Steve Coogan, actor, comedian, producer, and screenwriter, has worked on a lot of projects from various angles his entire career. Despite early issues in getting himself to this career,including several denied school applications, Coogan was determined and managed to get into the career he wanted, with a pretty successful one to boot. Before he was able to secure the roles that really boosted his career, Coogan was often an impressionist and did stand up in order to make money, and would find his most universal acclaim as the character Alan Partridge, a cheesy talk show host he developed.
During his time in the industry, Coogan has worked in various genres, though he often takes on the role of the comedic relief due to his comic background. Sometimes you’ll see him in dramas as well, though (including the haunting recent filmThe Dinner), showcasing a full range of acting skills when he does. No matter what role he’s playing, he’s certain to bring everything he has to each and every one, from obscure little gems likeA Cock and Bull Storyto big dark comedies likeGreed. Here are some of Steve Coogan’s best performances, ranked.
7Night at the Museum
Based on a book of the same name,Night at the Museumis a fantasy comedy centered in a museum. Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) has struggled to find work for a while, and it’s beginning to make his ex-wife feel he’s not a good role model for their young son. to try and have some stability in his life, he applies for and is hired as a security guard at the Museum of Natural History. What he isn’t told before his first night, however, is that as soon as the sun goes down, everything in the museum comes to life, both friend and foe. He now has to make the choice of leaving, proving his ex right, or staying and trying to figure out how to survive.
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Coogan plays Octavius, a miniature Roman general in the museum. Despite his small size, Octavius and his fellow miniatures bring a large portion of the comedic value to the movie, in part thanks to Coogan taking on that role and trying to act seriously despite his small size.
The Tripis a unique project, an artistic quasi-sitcom with four different seasons that take place in different places (The Trip to Spain, The Trip to Greece, etc.), and some of the six-episode seasons are edited down into a feature film, the best of which being the originalThe Trip. In the project, Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon (who both write every episode, all directed by the great Michael Winterbottom) star as fictionalized versions of themselves as they go together on a restaurant tour in a specific area of Europe.
The show initially has the fictional Coogan attempt to save a relationship with his girlfriend by accepting a commission to go on a restaurant tour with her. When she backs out, claiming their relationship needs a break, he invites Brydon instead, a kind of frenemy to him. As Coogan tries to work out his relationship and other aspects of his pretty sad life, the pair often argue and try to one up each other as they continue along on the restaurant tour. Even thoughplaying a fictional version of yourselfmight sound easy, it’s harder than you’d think, but Coogan does a great job at playing up the role and bringing both melancholic pathos and comedy to everything he does in it, making the show even more enjoyable than it already is.
524 Hour Party People
The dramatization of real life events as well as rumorsabout the punk rock eraof music leads to the biographical movie24 Hour Party People. Tony Wilson’s life changes when he goes to see a performance from the Sex Pistols, soon after convincing his employers in the media to begin broadcasting shows. Still drawn into the music, he begins to help several of Manchester’s punk bands and ends up creating the record label Factory Records, releasing his first hit record with the band Joy Division.
Coogan brings Wilson to life in the movie, bringing the right mix of comedy in the high moments and more serious acting in the lows. It’s one of the projects that helped him gain his fame too, so it’s worth a watch.
4What Maisie Knew
What Maisie Knewis a drama based on the book of the same name, and is extremely powerful for depicting divorce through the eyes of a child. Maisie is the daughter of musician Susanna and art dealer Beale. They argue a lot, often leave Maisie in the care of a nanny, and eventually divorce and get joint custody of her. Maisie, however, doesn’t really understand what is going on most of the time. She ends up going back and forth to her parents who both continue to do things to spite each other.
As a result, Maisie is often left in the care of the new spouses, quickly bonding with them more than her own parents. Coogan plays Beale, the aloof art dealer who isn’t very present in his daughter’s life. It’s an interesting role, considering Coogan usually plays comedic characters, but there’s no doubt he brings the role to life well, making for a very realistic divorce.
3Stan & Ollie
A surprisinglyexcellent biopic about actors, the movieStan & Ollieis about the later lives of comedy duo act Laurel and Hardy. After their golden era, they slowly begin to fall out of popularity. They decide to start a music hall tour of the UK and keep their performances going as they attempt to write a comedic movie of Robin Hood, hoping to star both of them. However, when the tour begins in backstreet theaters with very few people in the audience, and when Stan hides the fact that the movie has been canceled, that rift between them begins to grow further.
Coogan plays Stan Laurel, bringing the comedic genius to life one last time on the big screen. He knows just how to play the comedic moments while also not letting them mix into the serious tones of the movie. He was nominated for the Best Actor BAFTA for his performance.
2Philomena
Philomenais a tragicomedy based on the bookThe Lost Child of Philomena Lee, which, in turn, is based on the true story of Philomena Lee’s 50-year search for her son. In Stephen Frears' film, Journalist Martin Sixsmith is approached by the daughter of Philomena Lee at a party, who hopes he would be interested in writing a story on her mother, who was forced to give up her son nearly 50 years ago. Despite not usually being in his wheelhouse, he meets Philomena anyway and begins to investigate. She tells him she had gotten pregnant out of wedlock, sent to a convent, and forced to work their for years before they put her son up for adoption without even letting her say goodbye.
Related:Best Stephen Frears Movies, Ranked
Hearing this, Martin agrees to help, tracking her son over to America and bringing her with him so that they can attempt to find him together. Coogan plays Martin Sixsmith, bringing the role and author to life in a beautiful and believable way. Not only did he star in the movie, but he co-wrote and produced it too. His efforts led him to receive a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars due to his production of the film, as well as the Best Adapted Screenplay nomination for his writing. The Golden Globes and the Satellite Awards also nominated him for best screenplay, and he won the same category at the BAFTAs.
1I’m Alan Partridge
The sitcomI’m Alan Partridgeis one of many works related to Alan Partridge, a fictional comedic character made to parody several British television personalities; Alan Partridge has had multiple TV series, movies, and radio shows, butI’m Alan Partridgeis perhaps the best. The show follows Partridge after his wife has left him and his contract with the BBC has been dropped. In order to make ends meet, he lives in a rundown hotel while also presenting on a local radio station in the graveyard slot. As he does this, he is desperately trying to pitch ideas for a new television show to kick his career into gear again.
Coogan plays Alan Partridge, and was a part of creating the character as well. Whether you know who he’s trying to parody or not, there are still plenty of laughs to be had, and the series is an unforgettable piece of comedy. There were several award nominations and wins in the comedy categories across both seasons, including at the BAFTAs and the British Comedy Awards.
