Steve Coogan

Stephen John Coogan is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter and producer, famed for creating and portraying Alan Partridge, a politically incorrect media personality. Coogan developed this character during his work with Armando Iannucci and Chris Morris. Apart from Partridge, Coogan had a distinguished career beginning as a voice actor for the satirical puppet show Spitting Image and television advertisements in the 1980s. His breakthrough in the film industry came in 2002 with The Parole Officer and 24 Hour Party People. He continued to feature in films like Around the World in 80 Days, Night at the Museum trilogy, Tropic Thunder, Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief, and Our Idiot Brother, among many others. Coogan also ventured into co-producing his own script, Philomena, which earned him a number of nominations at prestigious awards. He also played several dramatic roles.

Coogan was born on 14 October 1965 in Middleton, Lancashire. He was part of a family that emphasized education values and was brought up in a Roman Catholic setup. He was inspired to become an actor against the initial assumption in his family that all the children would become teachers. After five failed applications to drama schools, he joined the theatre company New Music before finally getting into Manchester Polytechnic School of Drama. He co-founded the production company Baby Cow Productions in 1999. Coogan has been a popular figure in British tabloids since 1996, despite his preference for keeping his personal life private.