He’s an edgy funnyman who rose to fame behind a series of controversial characters of his own creation.

Born in Sydney‘s northern suburbs, the multi-talented writer and actor won hearts with a string of top-rating TV ‘mockumentaries’ in the early Noughties.

As his shows won fresh audiences in the streaming era, he found himself at the centre of a debate during the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.

His career took a tumble after four of his television shows were removed from Netflix a year later due to concerns over characters in which he appeared in ‘blackface’.

And earlier this year, when he teased that he was bringing back one of his most beloved creations, an extroverted musical-loving school teacher, the share went viral.

Can you guess who it is?

He’s an edgy funnyman who rose to fame behind a series of controversial characters of his own creation

Born in Sydney ‘s northern suburbs, the multi-talented writer and actor won hearts with a string of top-rating TV ‘mockumentaries’ in the early Noughties. Can you guess who it is?

It’s none other than the award-winning Chris Lilley, who turned 51 on Monday.

Known for his enormously popular series such as Summer Heights High and Angry Boys, Lilley has been spending several years away from the TV spotlight.

To celebrate his birthday, the baby-faced comedian took to his Instagram to share a gallery of 20 childhood throwback pictures.

‘It’s the BIRTHDAY again!’ Lilley said in the caption.

The three-time Logie winner continued: ‘Revisiting the birthday book my Mum made me last year and found a few more highlights.’

Lilley shared his memories and helpfully included a ‘guide’ for fans, adding behind-the-scenes details about each picture.

In one gorgeous snap, a toddler-age Chris, wearing ‘cat’s pyjamas’ can be seen getting ready to tuck into a delicious-looking dessert.

Another photo shows Lilley’s bedroom in his pre-teen years, snuggling under an ‘Aussie flag’ doona.

A large poster of the famed Muppet Kermit the Frog hangs over his bed.

It’s none other than the award-winning Chris Lilley, who turned 51 on Monday

Lilley also shared a photo of himself as a baby being spoon-fed by his mother.

Another photo shows a very young Lilley showing off the now familiar grin and posing alongside a large collection kids’ toys.

‘I was more music, puppets, animals, painting and not remotely a car/lego guy,’ he revealed in the caption.

The We Can Be Heroes star also showed off his cheeky side by sharing a photo of himself as a tot taking a ‘toilet break’ in the wild.

He also shared a photo of himself giving ‘the finger’: ‘Rebel era begins. Cute stage over,’ he shared in the caption.

In 2021 Netflix removed Jonah from Tonga, Angry Boys, Summer Heights High and We Can Be Heroes from its Australian and New Zealand platforms.

The shows raised questions about racial discrimination, as several characters were depicted using blackface and brownface.

On Angry Boys, he portrayed African-American rapper S.mouse and performed a song called Squashed N****.

In Jonah from Tonga, he painted his face brown and wore a curly wig to portray troubled teen Jonah Takalua.

In We Can Be Heroes, Lilley played Ricky Wong, a Chinese physics student.

Lilley defended his style of comedy, telling The Weekend Australian in 2019: ‘I’m not trying to do the thing that is trendy at the moment.’

Defending his controversial portrayals, he added: ‘When you meet them, you think “I know that type of person”, but then there is a twist, something crazy.

Lilley as another one of his creations schoolgirl Ja-mie King