Age: 61
Birthplace: Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
Michael John "Mike" Myers (born May 25, 1963) is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, director, and film producer, who also holds British and American citizenship. He is known for his run as a featured performer on Saturday Night Live from 1989 to 1995, and for playing the title roles in the Wayne's World, Austin Powers, and Shrek films. He also directed the documentary film Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon, and had a small role in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds in 2009.
Myers was born on May 25, 1963 in Scarborough, Ontario, the son of English-born parents Eric Myers (1922-1991), an insurance agent, and his wife, Alice E. Hind (born 1926), an office supervisor and a veteran of the Royal Air Force.
Both his parents were from Liverpool and he has two older brothers, Paul, an indie rock singer-songwriter, broadcaster and author, and Peter, a Sears Canada employee.
The family is of English, Scottish and Irish ancestry. Myers was raised Protestant.
Myers reportedly holds Canadian, U.S. and British citizenship.
He attended Sir John A. MacDonald Collegiate Institute in Scarborough and then graduated from Stephen Leacock Collegiate Institute, also in Scarborough.
In 1986, Myers joined the Second City Theatre.
Myers began performing in commercials at the age of two. At the age of ten, he made a commercial for British Columbia Hydro, with Gilda Radner playing his mother. A few months later, according to Myers, his brother was teasing him about his "girlfriend being on some stupid show on Saturday". Myers swore that one day he would also be on the same show, the then-fledgling Saturday Night Live. At the age of 12, he made a guest appearance as Ari on the TV series King of Kensington.
Myers graduated from high school in 1982 and was immediately accepted into the Second City Canadian touring company, after which he moved to the United Kingdom, where 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.
He returned to Toronto and Second City in 1986 as a cast member in the Second City's Toronto main stage show. In 1988, he moved from Second City in Toronto to Chicago. In Chicago, he trained, performed, and taught at the Improv Olympic. He made numerous appearances, including as Wayne Campbell, on Toronto's Citytv in the early 1980s, on the alternative video show City Limits hosted by Christopher Ward.
Myers also appeared as Wayne Campbell in the music video for Ward's Canadian hit "Boys and Girls".
The Wayne Campbell character was featured extensively in the 1986 summer series It's Only Rock & Roll, produced by Toronto's Insight Production Company for CBC Television. Wayne appeared both in studio and in a series of location sketches directed and edited by Allan Novak. Myers wrote another sketch, Kurt and Dieter co-starring with Second City's Dana Andersen and also directed by Novak, which would later turn into the popular "Sprockets" sketch on Saturday Night Live.
On July 3, 2011, Myers returned to The Comedy Store in London to reprise his role "for one night only" with the improvisational troupe (The Comedy Store Players). The UK comedy website Chortle was full of glowing praise for Myers.
In 1992, Myers and Dana Carvey adapted Wayne's World into a full-length motion picture based on the SNL sketch. It was among the most successful movies of the year and the following year a sequel was released—Wayne's World 2. That year Myers also starred in So I Married an Axe Murderer, which garnered a cult following.
After Wayne's World 2, Myers took a hiatus from television. Myers returned to acting in 1997 with the film Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, then a sequel in 1999, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, finally topping it off with Austin Powers in Goldmember in 2002.
Myers played both the title role (Austin Powers) and the villain (Dr. Evil), as well as other characters, in all three Austin Powers films. In 1998, he played one of his rare non-comedic roles in the film 54: Steve Rubell, proprietor of New York City's famous Studio 54, a 1970s discotheque. The film was moderately successful, and Myers's performance was widely praised. Myers later parodied the club as "Studio 69" in Goldmember.
In June 2000, Myers was sued by Universal Pictures for US$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 US$20 million contract because he did not 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 was The Cat in the Hat, which was released in November 2003 and starred Myers as the title character.
In 2001, Myers provided the voice of Shrek in the DreamWorks animated film of the same name, having taken over the role after original planned voice actor Chris Farley died in December 1997. He reprised this role in Shrek 4-D (a theme park ride) in 2003, Shrek 2 (2004), Shrek the Third, and the Christmas special Shrek The Halls, both in 2007.
In 2008, Myers co-wrote, co-produced and starred in The Love Guru.
In 2009 he played the part of British general Ed Fenech, in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds. In 2010 Myers returned for the latest film in the Shrek series, Shrek Forever After.
Myers made a cameo appearance in Britney Spears' music video Boys as his film character Austin Powers.
Myers is a member of the band Ming Tea along with The Bangles' guitarist and vocalist Susanna Hoffs and musician Matthew Sweet. They performed the songs "BBC" and "Daddy Wasn't There" from the Austin Powers movies.
In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, he was voted among the top 50 comedy acts ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders. During a CBS interview in 2007, he noted that he normally takes three years between films. He spends one year "living his life" and then writes various screenplays, develops characters, practices them in front of live audiences, and then selects one of the screenplays to film. Myers noted this was the Marx Brothers' procedure for developing their film material.
Myers received the MTV Generation Award in June 2007, making him the second Canadian to win the award (following Jim Carrey in 2006), for bringing his unique style of comedy to small and big screens alike. His directorial debut, Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon, was selected to be screened in the Gala Presentation section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.
Myers began dating actress and comedy writer Robin Ruzan in the late 1980s after meeting at a hockey game in Chicago, during which Myers caught a puck and used the incident as an icebreaker to strike up a conversation with Ruzan. The couple married on 22 May 1993, and Myers later referred to Ruzan as "his muse". The couple filed for divorce in December 2005.
