In cultures that practice marital monogamy, bigamy is the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another. Bigamy is a crime in most western countries, and when it occurs in this context often neither the first nor second spouse is aware of the other. In countries that have bigamy laws, consent from a prior spouse makes no difference to the legality of the second marriage, which is usually considered void.

Legal situation

Most western countries do not recognize polygamous marriages, and consider bigamy a crime. Several countries also prohibit people from living a polygamous lifestyle. This is the case in some states of the United States where the criminalization of a polygamous lifestyle originated as anti-Mormon laws, although they are rarely enforced.

In diplomatic law, consular spouses from polygamous countries are sometimes exempt from a general prohibition on polygamy in host countries. In some such countries, only one spouse of a polygamous diplomat may be accredited, however.

By country

Australia: Illegal under the ''Marriage Act 1961'', sect 94. Maximum penalty 5 years imprisonment.

Canada: Illegal under the Criminal Code of Canada, sect 293.

China, People's Republic of: Illegal (but tolerated for some minorities, such as Tibetans, in some rural areas in the South West) .

Colombia Illegal with exceptions (such as religion). Although bigamy no longer exists as a lone figure in the Colombian judicial code marrying someone new without dissolving an earlier marriage may yield to other felonies such as civil status forgery or suppression of information.

Egypt: Permitted for Muslims (up to four wives).

Eritrea: Legal in areas under Sharia only (up to four wives).

All the 27 countries of the European Union (see special note for the United Kingdom): Illegal.

Iceland: Illegal according to the Icelandic Act on Marriage No. 31/1993, Art. 11. Republic of Ireland: Bigamy is a statutory offence. It is committed by a person who, being married to another person, goes through a ceremony capable of producing a valid marriage with a third person. The offence is created by section 57 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861. This section replaces section 26 of the Act 10 Geo. 4 c. 34 for the Republic of Ireland.

Israel: Illegal.

Iran: Legal with written consent from the first wife (up to four wives).

India: Permitted for Muslims only, provided the husband has written permission from his previous wives. This permission is documented at the time of the Nikah and forms part of the Nikah-nama (agreement of Nikah). Currently however, the government is debating whether to remove the requirement to obtain permission from the previous wives.

Libya: Legal with written consent from the first wife (up to four wives). (See Polygamy in Libya.)

Malaysia: Permitted for Muslims; required to obtain judicial consent, show financial capability, and several strict conditions. Some variation in law between states (family law relating to non-Muslims is under federal jurisdiction).

Maldives: Permitted for anyone.

Morocco: Permitted for Muslims, restrictions apply.

Pakistan: Permitted for Muslims only, provided the husband takes written permission from his previous wives. This permission is documented at the time of the Nikah and forms part of the Nikah-nama (agreement of Nikah).

Saudi Arabia: Legal up to four wives.

South Africa: Legalised for indigenous, black traditionalists by the Customary Marriages Act 120 of 1998.

Tunisia: Illegal.

Turkey: Illegal. Up to 5 years imprisonment

United Kingdom: Illegal, though marriages performed abroad may be recognized for some legal purposes (see Polygamy in the United Kingdom).

United States: Illegal in all 50 states (but see Polygamy in the United States)

:In the United States, the Model Penal Code (section 230.1) defines bigamy as a misdemeanor and polygamy as a felony. Having more than one spouse at the same time gets classified as polygamy, and bumped to a felony, if it is done "in purported exercise of a plural marriage..." According to Joel Feinberg in ''Moral Limits of the Criminal Law'': "Righteously, flaunting one's illicit relationships, according to the ''Code'', is apparently a morally aggravating circumstance, more punishable than its clandestine and deceptive counterpart."

Uzbekistan: Illegal.

