Steve Coogan, a well-known English stand-up comedian, actor, writer, producer and director, was born on 14 October 1965 in Middleton. This accomplished entertainer, who grew up as one of nine children in a large Irish Catholic family, went to Cardinal Langley RC High School. Two of his siblings are also popular figures in the world of entertainment. His younger brother Brendan Coogan was a presenter of Top Gear, a BBC television series on automobiles and his older brother Martin was the front man of The Mock Turtles, a popular indie rock band of the 1990s. Steve Coogan, who is identified with the fictional television and radio presenter Alan Partridge, currently lives in Brighton.
Steve Coogan began his career as a comic and mimic in Ipswich. He also performed voice-overs for commercials, besides doing impressions on Spitting Image, a British satirical puppet show. In 1991, he developed Alan Partridge as a parody of sports commentators and chat show presenters, together with Chris Morris, Armando Iannucci and others, in the Radio 4 comedy show On the Hour. He became popular and soon had his own radio show. He also went on to appear in The Day Today on the small screen and hosted a chat show titled, Knowing Me, Knowing You... with Alan Partridge. In 1997, after a brief hiatus, this fictional character was portrayed in the sitcom I'm Alan Partridge. Besides Alan Partridge, Steve Coogan is also credited with creating characters such as Paul Calf, Tommy Saxondale, Duncan Thicket and Tony Ferrino. He has also acted in a number of television shows, including Coogan's Run, Dr. Terrible's House of Horrible, Monkey Trousers and Saxondale. Steve Coogan starred in several BBC productions, including The Private Life of Samuel Pepys, Cruise of the Gods, Little Britain and Sunshine. He has also performed voice-overs for a few animated series aired on BBC.
Though Steve Coogan is mainly known as a television creator and performer, he has also acted in several movies. His performances in films like 24 Hour Party People, The Wind in the Willows, Marie Antoinette, Sweet Revenge, Around the World in 80 Days, Night at the Museum, Hamlet 2 and Tropic Thunder were well received. Steve Coogan also played himself in Jim Jarmusch's Coffee and Cigarettes in 2003 and in Michael Winterbottom’s Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story in 2006. He co-wrote a movie for the first time with Henry Normal for the film The Parole Officer.
In 1999, Steve Coogan founded Baby Cow Production, teaming up with Henry Normal. The company has brought out notable productions like The Mighty Boosh, Nighty Night, Marion and Geoff and Human Remains. It has also ventured into online sitcoms like Where Are the Joneses. In March 2008, Steve Coogan decided to return to stand-up comedy after a gap of ten years and embarked on a tour "Steve Coogan is Alan Partridge and other less successful characters".
His work in the television industry has earned Steve Coogan a number of awards, including British Comedy Awards, BAFTA Awards and the South Bank Show Award for comedy. In 2003, he featured in the list of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy in The Observer. In 2005, he was also voted as one of the top 20 greatest comedy acts ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders in a poll conducted to find The Comedians' Comedian.
A car enthusiast, Steve Coogan owned a number of Ferraris. But he had to put an end to his fascination for them when he discovered that the depreciation and running costs were much higher than hiring a private jet.
