Mike Myers Might Finally Be Making A Return To The Big Screen Afterall
The Canadian actor, screenwriter, and producer has a laundry list of credits to his name. He is probably best known for his run on Saturday Night Live, as well as his portrayal of some classic characters like Wayne Campbell to Austin Powers. Needless to say, Mike Myers has had a fascinating career. But after doing four Shrek films, he just fell off the face of the Earth.
Whatever happened to him? Let's hope a fourth Austin Powers film is in the works.
Myers Was Born To British Parents In Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
Born on May 25, 1963, Mike's father, Eric, worked as an encyclopedia salesman. His mother, Alice, was an office supervisor and a veteran of the Royal Air Force. Both of his parents are from Liverpool, United Kingdom.
Myers also has two older brothers, with his sibling Paul being an indie rock musician up until 2006. His other brother, Peter worked for Sears Canada. The family is of English, Scottish, and Irish ancestry.
Myers' Father Was An Important Influence
Eric would often show the young Mike and his brothers his love of British comedy. Sometimes, he would wake up the boys late at night to watch episodes of Monty Python or Benny Hill. His father's influence proved to be a beneficial one.
Myers began performing in commercials at two years old. Eight years later, he was in commercials for British Columbia Hydro with Gilda Radner playing his mother. As a 12-year-old, he appeared on King of Kensington.
Myers Was Accepted Into The Second City
Myers graduated from Stephen Leacock Collegiate Institute in 1982. After high school, the Toronto native was accepted into The Second City Canadian touring company. Myers would soon find himself on his own for a short period of time. He would take his comedy talents to London where he was one of the founding members of The Comedy Store Players.
However, he returned to Toronto when his father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
His Return To Toronto Helped Him Even More
When Myers returned home, he came back to The Second City in 1986, where he was a cast member in the program's main stage in Toronto, Second City Theatre. Two years later, the Canadian moved from to Chicago where he trained and performed with the Improv Olympic.
Around this time, Myers began dating actress Robin Ruzan after meeting at a hockey game. Myers caught a puck and used the incident as an icebreaker to strike up a conversation.
Wayne Campbell Makes His First Appearance In 1986
Myers appeared as the character on Toronto's CityTV in the eighties. After that, Wayne Campbell was featured extensively in the 1986 CBC series It's Only Rock & Roll. Wayne would appear in studio and in a series of location sketches. Myers wrote the sketch "Kurt and Dieter" co-starring Second City's Dana Anderson.
Little did the actor know that eventually, that skit would become a widely popular sketch on Saturday Night Live, "Sprockets."
In 1989, Myers Auditioned For Saturday Night Live
The Canadian's audition would quickly win over the show's creator, fellow Canadian Lorne Michaels. After that, he would join the cast as a featured player, working alongside Phil Hartman, Kevin Nealon, and Dana Carvey.
Myers became a full cast member the following season, creating several memorable characters on the show. Fans enjoyed Dieter on "Sprockets," but he was also known for Linda Richman, a character modeled after Myers' own future mother-in-law.
Wayne's World Was Myers' First Movie Role
For the actor, the process went differently for his first feature-length movie. There was a long line of television roles and years spent writing for SNL before this success came into his lap. However, being the creator and star of the first movie was an excellent way to start his movie career.
Wayne's World also saw the first film appearance of another SNL actor, Chris Farley, who played a security guard.
Myers Took A Two Year Hiatus From Performing After Leaving Saturday Night Live
Myers would star in the sequel to Wayne's World and So I Married An Axe Murderer in 1993. After leaving SNL following the 1994-1995 season, he worked on a new idea for a few years. Burt Bacharach's "The Look of Love" was playing on the radio, leading Myers to think about where the "swingers" went off to.
Eventually, the first draft of Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery was written in three weeks.
Jim Carrey Almost Played Dr. Evil
Myers had no intention of playing multiple characters in Austin Powers. Interestingly enough, he approached a fellow Canadian to play Dr. Evil, Austin's arch nemesis. Myers asked Jim Carrey if he would be interested in playing the role. However, Carrey declined as he already made a commitment to filming Liar Liar.
The character was an interesting one at that, but it would be the former SNL star who would end up taking on the additional role.
Dr. Evil Is Inspired By Lorne Michaels
Dr. Evil resembles James Bond villains Blofeld and Julius No. Myers would in fact base the character's vocal mannerisms and turns of phrases on his old boss. His Wayne's World co-star noted that the character is similar to the impression he did of Lorne Micheals during their days at Studio 8H.
