Mike Myers
Mike Myers | |
---|---|
Born | Michael John Myers May 25, 1963 Scarborough, Ontario, Canada |
Nationality | Canadian American |
Citizenship | Canada United Kingdom United States |
Occupation(s) | Actor, comedian, musician, writer, film producer, director |
Years active | 1975–present |
Spouse(s) |
Robin Ruzan
(m. 1993; div. 2007)Kelly Tisdale
(m. 2010) |
Children | 3 |
Relatives | Paul Myers (brother) |
Awards | Order of Canada |
Comedy career | |
Medium | Stand-up, film, television, theatre, books |
Genres | Observational comedy, satire, black comedy, self-deprecation, cringe comedy, deadpan |
Subject(s) | American culture, American politics, current events, religion, Jewish culture, race relations, human sexuality |
Michael John Myers OC (born May 25, 1963) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film producer.[1] He is known for his run as a 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 made his directorial debut with the documentary Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon (2013) and had a small role in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds (2009).
Early life
Myers was born on May 25, 1963,[2] in Scarborough, a suburban district in the east side of Toronto, Ontario. He is the son of English-born parents Eric Myers (1922–1991), an insurance agent, and his wife, Alice E. Myers (née Hind; born 1926), an office supervisor and a veteran of the Royal Air Force.[3]
Both of his parents were from Liverpool, United Kingdom, and he has two older brothers, Paul, an indie rock singer-songwriter, broadcaster, and author, and Peter, who worked for Sears Canada.[4]
The family is of English, Scottish, and Irish ancestry. Myers was raised Protestant.[5] He reportedly holds Canadian, U.S., and British citizenship.[1]
Myers grew up in suburban Toronto districts, both North York and Scarborough,[6] where he attended Sir John A. Macdonald Collegiate Institute and then graduated from Stephen Leacock Collegiate Institute in 1982.
Career
Early career
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.[3] At the age of 12, he made a guest appearance as Ari on the TV series King of Kensington.
After graduating from high school, Myers was accepted into the Second City Canadian touring company. He later 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, Second City Theatre.[7] In 1988, he moved from Second City in Toronto to Chicago. In Chicago, he trained, performed, and taught at the Improv Olympic.
Myers made many 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.
Film
Myers made his film debut when he and Dana Carvey adapted their Wayne's World SNL sketches into the feature Wayne's World (1992). It was among the most successful movies of the year and was followed in 1993 by Wayne's World 2; Myers starred in So I Married an Axe Murderer the same year. He took a two year hiatus from performing after the end of his time as an SNL regular.
Myers returned to acting with the film Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), followed by the sequels Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) and Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002). Myers played the title role (Austin Powers) and the villain (Dr. Evil), as well as other characters, in all three films.
One of Myers' rare non-comedic roles came in the film 54 (1998), in which he portrayed Steve Rubell, proprietor of New York City's famous 1970s discotheque Studio 54. The film was not critically or commercially successful, though Myers received some positive notice.[8][9] He 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.[10][11][12]
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 (2007), and the Christmas special Shrek the Halls (2007).
Myers received the MTV Generation Award in June 2007, making him the second Canadian to win the award (following Jim Carrey in 2006).[13]
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 returned to onscreen film acting with supporting roles in Terminal (2018)[14] and Bohemian Rhapsody (2018).[15]
Other work
Myers made a cameo appearance in Britney Spears' music video Boys as Austin Powers.[16]
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.[17]
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.[18]
In 2011 Myers returned to The Comedy Store in London to perform a one-time reprisal of his role with The Comedy Store Players. The UK comedy website Chortle praised his performance.[19]
Myers' 2013 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.[20] In 2017, Myers began hosting a reprised version of The Gong Show in heavy makeup as a fictional British host known as Tommy Maitland.[21]
Personal life
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 May 22, 1993, and Myers later referred to Ruzan as "his muse".[22][23] The couple filed for divorce in December 2005.[24]
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.[25] They have three children: son Spike Alan (b. 2011) and daughters, Sunday Molly (b. 2014) and Paulina Kathleen (b. 2015).[26][27][28]
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.[citation needed]
Myers is a Dungeons & Dragons player[29] and was one of several celebrities to have participated in the Worldwide Dungeons & Dragons Game Day in 2006.[30]
He supports the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League.[31] He named two characters in the first Austin Powers movie Commander Gilmour and General Borschevsky, for then-Maple Leafs players Doug Gilmour and Nikolai Borschevsky.
