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, and for his role as Shtarker in the 2008 action-comedy film Get Smart.
Early life and education
Kenneth Davitian was born in Los Angeles on June 19, 1953, to an Armenian American family from Montebello, California. His maternal grandparents were survivors of the Armenian genocide. 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. He graduated from Garfield High School in East Los Angeles and Whittier College.
His teenage idol was Burt Reynolds, who greatly influenced his choice of becoming an actor. Davitian would go on to perform in the film Pocket Listing, which also featured Reynolds.
Davitian is fluent in Armenian; he speaks in Armenian as Azamat in Borat.