Michaels is said to have uttered the line "Throw me a frickin' bone here, people!" many times in script meetings.
Austin Powers Appeared On The Big Screen Two More Times Before A New Character Was Born
Myers original Austin Powers movie spawned The Spy Who Shagged Me and Goldmember. In 2001, the Wayne's World star launched another successful film franchise. He provided the voice of Shrek in the animated film of the same name, taking over the role after Chris Farley died in 1997.
He told Entertainment Weekly about his first reaction to the movie: "I thought it was the worst title ever in the world. It sounded like the sound I make after drinking 12 Molson Canadian beers."
Myers Made A Cameo Appearance In A Britney Spears Music Video
The music video of "Boys" was directed by Dave Meyers, who actually has no relation to the Canadian actor. Nevertheless, the scene transitions into a castle courtyard. Spears and a man sit at opposite ends of a long table, then she sees a man swimming.
As they begin to interact, Pharrell is at the bar with a woman. Following that, Spears dances with a group of people, including Myers in his iconic role of Austin Powers.
In June 2000, Myers Was Sued By Universal Pictures
The Canadian got sued for $3.8 million for backing out of a contract to play Dieter in a feature film. Myers insisted that he refused to honor the $20 million contract due to not wanting to cheat out moviegoers with a terrible script.
The actor countersued, and a settlement was reached. After several months, Myers agreed to do another film with the film studio. This time, it was The Cat In The Hat.
The Movie Was A Bungled Childhood Classic
Critics panned the movie for its family-unfriendly humor and its innuendos. But, the visual aspects were mostly praised. As a result of the movie being a flop, Dr. Seuss's widow, Audrey Stone Geise,l was not pleased with how the film unfolded. Geisel went as far as to forbid live-action adaptions of her husband's stories.
However, Geisel has approved animated projects of her late husband's work, including The Lorax and The Grinch.
Myers' Cat In The Hat Co-Star Painted An Unflattering Description
Myers co-star, Amy Hill, did not have the best experience while filming. She told The AV Club just how bad it was. "It was just a horrible, nightmarish experience. I don't think he got to know anybody. He’d be with his people and walk away. People would come, and then he’d stand there. There was a guy who held his chocolates in a little Tupperware."
All in all, that's a rough way of burning professional bridges.
The Love Guru Almost Ended His Career For Good
Despite having Justin Timberlake, Jessica Alba, and John Oliver in the movie, it struggled against Get Smart and The Incredible Hulk. The film was a financial flop as it was derided by critics. It was a bad year overall for Paramount, which may have been why execs John Lesher and Brad Weston lost their jobs.
The film was such a disappointment that it actually won three Razzie Awards for Worst Picture, Worst Actor, and Worst Screenplay.
Acting Was Myers Passion, Not Making Money
For the Toronto native, it's more about the passion than just a willingness to show up and act. It's a reason why he turned down many projects following the commercial disappointment of The Love Guru.
Myers played unnoticeable roles in films like Studio 54 and Inglorious Basterds. The Wayne's World star always wanted to work with Pulp Fiction director Quintin Tarantino. Myers would get the chance to do just that when he played a British general.
Myers Would Eventually Find His Side Project
In 2013, Myers made his directorial debut with Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon. It's about the legendary music manager whose clients included Blondie and Alice Cooper. Cooper was a connection between Gordon and Myers when the musician made a cameo in Wayne's World.
The documentary was selected to be screened in the Gala Presentation section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. Notable cameos include Willie Nelson, Anne Murray, and Sylvester Stallone.
Myers Signed A Deal With HBO For A Show
When the Saturday Night Live alumnus and HBO met in 2015, they came up with an agreement. Details weren't specified, but Myers was going to write a drama. However, Decider reported that Myers opted out of the contract due to his production deal never working out.
It's rather unfortunate that this deal never worked out. However, it's intriguing that the former Second City member is attempting a comeback to the small screen.
Myers Unexpected Return Happened In 2017
ABC and Sony Pictures announced a 10 episode revival of The Gong Show. The premiere occurred on June 22, 2017. It was hosted by previously-unknown "British comedian" Tommy Maitland. Interestingly enough, the character was portrayed by the Canadian himself.