See also

List of Bigamists

Forms of nonmonogamy

Hypergamy

Polyamory

Triad (relationship)

Marriage (conflict)#Polygamy

References

Category:Mating systems

cs:Bigamie de:Bigamie eo:Bigamio hr:Bigamija hu:Bigámia mk:Бигамија nl:Bigamie ja:重婚 pl:Bigamia pt:Bigamia ro:Bigamie ru:Двоежёнство sh:Bigamija sv:Bigami zh:重婚

Coordinates	50°23′″N18°54′″N
name	Steve Coogan
birth date	October 14, 1965
birth place	Middleton, Lancashire, England
birth name	Stephen John Coogan
spouse	Caroline Hickman(m. 2002–2005; divorced)
occupation	Actor, Comedian, Writer, Producer
relatives	Brendan Coogan, Martin Coogan (brothers) }}

Stephen John "Steve" Coogan (born 14 October 1965) is a British comedian, actor, writer and producer. Born in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, (then Lancashire). He began his career as a standup comedian and impressionist, working as a voice artist throughout the 1980s on satirical puppet show ''Spitting Image.'' In the early nineties, Coogan began creating original comic characters which he presented in stage shows, this led to him winning the 1992 Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Fringe, for his show with long-time collaborator John Thomson. The most prominent characters he developed at this time were Paul Calf, a stereotypical lower class Mancunian and his sister the promiscuous Pauline (played by Coogan in drag).

Working with Chris Morris, Patrick Marber and Armando Iannucci for ''On The Hour'' and ''The Day Today'', Coogan developed his most popular and most developed character; Alan Partridge, a socially awkward and politically incorrect regional media personality, who developed to feature in his own eponymous television series, ''Knowing Me Knowing You with Alan Partridge'' and ''I'm Alan Partridge'', which were well received and were nominated for five BAFTAs in total. Outside the UK, Coogan is better known for his roles in films including ''24 Hour Party People'', ''The Wind in the Willows'', ''Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief'', ''Night at the Museum'', ''Tropic Thunder'', ''Hamlet 2'', ''Tales of the Riverbank'', ''A Cock and Bull Story'', ''Hot Fuzz'' and ''The Other Guys''.

On 22 November 2011, Coogan, along with Hugh Grant, gave evidence to the Leveson Inquiry on phone hacking, favouring regulation of the press.

Early life

Coogan is one of seven children born to Kathleen (née Coonan), a homemaker, and Anthony Coogan, an IBM engineer. He was born in his parents' house and raised in Alkrington, a suburb of Middleton, north of Manchester, in an Irish working class family. Coogan was raised as a Roman Catholic. He had a happy childhood growing up with four brothers and two sisters, and in addition his parents fostered children on a short-term basis, sometimes accommodating two or three foster children at a time. Coogan had a talent for impersonation, and wanted to go to drama school, despite being advised by a teacher that it could lead to a precarious profession.

He went to five interviews for drama school in London, and then – after gaining confidence by joining a theatre company in Manchester called New Music – gained a place at the The Manchester Metropolitan School of Theater. Coogan's brother Martin was the vocalist and wrote the music for The Mock Turtles, a successful indie rock band in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Career

Coogan started out as a comic and mimic in Ipswich, as well as doing voice-over work for adverts and impressions on ''Spitting Image''. In 1988, he did impressions of Prince Charles which featured on the Urban label release "Don't Believe the Hype" by acid house artist Mista E. The impressions were also used as jingles in 1988/89 on the BBC Radio 1 FM Friday night dance music show ''Jeff Young's Big Beat''. In 1993 Coogan starred alongside Caroline Aherne and John Thomson in a one-off Granada TV sketch show ''The Dead Good Show''.

Alan Partridge

Coogan collaborated with Chris Morris and Armando Iannucci, amongst others, on the Radio 4 comedy show ''On the Hour'', where he helped give birth to his most famous creation, Alan Partridge. Alan went on to have his own radio show, as well as appearing on TV in ''The Day Today'' and his own chat show, ''Knowing Me Knowing You with Alan Partridge''. In 1997, he returned with the sitcom ''I'm Alan Partridge'', which was followed by a second series in 2002. Partridge was part of Coogan's 2008 stand-up tour, and an Alan Partridge movie is in production.