Myers has played for Hollywood United F.C., a celebrity soccer team.[32] 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.[33]
In 2014, Myers starred in a commercial with his brother Peter for Sears Canada, using "humorous banter to spread the message that, despite rumours, Sears wasn't shutting down". Peter at the time was senior director of planning at Sears head office in Toronto, and he was laid off in 2017 after Sears Canada filed for bankruptcy.[4]
In 2016 Myers published a book, Canada, about the country's history and popular culture.[7]
As of 2016, Myers resides in New York City.[6]
Myers is also a member of the Canadian charity Artists Against Racism.[34]
Awards and honours
In 2003, he was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame.[35]
For contributions to the motion picture industry, Mike Myers was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7042 Hollywood Boulevard.[36]
In 2015, his face was put on a stamp by Canada Post.[37]
On June 30, 2017, he was named an Officer of the Order of Canada by Governor General David Johnston for "his extensive and acclaimed body of comedic work as an actor, writer and producer."[38]
Filmography
This section needs additional citations for verification. (October 2018) |
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1992 | Wayne’s World | Wayne Campbell | Also writer |
1993 | So I Married an Axe Murderer | Charlie McKenzie / Stuart McKenzie | |
Wayne's World 2 | Wayne Campbell | Also writer | |
1997 | Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery | Austin Powers / Dr. Evil | Also writer and producer |
1998 | 54 | Steve Rubell | |
The Thin Pink Line | Tim Broderick | ||
Pete's Meteor | Pete | ||
1999 | Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me | Austin Powers / Dr. Evil / Fat Bastard |
Also writer and producer |
Mystery, Alaska | Donnie Shulzhoffer | ||
2001 | Shrek | Shrek | Voice role |
2002 | Austin Powers in Goldmember | Austin Powers / Dr. Evil / Fat Bastard / Goldmember |
Also writer and producer |
2003 | Nobody Knows Anything! | 'Eye' Witness | |
The Cat in the Hat | The Cat in the Hat | ||
Shrek 4-D | Shrek | Voice role | |
View from the Top | John Witney | ||
2004 | Shrek 2 | Shrek | Voice role |
2006 | Home | Himself | Documentary |
2007 | Shrek the Third | Shrek | Voice role |
2008 | The Love Guru | Guru Maurice Pitka / Himself | Also writer and producer |
2009 | Inglourious Basterds | Gen. Ed Fenech | |
2010 | Shrek Forever After | Shrek | Voice role |
2012 | Oscar Etiquette | Sir Cecil Worthington | Short film |
2013 | Being Canadian, Sometimes | Himself | Documentary |
Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon | Himself | Documentary; also director | |
2015 | I Am Chris Farley | Himself | Documentary |
2018 | Terminal | Clinton / Mr. Franklyn | |
Bohemian Rhapsody | Ray Foster |
Television
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 |
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 |
Saturday Night Live | Dr. Evil | Episode: "Amy Adams/One Direction" | |
2015 | Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special | Wayne Campbell | Television special |
2017–present | The Gong Show | Tommy Maitland | Game show; host |
2018 | The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon | Dr. Evil[39] |
Career awards and nominations
Accolades
Notable Saturday Night Live characters
- Dieter – host of Sprockets
- Linda Richman – hostess of Coffee Talk
- Japanese Game Show Host
- "Handsome Actor" Lank Thompson
- Simon – a little boy who does drawings in the bath and complains about having "prune hands" (the theme song for this segment was a slightly modified version of the theme song from Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings by Edward MacLachlan)
- Wayne Campbell (SNL, the Wayne's World films)
- Pat Arnold (SNL, Bill Swerski's Superfans)
- Stuart Rankin – proprietor of "All Things Scottish"
- Lothar (Of the Hill People)
- Ed Miles (Middle-Aged Man) – An older man who helps young people with their problems
- Phillip – A child of the age of six who is hypoglycemic and hyperactive (quote: "I'm a hyper hypo"). Phillip appears in at least two sketches, one with Nicole Kidman and the other with Kim Basinger. The sketch centers on him at a playground while wearing a helmet and a harness tied to the monkey bars.
- Kenneth Reese-Evans – host of "Theatre Stories"
- In December 2014, Myers appeared in a cameo during the cold open as his character Dr. Evil, a super villain known for his appearances in the Austin Powers film series where he called out North Korea and Sony, in particular the logic of Kim Jong-un, and the 2014 Sony hack. as well as making comparisons between the Guardians of Peace and Grand Old Party.[40][41]
References
- ^ a b Paul Harrison (2005). Mike Myers. Heinemann-Raintree Library. p. 7. ISBN 978-1-4109-1088-2.
- ^ "Mike Myers Biography at". TV Guide. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
- ^ a b Wills, Dominic. "Mike Myers Biography". TalkTalk. Archived from the original on October 16, 2002. Retrieved May 1, 2013.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|dead-url=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ a b Harris, Sophia (July 19, 2017). "Employee featured in hit Sears Canada ad with famous brother Mike Myers loses job and severance". CBC News. CBC Inc. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
- ^ Elson, Peter (July 27, 2002). "Mike Myers: International Man of Mirth". Liverpool Daily Post. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved October 23, 2008.
