Mike Myers

File:Austin3b.jpg

Mike Myers as Austin Powers.

Michael "Mike" Myers (born May 25, 1963 in Scarborough, Ontario) is a comedian, screenwriter, film producer and the actor with the lead role in the Austin Powers film series.

Mike Myers

Early life

Both of Myers' parents are from Liverpool, England and Myers has British as well as Canadian citizenship. His ethnic heritage is English, Scottish and Irish. Myers has stated that he considers himself to be British although he is also very vocal about being a proud Canadian. He is a naturalized American citizen as well.

Career

One of Myers' first acting jobs was with "Saturday Night Live" star Gilda Radner in a TV commercial when he was nine years old. Myers graduated from high school in 1982 and was immediately accepted into Toronto's "Second City" improvisational comedy troupe. He made numerous appearances as Wayne Campbell on Toronto's Citytv in the early 1980s on the alternative video show "City Limits" hosted by Christopher Ward. In 1985 he was one of the founding members of "The Comedy Store Players," an improvisational group based at The Comedy Store in London. The next year, he starred in the British children's TV program "Wide Awake Club," parodying the show's normal exuberance with his own "Sound Asleep Club" in partnership with Neil Mullarkey.

Myers became well-known as a member of the cast of NBC's "Saturday Night Live" television program from 1989 to 1995, where he performed characters like "Dieter" ("touch my monkey"), "Linda Richman" and "Wayne Campbell" of "Wayne's World" alongside Dana Carvey. In 1992, Myers and Carvey took "Wayne's World" to the silver screen in a full-length motion picture based on the SNL skit. It ended up being one of the most successful movies of the year.

In 1997, Myers introduced the world to Austin Powers with the film, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. Myers played the title role and several other characters in the film. In 1999, he played his first non-comedic role in the film 54 where he played the proprietor of Studio 54, a famous New York discotheque of the 1970s. The film was moderately successful and Myers' performance was widely praised. Myers later parodied the club as "Studio 69" in 2002's Austin Powers in Goldmember.

In June 2000, Myers was sued by Universal Pictures for $3.8 million for backing out of a contract to play Dieter, the SNL character, in a feature film. Myers said he refused to honor the $20 million contract because he didn't want to cheat moviegoers with an unacceptable script - one that he himself had written. Myers countersued, and a settlement was reached after several months where Myers agreed to make another film with Universal. That film would be The Cat in the Hat, released in November 2003 and starring Myers as the title character. It was a role he was ecstatic to play.

Myers is a member of the band Ming Tea with former Bangles guitarist and vocalist Susanna Hoffs, which performed the songs "BBC" and "Daddy Wasn't There" for the Austin Powers movies.

In a 2005 poll to find "The Comedian's Comedian," Myers was voted amongst the top 50 comedy acts ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders. As of September 29, 2005, Myers has been signed on to play the lead role in the upcoming biopic of The Who drummer Keith Moon. The film will be produced by Roger Daltrey, Nigel Sinclair and Paul Gerber.

Personal life

His brother Paul is a musician and writer.

On September 2, 2005, Myers was paired with rapper Kanye West for a 90-second segment as part of a benefit concert for Hurricane Katrina relief, A Concert for Hurricane Relief on NBC. The event stirred criticism when West deviated from the script to criticize the media portrayal of black people in New Orleans and also commented: "George Bush doesn't care about black people" before the camera cut away to comedian Chris Tucker. On October 1, Myers appeared in the season premiere of "Saturday Night Live." He was featured in a short clip with West - the musical guest for the episode - and jokingly stated that the US had revoked his citizenship and that FBI agents are monitoring him.

On December 23, 2005, Myers and his wife of twelve years, Robin Ruzan, filed for divorce.

Trivia

• Mike is well known as a fan of the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs. This can be seen in the film Austin Powers in Goldmember. When the news report is being given that Austin was to be knighted at Buckingham Palace, messages praising Toronto scroll beneath. The two messages are: "Toronto voted 'Best City in the world'" and "Maple Leafs win Stanley Cup".
• Has a street named after him in his native Scarborough: Mike Myers Way.
• Appeared on the UK TV show "Wide Awake Club"

Selected filmography

• "Saturday Night Live," 1989-1995
• Wayne's World, 1992
• So I Married an Axe Murderer, 1993
• Wayne's World 2, 1993
• Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, 1997
• Pete's Meteor, 1998
• 54, 1998
• Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, 1999
• Shrek, 2001 (voice)
• Austin Powers in Goldmember, 2002
• View from the Top, 2003
• The Cat in the Hat, 2003
• Shrek 2, 2004 (voice)
• Shrek 3, to be released in 2007 (voice)

Notable characters

The following characters were created by Myers:

• Dieter (Saturday Night Live)
• Linda Richman (SNL)
• Wayne Campbell (SNL, the "Wayne's World films)
• Stuart McKenzie (SNL, So I Married an Axe Murderer)
• Charlie McKenzie (So I Married an Axe Murderer)
• Austin Powers (The Austin Powers films)
• Dr. Evil (All three Austin Powers films)
• Fat Bastard (The Spy Who Shagged Me and Austin Powers in Goldmember)
• Goldmember (Austin Powers in Goldmember)

The following are notable characters whom Myers has portrayed in film, but who were originally created by other writers:

• Shrek (Shrek, Shrek 2, and the forthcoming Shrek 3)
• The Cat in the Hat (The Cat in the Hat)