Other TV roles

''Paul Calf'' first began as a character named 'Duncan Disorderly' in Coogan's early stand-up routines. Calf first came to wider public notice in 1993, with several appearances on ''Saturday Zoo'', a late-night variety show presented by Jonathan Ross on Channel 4. Paul has appeared in two video diaries, an episode of ''Coogan's Run'', and in various stand-up performances. He is an unemployed Manchester wastrel with a particular hatred of students. His catchphrase is "Bag o' shite". Paul lives in a council house in the fictional town of Ottle with his mother and his sister, Pauline Calf (also played by Coogan). His father died some time before the first video diary was made. For a long time he was obsessed with getting back together with his ex-girlfriend, Julie. Paul's best friend is "Fat" Bob (played by John Thomson), a car mechanic who eventually married Pauline. Paul supports Manchester City and is very partial to Wagon Wheels. He wears Burton suits, sports a bleached mullet and drives a Ford Cortina.

Other Coogan creations include Tommy Saxondale, Duncan Thicket, and Portuguese Eurovision winner Tony Ferrino. Duncan Thicket has appeared in a tour of live shows. Other TV shows he has starred in include ''Coogan's Run'', ''Dr. Terrible's House of Horrible'', ''Monkey Trousers'' and ''Saxondale''. Coogan has provided voices for the animated series ''I Am Not an Animal'' and ''Bob and Margaret'', the one-off BBC2 comedy about sheep ''Combat Sheep'', two Christmas specials starring ''Robbie the Reindeer'', and an episode of the BBC Radio Four spoof sci-fi series ''Nebulous''.

During the 1989 series of The Krypton Factor, Coogan was invited to participate in a series of mini-movies for the observation round.

He starred in BBC2's ''The Private Life of Samuel Pepys'' in 2003, and ''Cruise of the Gods'' in 2002. In 2006, he had a cameo in the ''Little Britain'' Christmas special as a pilot taking Lou and Andy to Disneyland. In 2007, Coogan played a psychiatrist on HBO's ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'', and in 2008, starred in the BBC1 drama ''Sunshine''.

In 2010, he reunited with actor Rob Brydon and director Michael Winterbottom (both of whom he had worked with on the 2006 film ''A Cock and Bull Story'' (see Film Roles below)), for the partially improvised BBC2 sitcom ''The Trip'', in which he and Brydon do a tour of northern restaurants, which he is writing up for the Observer. ''The Trip'' was nominated for a 2011 Television BAFTA for Best Situation Comedy, and Coogan won Best Male Performance in a Comedy Role.

He provided the voices of Philip Masterson-Bowie (a horse) and Mark Andrews (a sparrow) for animated comedy series ''I Am Not an Animal''. He was also the voice of Satan on ''Neighbors from Hell''.

In December 2011, Coogan voiced Roger Mellie and Tracey Tunstall of The Fat Slags in three Viz ''Comedy Blaps'' for Channel 4.

Film roles

Notable film roles include Factory Records boss Tony Wilson in the film ''24 Hour Party People'', Mole in Terry Jones' ''The Wind in the Willows'', Phileas Fogg in a remake of Jules Verne's ''Around the World in 80 Days'' with Jackie Chan, Ambassador Mercy in ''Marie Antoinette'', Bruce Tick in ''Sweet Revenge'', and Octavius in ''Night at the Museum''. He has also played himself three times on screen. First, in one of the vignettes of Jim Jarmusch's 2003 film ''Coffee and Cigarettes'', alongside Alfred Molina. Second, in 2006 Coogan starred with Rob Brydon in Michael Winterbottom's ''A Cock and Bull Story'', a self-referential film of the "unfilmable" self-referential novel ''Tristram Shandy'' by Laurence Sterne. In the film, Coogan plays a fictional, womanizing version of himself. Thirdly he played himself in the 2010 film ''The Trip''.

