Austin Powers (character)
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| Austin Powers | |
|---|---|
| Austin Powers series character | |
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| First appearance | Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery |
| Created by | Mike Myers |
| Portrayed by | Mike Myers Aaron Himelstein (teenager) Tom Cruise (in film-within-film) |
| Information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Spy for the Ministry of Defence |
| Family | Nigel Powers (father) Dr. Evil (brother) |
| Spouse(s) | Vanessa Kensington (deceased) |
| Significant other(s) | Felicity Shagwell Foxxy Cleopatra |
| Relatives | Mini-Me (brother's clone) Scott Evil (nephew) Frau Farbissina (nephew's possible mother) |
| Nationality | British |
Sir Augustine Danger "Austin" Powers, KBE, is a fictional character from the Austin Powers series of films, and is created and portrayed by Mike Myers. He is the protagonist of Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) and Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002).[1]
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Personality [edit]
Austin Powers was a character seen as a parody of James Bond and being influenced by characters played by film actor Peter Sellers,[2][3] The character of Austin Powers represents an archetype of 1960s Swinging London, with his advocacy for free love, his use of obscure impressions and his clothing style (including crushed velvet suits and Beatle boots).
Development [edit]
Obituaries of Simon Dee (1935–2009), the radio and television presenter, stated that his "Sixties grooviness" made him the inspiration for the character.[4][5][6] Mike Myers has claimed his father was the inspiration behind Austin Powers.[7] It is also obvious[citation needed] that the character's look and over-the-top comic libido is particularly borrowed from Peter Sellers' character of Dr. Fritz Fassbender in What's New Pussycat (1965).
Other media [edit]
Video Games: Austin Powers, Austin Powers Pinball, Austin Powers: Welcome to my Underground Lair, Austin Powers: Oh Behave!, and Austin Powers: Operation Trivia.
- HBO purchased the rights to produce a cartoon series based on the Austin Powers films in 1999. Despite announcing plans for a thirteen episode season, HBO ultimately shelved the project.[8][9][10]
- Austin Powers has been used to advertise various products and endorsements, such as Pepsi Cola.[11]
- He also appears in the music video of Madonna's "Beautiful Stranger" and Britney Spears' "Boys".
In popular culture [edit]
In 2010, he was voted #23 in Entertainment Weekly's list "The 100 greatest characters of the last 20 years."[12]
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ "THE MEDIA BUSINESS: ADVERTISING; Big marketers are betting on 'Austin Powers' to endear them to young people.". The New York Times. 1999-06-14. Retrieved 2010-11-05.
- ^ Montalbano, Dave (December 2010). The Adventures of Cinema Dave in the Florida Motion Picture World. Xlibris Corporation. p. 185. ISBN 978-1-4500-2396-2. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "Myers is funny, but he's no Peter Sellers". Deseret News (Salt Lake City) via HighBeam Research (subscription required). 128 November 2003. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ Evans, Peter (2009-08-31). "The groovy rise and sad fall of Simon Dee, the real Austin Powers". Daily Mail (London). Retrieved 2010-11-05.
- ^ "TV chat show star Simon Dee dies". BBC. 2009-08-30. Retrieved 2010-11-05.
- ^ "Dee day for the real Austin Powers". The Age (Melbourne). 2009-08-31. Retrieved 2010-11-05.
- ^ "Austin Powers has The Force". BBC. 1999-06-14. Retrieved 2010-11-06.
- ^ Kaplan, Don (1999-05-04). "YEAH, BABY! HBO SINKS TEETH INTO 'AUSTIN POWERS' CARTOON". The New York Post. Retrieved 2010-11-05.
- ^ Seiler, Andy (1999-06-21). "The spy who won't go away HBO will animate 'Austin Powers,' and a third movie is expected". USA Today. Retrieved 2010-11-05.
- ^ Ressner, Jeffrey (1999-06-21). "Cinema: Austin's Power". Time. Retrieved 2010-12-04.
- ^ "Freebies Power Austin's Promotional Mojo". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 2010-11-05.
- ^ "The 100 Greatest Characters of the Last 20 Years". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2010-11-05.
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