Ken Davitian

The Man Who Agreed to Strip

Ken Davitian was neither a method actor nor a young rising star when the world first heard of him. By 2006 he had already racked up decades of failed attempts and small TV gigs that barely covered the upkeep of his restaurant business in Los Angeles.

He was 53 years old when Sacha Baron Cohen recruited him to play Azamat Bagatov. The casting call was looking for someone with Armenian roots who wasn't afraid of extreme ridicule. Davitian accepted the challenge without knowing that the comedy would change his bank account forever.

Anonymity ended in a hotel room.

The naked wrestling scene in Borat became the most talked-about moment of the year. But behind the heavy-handed joke was an actor who spoke Armenian fluently and understood the rhythm of physical comedy like few supporting actors in the industry.

Supporting Star Power and Silent Film

And the gamble paid off. After the impact of the mockumentary, calls came from studios that wouldn't even have opened the door to him before. In 2008 he took part in the film adaptation of Super Agent 86 alongside Steve Carell.

Davitian avoided being typecast solely as the crude comedian of his early days. In 2011 he joined the cast of The Artist, the French silent film that went on to win five Oscars. His sharply chiseled face fit perfectly with the aesthetic of the 1920s.

He didn't need words to convey the melancholy of old Hollywood.

That project showed that his physique was not a limitation but a working tool. During this period he balanced film work with appearances on TV series such as It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, where he once again showcased his talent for self-parody.

The Family Business and Late-Career Shoots

Away from the spotlight, Davitian's life was always tied to food. For years he ran his own hot dog restaurant called The Dip in Los Angeles. For him, acting was a trade like any other, one you could win or lose at every audition.

In 2021 he returned to the media spotlight with a role in season four of Cobra Kai. He played a loan shark with questionable methods, reminiscent of his characters from the nineties. But the actor was no longer chasing the mass fame he had at the start with Baron Cohen.

Davitian didn't ask permission to break into the industry.

He is set for the release of The Mastermind in 2025, a drama directed by Kelly Reichardt that also stars Josh O'Connor. The production was shot on location in the United States under a strict confidentiality agreement covering the details of the script.

The actor maintains his residence in California and remains involved with independent projects that call for tough guys with hearts of gold. In 2024 he signed a deal to take part in a low-budget production shot entirely in Armenia. His daily pay on major productions now exceeds $20,000.