Biography And Filmography: 

Steve Coogan was born into a family of six children in Middleton, Manchester, England. Being part of such a large family, he had to work hard to get attention, so he entertained his parents and brothers and sisters with funny impersonations of his teachers and other family members. He then started training as an actor at the Manchester Polytechnic School, and performed standup comedy sets where he polished his talent for impersonations of celebrities and famous people. 

His first real acting job came when he lent his distinctive voice talents to the television show "Spitting Image” (1984-86), a spoof show that recreated famous world characters from British culture into hideously larger-than-life puppets. He and his work were seen by a talent agent who hired the actor for roles on “First Exposure”, “A Word in Your Era” and “Paramount City”.

In 1992, Steve fashioned his most illustrious and adored character, the uninformed and egotistical Alan Partridge. He turned Alan Partridge into a multi-million dollar business that ultimately became the television talk show “Knowing Me, Knowing You…with Alan Partridge” (2000-01) and then a second televised series, “I’m Alan Partridge” (2000-01), a comedy show about the illusory character after his television talk show is cancelled.

He then tried his hand on the big-screen appearing as Tommy in “The Indian in the Cupboard” (1995). He was next hired for the lead in “The Wind in the Willows” (1997) with "Monty Python's" Eric Idle, a live-action children’s show about the adventures of Mole and his friend Rat. He also made numerous guest appearances on a variety of television shows including "The Tony Ferrino Phenomenon", "The Saturday Night Armistice", "The End of the Year Show", "Mrs. Merton and Malcolm", "Dr. Terrible's House of Horrible", "The Day Today", "I Am Not an Animal", "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "Saxondale".

Returning to movies, Coogan next starred in  “The Parole Officer” (2001), about a failed parole officer who is framed for murder and must seek the help of his former clients to clear his name. The film was co-written by Henry Normal and went on to become the United Kingdom's top grossing film of the year. Next for the actor was the role of Tony Wilson, the go-getting and charming music producer who helped create the Manchester scene in “24 Hour Party People” (2002), and was a smash hit at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. 

He then lent his voice talent to Heston the snake in the smash hit romantic comedy adventure "Ella Enchanted" (2004), starring Anne Hathaway, Minnie Driver and Vivica A. Fox, where Ella (Anne Hathaway) is under a spell to be constantly obedient, a fact she must hide from her new step-family in order to protect the prince of the land, her friend for whom she's falling in love with.

Steve was shot into celebrity status with is role next to Jackie Chan in “Around the World in 80 Days” (2004), where he portrayed the peculiar London inventor, Phileas Fogg, who makes a bet to travel around the world in only 80 days. He next was cast in the comedy “Happy Endings” (2005), playing a gay restaurant owner, and father to the son of his stepsister, who convinces his gay lover (David Sutcliffe) to donate sperm to his lesbian friends played by Laura Dern and Sarah Clarke. 

He was then hired and cast as Charles 'Charley' Peppitone, starring opposite Lisa Kudrow, in the comedy thriller "Happy Endings" (2005), a film that weaves multiple stories to create a funny look at love, family and the sheer unpredictability of life itself. He then worked alongside Jerry O'Connell in the romantic comedy "The Alibi" (2006), where a man who runs an alibi service for adulterous husbands gets into a jam with a new client. In trying to fix the situation, he must rely on an attractive woman who gets his heart racing. 

In 2008, he teamed with Catherine Keener, Amy Poehler and Elisabeth Shue in the hilarious comedy "Hamlet 2" (2008), about a failed actor who is also a high-school drama teacher who rallies his Tucson, Arizona drama students as he conceives and stages politically incorrect musical sequel to Shakespeare's Hamlet in an effort to keep the drama department from closing down. More comedy followed in the Ben Stiller action comedy "Tropic Thunder" (2008) starring Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., and Jack Black, where through a series of freak occurrences, a group of actors shooting a big-budget war movie are forced to become the soldiers they are portraying.

Steve was now a certified Hollywood celebrity, and it showed in the movie "Finding Amanda" (2008), with Matthew Broderick and Brittany Snow, about a television producer with a love for drinking and gambling who is sent to Las Vegas to convince his troubled niece to enter drug rehab. Next was the dramatic "Safety Glass" (2008), working alongside Hilary Duff and set in the mid-1980's when a reporter is sent to cover the Challenger Space Shuttle launch only to become mixed up in the lives of some local students. 

The actor then appeared with Amy Adams and Ben Stiller in the comedy sequel "Night In The Museum 2: Battle For The Smithsonian" (2008), where the Smithsonian Institution is brought to life with mystery, mayhem, and characters that spring to life. He then took a starring role alongside James Gandolfini and Anna Chlumsky in the comedy "In The Loop" (2009), before wrapping his year in the sports themed comedy "Eddie The Eagle" (2009), the story of England's first ski jumper to enter the Winter Olympics.

Watch Steve Coogan In the "Hamlet 2" Movie Trailer

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