The first film, which he co-wrote with Henry Normal, was ''The Parole Officer''. He also acted in this alongside Ben Miller and Lena Headey. Coogan has an uncredited cameo in ''Hot Fuzz'', scripted by ''Shaun of the Dead'' writers Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright. He stars as a failed actor turned high school drama teacher in the 2008 film ''Hamlet 2'' and had a role in ''Tropic Thunder'', playing the inexperienced director. It was announced on 8 August 2007, that he is also to star in a film adaptation of the life of Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards, which is still in pre-production. In 2009, he also starred as a lying reporter in'' What Goes Up'' with Olivia Thirlby, Molly Shannon and Hilary Duff. Also recently, he appeared in ''Finding Amanda'' alongside Brittany Snow and Matthew Broderick, returned as Octavius in ''Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian'', and played Hades in ''Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief''.

Achievements

Coogan's show ''Steve Coogan in character with John Thomson'' was winner of the Perrier Award for best show at the 1992 Edinburgh Fringe. He has won numerous awards for his work in TV including British Comedy Awards, BAFTAs, and The South Bank Show award for comedy. In 2003, he was listed in ''The Observer'' as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy. In 2005, a poll to find ''The Comedians' Comedian'' saw him being voted amongst the top 20 greatest comedy acts ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders.

Stand-up comedy comeback tour

In March 2008, it was confirmed that Coogan would return to doing stand-up comedy as part of his first stand-up tour in ten years. The tour, named "Steve Coogan as Alan Partridge and other less successful characters", saw the return of some of his old characters including Paul Calf and Alan Partridge. Reviews of the opening night were mixed. and such reviews continued as the tour progressed. Much of the criticism focused on the apparent unrehearsed quality and nervous stage presence of Coogan's performance. Chortle comedy guide wrote "Steve Coogan’s stage comeback after ten years is most definitely a show of two halves: the superlative Alan Partridge plus a collection of characters that are not only less successful, but woefully less funny."

Production work

Coogan, along with writing partner Henry Normal, founded Baby Cow Productions in 1999. Together they are the executive producers for such shows as ''The Mighty Boosh'', starring Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt, ''Nighty Night'', starring Julia Davis, ''Marion and Geoff'', starring Rob Brydon, "Gavin and Stacey" starring Ruth Jones, James Corden, Joanna Page, Mathew Horne and Rob Brydon, and ''Human Remains'', starring Davis and Brydon. Baby Cow Productions' latest venture is ''Where Are the Joneses'', an online sitcom which uses wiki technology to allow the audience to upload scripts and storyline ideas.

In the media

Coogan said he "liked to keep himself private", adding; "I have never wanted to be famous, as such - fame is a by-product," He has been a popular target of the British tabloid press since 1996, whom he stated have subjected him to entrapment and blackmail, printed obvious falsehoods about him, also targeting his family and friends in attempts to extract stories from them. Coogan in some cases gave a strong denial to allegations, but in others did not contest them because he wanted to shield vulnerable friends from adverse publicity. The tabloids also published intrusive information about his relationships and the schooling of his child. Coogan has also been critical of the broadsheet press, saying they have colluded with the tabloids in the interests of selling newspapers. In 2005 he said "''The Guardian'' tends to have its cake and eat it. It waits for the tabloids to dish the dirt and then it talks about the tabloids dishing the dirt while enjoying it themselves." However Coogan later gave credit to the same newspaper for its investigation of the phone hacking scandal. Coogan said that because of the persistent intrusion into his private life, the press had effectively made him "immune" to further attack, as his "closet is empty of skeletons".

Phone hacking

Coogan became a prominent figure in the News International phone hacking scandal as one of the celebrities who took action against the British tabloids in light of these events. He was made aware by his phone service provider of "possible anomalies" on his phone around the time in 2005 and 2006 In 2010 Coogan's legal firm obtained a partially redacted version of Glenn Mulcaire's hacking notebook by a court order which showed Coogan had been targeted and his personal information was in the possession of Mulcaire. Mulcaire was forced by the High Court of Justice to disclose to Coogan's legal team who amongst the staff at the News of the World ordered him to hack phones. This information was obtained by Coogan's lawyers on the 26th August 2011. Interviewed on ''Newsnight'' on 8 July 2011, Coogan said he was "delighted" by the closure of the News of the World and said it was a "fantastic day for journalism". He said the idea of press freedom was used by the tabloids as a "smokescreen for selling papers with tittle-tattle" and said the argument against press regulation was "morally bankrupt" Coogan provided an 8-page witness statement to the Leveson Inquiry and appeared at the inquiry on November 22, 2011 to discuss the evidence. He said he was there reluctantly representing a lot of celebrities who felt they could not speak out for fear of reprisals from the tabloid press.

