Daniel Gideon Mazer (born 4 October 1971)[1] is a British director, screenwriter, producer, and comedian. He is best known as the long-time writing and production partner of comedian Sacha Baron Cohen and worked with him on his three unorthodox characters Ali G, Borat, and Brüno. He also co-wrote and co-produced the films based on Baron Cohen's characters such as Ali G Indahouse, Borat, and Brüno.
Dan Mazer | |
|---|---|
 Mazer in Paris at a premiere of I Give It a Year, April 2013. | |
| Born | 4 October 1971 London, England |
| Known for | Long-time writing and production partner of Sacha Baron Cohen |
| Spouse | Daisy Donovan (m. 2005) |
| Children | 2 |
Early life
Mazer attended The Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School, where he met Baron Cohen.[2] He went on to read Law at Peterhouse, Cambridge University, and graduated in 1994. He was an active member of Cambridge Footlights while at university and was vice president from 1993 to 1994.
Career
His early work includes production roles on The Word, The Big Breakfast and The 11 O'Clock Show.
In 2007 he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for co-writing the film Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. He shared his nomination with Sacha Baron Cohen, Ant Hines, Peter Baynham, and Todd Phillips. They ended up losing to The Departed.
In 2013 he made his feature film directing debut with the British comedy I Give It a Year. He followed it with the 2016 American comedy Dirty Grandpa.
In 2020 he co-wrote the script for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, for which he was again nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and also won a Writers Guild Award.
Personal life
He is married to television personality Daisy Donovan, with whom he has two daughters, Maisy[3] and Mini Ivy.[4]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Ali G Indahouse | No | Yes | Yes |
| 2006 | Borat | No | Yes | Executive |
| 2009 | Brüno | No | Yes | Yes |
| 2012 | The Dictator | No | No | Executive |
| 2013 | I Give It a Year | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2016 | Dirty Grandpa | Yes | No | No |
| Bridget Jones's Baby | No | Yes | No | |
| Office Christmas Party | No | Yes | No | |
| 2020 | Borat Subsequent Moviefilm | No | Yes | No |
| 2021 | The Exchange | Yes | No | No |
| Home Sweet Home Alone | Yes | No | No | |
| TBA | Untitled Big Jim film[7] | Yes | No | No |
References
External links
- Agency page at United Agents
- Dan Mazer at IMDb
- "Win no friends and influence nobody" (The Observer, 4 March 2007) – Mazer writes about his Academy Award nomination experience