Russell Brand

Russell Brand is an English comedian, actor and presenter whose screen work carries much of the restless verbal energy of his stand-up. Born on 4 June 1975 at Orsett Hospital in Grays, Essex, he first appeared on television as a teenager, with roles in The Bill and the children’s adventure series Mud, before moving through comedy, presenting, radio and film. Brand’s defining movie role arrived with Forgetting Sarah Marshall in 2008. As rock star Aldous Snow, he turned a potentially straightforward romantic rival into something stranger and funnier: flamboyant, casually self-assured and forever ready with an unexpected observation. The character proved strong enough to lead the 2010 spin-off Get Him to the Greek, reuniting Brand with director Nicholas Stoller and producer Judd Apatow. That heightened persona made Brand a natural fit for broad studio comedy. He appeared opposite Adam Sandler in Bedtime Stories, played Trinculo in Julie Taymor’s adaptation of The Tempest and took the title role in the 2011 remake of Arthur. Rock of Ages gave him another music-adjacent part as Lonny, while Paradise cast him as William Carr. His voice work has shown a slightly different side of the same comic rhythm. Brand voiced Dr. Nefario in Despicable Me, Despicable Me 2 and Minions: The Rise of Gru, played the lead character E.B. in Hop and later voiced Creek in Trolls. After a hiatus from acting following Paradise, he returned with Trolls and Army of One, in which he portrayed God. Brand has also continued appearing in live-action film and television, including a recurring role as Lance Klians in the final two seasons of Ballers, Tristan Trent in Four Kids and It, and Linus Windlesham in Kenneth Branagh’s Death on the Nile. Across those roles, his screen identity remains closely tied to language, theatrical confidence and an instinct for making even supporting characters feel deliberately off-centre.