Neither ABC nor Myers would confirm this and the studio credited Maitland as host and executive producer. His catchphrase is "Who's a cheeky monkey?" and he periodically uses it to lead into a commercial break.
Myers Explained The Gong Show Stunt
Myers' return to the small screen was a bizarre one. It's the weirdest way that someone has emceed an entire season of the revived Gong Show.
Myers explained to Vanity Fair: "I'm an old punk rocker, and there were a few things I would watch: Saturday Night Live, Toronto Maple Leafs hockey, and The Gong Show. I just thought, if I'm doing this almost deconstruction of a talent show, I should be the ringmaster who is also deconstructed."
He Wrote A Book Exploring Canada
Canada: Mike Myers is nothing more than the comedian sharing a lot of opinions about his home and native land. He pointed out to Zulekha Nathoo of CBC News the comedy in witnessing Canadian kindness elsewhere in the world.
"Believe me, all you have to do is go to a country where people aren't polite and you kind of love the Canadian standoff of two Canadians in a doorway," he said.
He's Now A Father Of Three
As mentioned before, he met his first wife, comedy writer Robin Ruzan, in the late eighties. The couple was married in 1993, then divorced in 2005. A year later, reports confirmed the actor was dating café owner Kelly Tisdale.
The couple would eventually tie the knot in New York in a secret ceremony in the fall of 2010. Together, they have three children, Spike Alan, Sunday Molly, and Paulina Kathleen.
His Latest Movie Role Was A Freddie Mercury Bio Pic
The telling story of Freddie Mercury and Queen finally hit theaters in 2018. One of the most interesting pieces behind the cast was Mike Myers playing EMI executive Ray Foster.
His character attempts to convince the band not to release "Bohemian Rhapsody" as the first single from the album A Night At The Opera. Foster insists on using "You're My Best Friend" as the group's single. Ultimately, the band went on with their preferred single, much to Foster's dismay.
The Cast Of Bohemian Rhapsody Loved Working With Myers
Myers and Dana Carvey helped make Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" more popular thanks to the now-legendary scene from Wayne's World where they head-bang to the tune while driving. Joseph Mazello, who played bassist John Deacon, explained to CinemaBlend how cool it was to work with the Canadian legend.
"He came in in character right at the beginning of the day and until the end of the shoot. He cared so much about getting the performance right, and that gave us the motivation to match that."
If You Haven't Noticed Already, He's A Die Hard Toronto Maple Leafs Fan
Growing up in Toronto, Myers has always cheered on one of the NHL's original six teams. He's so passionate about the team that they were the team he used for The Love Guru. But, that's not all. The now father of three revealed on The Late Show just how much his son is like him.
Not only does the toddler have a thing for the Leafs, but he also shares his father's sense of humor.
Will There Be A Fourth Austin Powers Movie?
The International Man of Mystery hasn't seen his last day on the big screen. In October 2005, Myers discussed with Entertainment Weekly about moving toward a fourth film: There is hope!" We're all circling and talking to each other. I miss doing the characters."
At the Shrek the Third premiere, the comedian said a fourth Austin Powers film was planned, but that it would focus more on Dr. Evil than Austin Powers.
In 2010, There Was Indication A Fourth Movie Was In The Works
Film director Jay Roach told MTV that the former Second City star was working on ideas. In August 2011, Mike Myers revealed he would return, and had begun writing a script for a fourth installment. Even Verne Troyer expressed interest in returning as Mini-Me.
Unfortunately, if a fourth movie does get picked up, it'll have to be without Mini-Me. Troyer would pass away on April 21, 2018. But, that doesn't mean there's no hope for another movie.
In 2018, Myers Provided A New Update On The Long-In-The-Works Film
Myers told Vulture: "Well, you're going to see Dr. Evil soon somewhere in the culture. The movie … they take a long time to write. They always have." Roach is currently working on a film about Roger Niles and the Canadian reprised Dr. Evil when he paid a visit to Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show.
Myers told ET soon after that he'd like to focus on the villain for the next film.
Fans Should Have Hope For A Fourth Movie
It's been over 10 years since the last Austin Powers movie was released. So, when it comes to a fourth movie, what are the chances of that happening? Myers told ENews! "It's looking good, it's just tough, you know, it takes a long time to write the script, you want it to be fantastic."
After having so many hints, clues and a character revival, it's safe to say that Myers wants a fourth movie done. When? Only time will tell.
