Ken_Davitian

Ken Davitian

Ken Davitian

American-Armenian actor


Kenneth Davitian (Armenian: Քենեթ Դավիթյան; born June 19, 1953) is an American actor, best known for his role as Borat's producer Azamat Bagatov in the 2006 comedy film Borat,[1] and for his role as Shtarker in the 2008 action-comedy film Get Smart.

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Early life and education

Kenneth Davitian was born in Los Angeles on June 19, 1953, to an Armenian American family from Montebello, California.[2] His maternal grandparents were survivors of the Armenian genocide.[3] His father, a Red Army soldier during World War II, was captured by Wehrmacht forces and placed at an Armenian Legion camp in Stuttgart. After the end of the war, he immigrated to the United States through the efforts of George Mardikian. Davitian worked in his father's waste management company.[4][5] He graduated from Garfield High School in East Los Angeles and Whittier College.[6][7]

His teenage idol was Burt Reynolds, who greatly influenced his choice of becoming an actor.[8] Davitian would go on to perform in the film Pocket Listing, which also featured Reynolds.[9]

Davitian is fluent in Armenian; he speaks in Armenian as Azamat in Borat.[10]

Restaurant ventures

Davitian founded a restaurant in 2003 called The Dip, which was located in Los Angeles.[11] His son Robert used to run his baseball-themed hot dog restaurant The Infield in Sherman Oaks, which boasted a hot dog, conceived by Charlie Sheen, called the "Charlie Sheen Dog with Tiger Blood".[12]

Filmography

Film

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Television

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Video games

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Music videos

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References

  1. Dargis, Manohla (November 3, 2016). "Borat". The New York Times.
  2. Abcarian, Robin (February 25, 2007). "Less recognizable with clothes". Los Angeles Times.
  3. "Ken Davitian Interview" (in Armenian). Shant TV. July 5, 2012. Archived from the original on December 18, 2021.
  4. Abrams, Tamar (November 29, 2011). "Borat Catapulted Him to Fame, but Ken Davitian Is Not Azamat". HuffPost. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
  5. Abcarian, Robin (February 25, 2007). "Less recognizable with clothes". Los Angeles Times.
  6. "America's Best Colleges No. 253 Whittier College". Forbes. May 8, 2009. Notable Alumni Ken Davitian, actor, Borat
  7. Abrams, Tamar (November 29, 2011). "Borat Catapulted Him to Fame, but Ken Davitian Is Not Azamat". HuffPost. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
  8. Busch, Anita (November 4, 2016). "Orion Pictures Picks up 'Pocket Listing' For Limited Theatrical Release". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
  9. [email protected], Joe Piasecki (October 4, 2013). "Video: Armenian media thrives in Glendale, Burbank area". Los Angeles Times.
  10. Abcarian, Robin (January 7, 2011). "Ken Davitian is enjoying, very much, his Hollywood high five". The San Francisco Chronicle.
  11. Bellantoni, Cassandra M. (March 6, 2011). "Hot Dog With Tiger Blood Heats Up Sherman Oaks Restaurant". Patch. Retrieved July 11, 2011.

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