Personal life

One of Coogan's brothers, Brendan, is a former ''Top Gear'' presenter, and another, Martin, was the lead singer of the early 1990s band The Mock Turtles. All the brothers attended the Cardinal Langley RC High School.

Coogan married Caroline Hickman in 2002,the couple divorced in 2005. He lives in Brighton to be close to Clare, his daughter from a previous relationship. On the commentary for Series 2 of ''I'm Alan Partridge'', Coogan states that he is a socialist who enjoys paying taxes, whilst discussing the eponymous character's investigation by the Inland Revenue. Coogan reportedly has a wealth of £5 million and supports the Labour Party.

A well noted car enthusiast, he has had a succession of Ferraris, but stopped buying them after realising that the depreciation and running costs were greater than hiring a private plane. He helped Jeremy Clarkson test a Ferrari 575M against an Aston Martin Vanquish S on the fifth series of Top Gear. Coogan drives one of the final air-cooled Porsche 911 Carrera 4s.

Filmography

Feature Films

Year !! Film !! Role !! Notes
	1989	''Resurrected (film)	Resurrected''	Youth 2
	1995	''The Indian in the Cupboard (film)	The Indian in the Cupboard''	Tommy Atkins
	1996	''The Wind in the Willows (1996 film)	The Wind in the Willows''	Mole
	1998	''Sweet Revenge (1998 film)	Sweet Revenge''	Bruce Tick
	2001	''The Parole Officer''	Simon Garden	Also WriterNominated – BAFTA Award for Best Newcomer
	2002	''24 Hour Party People''	Tony Wilson
	2003	''Coffee and Cigarettes''	Steve	Segment: Cousins?
		Heston the snake	Voice Only
	Phileas Fogg
		Charley
''A Cock and Bull Story''	Tristram Shandy/ Walter Shandy/ Steve Coogan
	''The Alibi''	Ray Elliot
''Night at the Museum''	Octavius
		Graham
''Hot Fuzz''	Metropolitan Police Inspector	Uncredited
	''Finding Amanda''	Michael Henry
''Tales of the Riverbank''	Roderick	Voice Only
''Tropic Thunder''	Damien Cockburn
''Hamlet 2''	Dana Marschz
	''What Goes Up''	Campbell Babbitt	Also Producer
	Paul Michaelson	Chlotrudis Award for Best Cast
''Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian''	Octavius
	''Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief''	Hades
''The Other Guys''	David Ershon
	Raisin	Voice Only
		Steve Coogan
''Our Idiot Brother''	Dylan

