Russell Brand

Russell Brand

Something of a Renaissance man in his native Britain -- a performer who divides his time between screen acting, journalism, radio emceeing, and standup comedy -- Russell Brand trademarked himself via an outlandishly flamboyant, rave-happy persona, sporting the goth-tinged apparel, black mascara, and a bouffant, mile-high hairdo to match. He first entered show business at a tender age, with a portrayal of the gangster Fat Sam in the theatrical version of the kiddie musical Bugsy Malone, then moved into standup comedy, with a series of innumerable appearances on U.K. television (each one underscoring his anarchic image). For a time in the mid- to late 2000s, the press reported that the Channel 4 network was struggling to find the right vehicle to house Brand's larger-than-life personality and schtick; one of the more popular series, Russell Brand's Ponderland, intercut routines by Brand with flip and video archival clips. Brand made history when he signed as an on-air DJ with BBC 6 Music and helped that station drive its listener count through the roof, and as of 2002 began segueing into acting roles in features. Brand made two of his more high-profile appearances as Flash Harry in the boarding school comedy St. Trinian's, and as Aldous Snow, an obnoxious British rocker who whisks the lead character's girlfriend away, in the Judd Apatow-produced romantic comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide