films. Baron Cohen's cousin, Simon Baron-Cohen, is an internationally renowned autism researcher. Baron Cohen attended Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School, a private school in Elstree, Hertfordshire, north of London. He went on to the University of Cambridge, entering Christ's College, Cambridge, where he read history. While attending the Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club, Baron Cohen acted in the plays Fiddler on the Roof and Cyrano de Bergerac, and performed in Habonim Dror Jewish theatre performances.