In 2006, café owner Kelly Tisdale confirmed reports that she and Myers were dating. Myers and Tisdale wed in New York in a secret ceremony in the fall of 2010. They have three children: son Spike Alan (b. 2011) and daughters, Sunday Molly (b. 2014) and Paulina Kathleen (b. 2015).
Myers is a Dungeons & Dragons player and was one of several celebrities to have participated in the Worldwide Dungeons & Dragons Game Day in 2006.
He supports the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League. He named two characters in the first Austin Powers movie Commander Gilmour and General Borschevsky, after then-Maple Leafs players Doug Gilmour and Nikolai Borschevsky.
Myers has played for Hollywood United F.C., a celebrity soccer team. He played in the 2010 Soccer Aid for UNICEF UK football match, England vs. R.O.W (Rest of the World) and scored his penalty during a sudden death shootout after the game ended 2-2 (June 6, 2010). The Rest of the World team beat England for the first time since the tournament started. Myers is a fan of Liverpool F.C..
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1992 | Wayne’s World | Wayne Campbell | Also writer MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance Soundtrack - Waynes World Theme |
1993 | So I Married an Axe Murderer | Charlie McKenzie / Stuart McKenzie | |
1993 | Wayne's World 2 | Wayne Campbell | Also writer Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo |
1997 | Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery | Austin Powers / Dr. Evil | Also writer and producer MTV Movie Award for Best Dance Sequence MTV Movie Award for Best Villain Nominated — Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor - Comedy Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance |
1998 | 54 | Steve Rubell | |
1998 | Thin Pink Line, TheThe Thin Pink Line | Tim Broderick | |
1998 | Pete's Meteor | Pete | |
1999 | Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me | Austin Powers / Dr. Evil / Fat Bastard |
Also writer and producer American Comedy Award for Funniest Actor in a Motion Picture (Leading Role) Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Villain Canadian Comedy Award for Film - Performance - Male Canadian Comedy Award for Film - Writing - Original MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo MTV Movie Award for Best Villain Teen Choice Award for Film - Choice Sleazebag Nominated — Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor - Comedy Nominated — Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie Actor Nominated — Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie Couple Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best Fight Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best Musical Performance Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Film - Choice Chemistry Soundtrack - Just the Two of Us |
1999 | Mystery, Alaska | Donnie Shulzhoffer | |
2001 | Shrek | Shrek | Voice Nominated — Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Team |
2002 | Austin Powers in Goldmember | Austin Powers / Dr. Evil / Fat Bastard / Goldmember |
Also writer and producer Canadian Comedy Award for Film - Pretty Funny Male Performance Canadian Comedy Award for Film - Pretty Funny Writing MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance Nominated — Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie Actor Nominated — Empire Award for Best Actor Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best Villain Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor - Comedy Soundtrack - Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) |
2003 | Nobody Knows Anything! | 'Eye' Witness | |
2003 | Cat in the Hat, TheThe Cat in the Hat | The Cat in the Hat | Nominated — Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie Actor Nominated — Razzie Award for Worst Actor Nominated — Razzie Award for Worst Screen Couple |
2003 | Shrek 4-D | Shrek | Voice Amusement Park Attraction |
2003 | View from the Top | John Witney | |
2004 | Shrek 2 | Shrek | Voice Nominated — Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie |
2006 | Home | Himself | Documentary |
2007 | Shrek the Third | Shrek | Voice Favorite Voice For an Animated Movie |
2008 | Love Guru, TheThe Love Guru | Guru Maurice Pitka/Himself | Also writer and producer Razzie Award for Worst Actor Razzie Award for Worst Screenplay Razzie Award for Worst Picture Nominated — National Movie Award for Best Performance - Male |
2009 | Inglourious Basterds | Gen. Ed Fenech | Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast Central Ohio Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Performance by an Ensemble Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture |
2010 | Shrek Forever After | Shrek | Voice Nominated — Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Voice in an Animated Film |
2012 | Oscar Etiquette | Sir Cecil Worthington | Short film |
2013 | Being Canadian, Sometimes | Himself | Documentary |
2013 | Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon | Himself | Documentary; also director |
2015 | I Am Chris Farley | Himself | Documentary |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1975 | King of Kensington | Ari | Episode: "Scout's Honour" |
1977 | Range Ryder and the Calgary Kid | Himself | |
1979 | The Littlest Hobo | Tommy | Episode: "Boy on Wheels" |
1980 | Bizarre | Various | |
1985 | John and Yoko: A Love Story | Delivery Boy | Uncredited Television film |
1987 | Meet Julie | (voice) | Television film |
1987 | It's Only Rock & Roll | Various | 13 episodes |
1989 | Elvis Stories | Cockney Man | Television short |
1989-1995 | Saturday Night Live | Various | 121 episodes; also writer |
1997 | Saturday Night Live | Himself (host) | Episode: "Mike Myers/Aerosmith" |
2008 | 2008 MTV Movie Awards | Himself (host) | Television special |
2011 | Saturday Night Live | Wayne Campbell | Episode: "Dana Carvey/Linkin Park" |
2014 | Monty Python Live (Mostly) | Himself | Television special |
2014 | Saturday Night Live | Dr. Evil | Episode: "Amy Adams/One Direction" |
2015 | Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special | Wayne Campbell | Television special |
Charities
Mike Myers supports the following charitable cause: Alzheimer's.