Television

Year !! Film !! Role !! Notes
	1987	''Spitting Image''	Various Characters	Voice Only3 Episodes
	''The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer''	Lead Singer of Go West	1 Episode
	Stebbings	2 Episodes
''Saturday Zoo''	Paul Calf
	1994	''The Day Today''	Various Characters	7 EpisodesAlso Writer
	1995	''Coogan's Run''	Various Characters	6 EpisodesAlso Writer
	1994-1995	''Knowing Me Knowing You with Alan Partridge (TV series)	Knowing Me Knowing You with Alan Partridge''	Alan Partridge	7 EpisodesAlso Writer
	1996	''Tales from the Crypt (TV series)	Tales from the Crypt''	Danny Skeggs	1 Episode
		Alan Partridge	1 Episode
	Mike Gabbett
	1997-2002	''I'm Alan Partridge''	Alan Partridge	12 EpisodesAlso Writer
	1998	''Bob and Margaret''	Various Characters	1 Episode
	''Hooves of Fire''	Blitzen	Voice Only
''Mrs Merton and Malcolm''	Various Characters	4 Episodes
	''Combat Sheep''	Cmdr. Harris	Voice OnlyAlso Executive Producer
''A Small Summer Party''	Geoff	Also Executive Producer
''Dr. Terrible's House of Horrible''	Various Characters	6 EpisodesAlso Writer/Executive Producer
	2002	''Cruise of the Gods''	Nick Lee	Also Executive Producer
	2003	''The Private Life of Samuel Pepys''	Samuel Pepys	Also Executive Producer
	2004	''I Am Not An Animal''	Various Characters	Voice Only6 EpisodesAlso Executive Producer
	2005	''Monkey Trousers''	Various Characters	5 EpisodesAlso Executive Producer
	2006	''Little Britain''	Pilot	1 Episode
	2006-2007	''Saxondale''	Tommy Saxondale	13 EpisodesAlso Writer/Executive Producer
	2007	''Curb Your Enthusiasm''	Dr. Bright	1 Episode
	2008	''Sunshine (UK TV series)	Sunshine''	Bing Cosby	3 Episodes
		Steve	6 Episodes
''Neighbors from Hell''	Satan	6 Episodes
	2010-2011	''Mid Morning Matters with Alan Partridge''	Alan Partridge	12 EpisodesAlso Writer

Awards and nominations

Edinburgh Comedy Awards ''Knowing Me Knowing You with Alan Partridge (TV series) ''Pauline Calf's Wedding Video'' ''Knowing Me Knowing You with Alan Partridge'' ''I'm Alan Partridge'' ''I'm Alan Partridge'' ''I'm Alan Partridge'' ''The Parole Officer'' ''Cruise of the Gods'' ''I'm Alan Partridge'' ''I'm Alan Partridge'' ''24 Hour Party People'' ''24 Hour Party People'' ''Happy Endings (film) ''In the Loop (film) ''The Trip (2010 TV series)

Year !! Nominated For !! Award !! Category !! Result
1992	''In Character With John Thompson''	Perrier Comedy Award ||	Best Comedy Show
1994	Knowing Me Knowing You with Alan Partridge'' ||	British Comedy Awards	Best Male TV Performer
1995	|	BAFTAs	Best Comedy Performance
1995	|	BAFTAs	Best Light Entertainment Performance
1998	|	British Comedy Awards	Best TV Comedy Actor
1998	|	BAFTAs	Best Comedy Performance
1998	|	BAFTAs	Best Comedy (Programme or Series)
2002	|	BAFTAs	BAFTA Award for Best Newcomer
2003	|	British Comedy Awards	Best TV Comedy Actor
2003	|	BAFTAs	Best Comedy Performance
2003	|	Royal Television Society	Best Comedy Performance
2003	|	Empire Awards	Best British Actor
2003	|	Online Film Critics Society	Best Breakthrough Performance
2005	Happy Endings'' ||	Satellite Award	Best Supporting Actor
2010	In the Loop'' ||	Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film>Chlotrudis Award	Chlotrudis Award for Best Cast>Best Cast
2011	The Trip ||	BAFTAs	Best Male Comedy Performance

Awards and Nominations sourced from IMDb http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0176869/awards 2/12/2010

Stand-up VHS and DVDs

''Live 'N' Lewd'' (7 November 1994)

''Live – The Man Who Thinks He's It'' (9 November 1998)

''As Alan Partridge And Other Less Successful Characters – Live'' (30 November 2009)

References

External links

Coming to a cinema near you... Alan Partridge as Our Man in Tashkent

Steve Coogan: From a Partridge to 'Cock and Bull Fresh Air interview by Terry Gross

Steve Coogan on BBC Radio Desert Island Discs

Evidence to the Leveson Inquiry

Profile on Chortle

Category:1965 births Category:Alumni of Manchester Metropolitan University Category:British male comedians Category:English actors Category:English comedians Category:English film actors Category:English impressionists (entertainers) Category:English people of Irish descent Category:English socialists Category:English television actors Category:English voice actors Category:Living people Category:People from Middleton, Greater Manchester

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