Steve Coogan, actor, comedian, producer and screenwriter, has worked on many projects from different angles throughout his career. Despite early difficulties in getting this career, including several rejected school applicationsCoogan was determined and managed to get 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 stood up to make money.
During his time in the industry, Coogan has worked in a variety of genres, although due to his comedic background, he often takes on the role of comedic relief. However, you sometimes see him in dramas (including the haunting recent movie Dinner), with a full range of acting skills when he does. Whatever role he plays, he’s sure to bring everything he’s got to everyone from obscure gems like A story about cock and bull to great dark comedies like Greed. Here are some of Steve Coogan’s best performances, ranked.
7/7 Night at the museum
Based on a book of the same name, Night at the museum is a fantasy comedy in a museum. Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) has been struggling to find work for a while, and it’s starting to make his ex-wife feel like he’s not a good role model for their young son. To try and get some stability in his life, he applies for and is hired as a security guard at the Natural History Museum. What he is not told for his first night, however, is that once the sun sets, everything in the museum comes alive, both friend and foe. He must now make the choice to leave, prove his ex right, or stay and try to survive.
Coogan plays Octavius, a miniature Roman general at the museum. Despite its small size, Octavius and his fellow miniatures give much of the comedic value to the film, thanks in part to Coogan taking on that role and trying to act seriously despite its small size.
6/7 The journey
The journey is a unique project, an artistic quasi-sitcom with four different seasons set in different places (The journey to Spain, the journey to Greeceetc.), and some six-episode seasons have been edited into a feature film, the best of which is the original The journey. In the project, Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon (who both write every episode, all directed by the great Michael Winterbottom) play as fictionalized versions of themselves as they go on a restaurant tour in a specific part of Europe together.
The show initially features the fictional Coogan attempt to salvage 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 over instead, a sort of enmity towards him. As Coogan tries to work out his relationship and other aspects of his pretty sad life, they often argue and try to pick up on each other as they continue on the restaurant tour. While it may sound easy to play a fictionalized version of yourself, it’s harder than you might think, but Coogan does a great job of playing the part, bringing both melancholic pathos and comedy into everything he does, making the show gets even more fun than it already is.
5/7 24 hours party people
The dramatization of real life events and rumors of the punk rock era of music lead to the biographical film 24 hours party people. Tony Wilson’s life changes when he attends a Sex Pistols gig, shortly after convincing his media employers to run shows. He is still drawn to the music and starts helping several punk bands from Manchester. He eventually founds the record label Factory Records, with which he releases his first hit with the band Joy Division.
Coogan brings Wilson to life in the film, with the right mix of comedy in the high moments and more serious acting in the low points. It’s one of the projects he’s also become famous for, so it’s worth checking out.
4/7 What Maisie Knew
What Maisie Knew is a drama based on the book of the same name and is extremely powerful in portraying 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. However, Maisie usually doesn’t really understand what’s going on. Eventually she goes back and forth to her parents who both continue to do things to bully each other.
As a result, Maisie is often left in the care of the new husbands, quickly bonding more with them than with her own parents. Coogan plays Beale, the aloof art dealer who is not very present in his daughter’s life. It’s an interesting role, as Coogan usually plays comedic characters, but there’s no doubt that he brings the role to life well, making for a very realistic separation.
3/7 Stan & Ollie
A surprisingly excellent biopic about actors, the movie Stan & Ollie is about the later life of the comedy duo Laurel and Hardy. After their golden age, they slowly start to lose popularity. They decide to embark on a concert tour of the UK and continue their performances as they attempt to write a Robin Hood comedy film, hoping for the lead role for both of them. However, when the tour kicks off in backstage theaters with very few people in the audience, and when Stan hides the fact that the movie has been canceled, that rift between them only starts to widen.
Coogan plays Stan Laurel and brings the comedic genius one last time to life on the big screen. He knows exactly how to play the comedic moments while also not letting them mix with the serious tones of the film. He was nominated for the Best Actor BAFTA for his performance.
2/7 Philomena
Philomena is a tragicomedy based on the book The Lost Child by 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 at a party by Philomena Lee’s daughter, who hopes he would be interested in writing a story about her mother, who was forced to give up her son nearly 50 years ago. . Although he is not usually in his wheelhouse, he still meets Philomena and begins to investigate. She tells him that she got pregnant out of wedlock, was sent to a convent, and forced to work for them for years before they gave her son up for adoption without even letting her say goodbye.
When Martin hears this, he agrees to help, track down her son to America and take her so they can try to find him together. Coogan plays Martin Sixsmith and brings the role and author to life in a beautiful and believable way. Not only did he star in the film, but he also wrote and produced it. His efforts led to him receiving a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars for his production of the film, as well as the Best Adapted Screenplay nomination for his writing. The Golden Globes and Satellite Awards also nominated him for Best Screenplay, and he won the same category at the BAFTAs.
1/7 I’m Alan Partridge
the sitcom I’m Alan Partridge is one of several works associated with Alan Partridge, a fictional comedic character created to parody several British TV personalities; Alan Partridge has had multiple TV series, movies, and radio shows, but I’m Alan Partridge might be the best. The show follows Partridge after his wife leaves him and his contract with the BBC is revoked. To make ends meet, he lives in a run-down hotel and also presents on a local radio station in the cemetery. While doing this, he desperately tries to pitch ideas for a new television show to get his career going again.
Coogan plays Alan Partridge and was also a part of creating the character. Whether you know who he’s trying to parody or not, there’s still plenty to laugh about and the series is an unforgettable piece of comedy. There were several award nominations and wins in the comedy categories in both seasons, including at the BAFTAs and British Comedy Awards.