- ^ a b Ahearn, Victoria (October 28, 2016). "Mike Myers on his new book 'Canada' and his relationship with his home country". Ottawa Citizen. Ottawa, Canada: The Canadian Press. Archived from the original on October 31, 2016.
- ^ a b "Mike Myers". The Second City. Retrieved May 31, 2015.
- ^ O'Sullivan, Michael (August 28, 1998). "'54': Rise and Fall of a Disco Inferno". The Washington Post. Nash Holdings. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
- ^ Rush, George; Molloy, Joanna; Baram, Marcus; K. C.; Baker (August 17, 1998). "IN '54,' MYERS WON'T SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT". New York Daily News. Tronc. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
- ^ "Myers settles Dieter dispute". BBC News. BBC. August 11, 2000. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
- ^ Cosgrove-Mather, Bootie (March 7, 2002). "The Cat In The Hat Is Phat". CBS News. CBS. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
- ^ Evans, Bradford (October 9, 2013). "'Dieter': The Surprisingly Funny Mike Myers Movie That Never Was". Vulture. New York Media, LLC. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
- ^ Adler, Shawn (May 31, 2007). "MTV Movie Awards To Honor Mike Myers With Generation Award; 'Now I'm Set,' He Says". MTV. Viacom. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
- ^ Darby, Luke (April 5, 2018). "Mike Myers Filmed His Own Zombie Movie Between Takes for Terminal". GQ. Condé Nast. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
- ^ Desta, Yohana (September 12, 2017). "In Perfect Casting News, Mike Myers Is Joining Bohemian Rhapsody". Vanity Fair. Condé Nast. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
- ^ "Britney on music, 'Boys' and Austin's powers". CNN. Turner Broadcasting System. August 2, 2002. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
- ^ Thorpe, Vanessa (January 2, 2005). "Cook tops poll of comedy greats". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
- ^ "Great Fictional Bands: MING TEA - UPDATE 4/11/14". Warped Factor. November 4, 2014. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
- ^ Butler, Marc (July 6, 2011). "Mike Myers with the Comedy Store Players". Chortle. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
- ^ "Supermensch The Legend of Shep Gordon". TIFF. Archived from the original on September 14, 2013. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Zuckerman, Esther (May 18, 2018). "Mike Myers' disappearing act". The Outline. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
- ^ "Mike and Kelly wed in secret". New York Post. News Corp. March 4, 2011. Retrieved March 4, 2011.
- ^ Hanks, Robert (July 13, 2002). "Mike Myers: Why does everyone want to get into bed with him?". The Independent. Independent Print Limited. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
- ^ "Mike Myers, wife file for divorce: report". Ninemsn. December 24, 2005. Archived from the original on October 4, 2012. Retrieved March 4, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Mike Myers secretly marries longtime girlfriend". CTV Television Network. CTV Inc. March 4, 2011. Archived from the original on March 6, 2011. Retrieved March 4, 2011.
- ^ Mapstone, Lucy (November 3, 2015). "Groovy, baby! Mike Myers, 52, and wife Kelly, 40, become parents for a third time as they welcome daughter Paulina". MailOnline. Daily Mail and General Trust.
- ^ "Mike Myers becomes first-time father to baby boy". CTV Television Network. CTV Inc. September 29, 2011. Archived from the original on October 1, 2011. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
- ^ Michaud, Sarah (April 11, 2014). "Mike Myers Welcomes Daughter". People. Meredith Corporation. Archived from the original on April 11, 2014. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
- ^ "Mike Myers". Inside the Actors Studio. Season 7. Episode 9. February 4, 2001. Bravo.
{{cite episode}}
: Unknown parameter|serieslink=
ignored (|series-link=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Dungeons and Dragons Game Day at London Dungeon". View. November 3, 2007. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
- ^ "Mike Myers as proud as ever of Canadians". Sportsnet. October 25, 2014. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
- ^ Philip, Robert (March 5, 2008). "Frank Leboeuf ready to act on the ball". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
- ^ Bourne, Dianne (May 27, 2010). "US actor Mike Myers to play football in Manchester for charity". Manchester Evening News. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
- ^ "Artists". Artists Against Racism.
- ^ "Mike Myers". Canada's Walk of Fame. Archived from the original on November 10, 2008.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Mike Myers". Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- ^ "Canada Post honours Canuck comedians with new stamp series". CBC News. CBC Inc. August 29, 2014. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
- ^ "Governor General Announces 99 New Appointments to the Order of Canada". Governor General of Canada. June 30, 2017. Archived from the original on June 30, 2017.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (April 4, 2018). "Dr. Evil Gets Fired from Trump's Cabinet" – via YouTube.
- ^ Leeds, Sarene (December 22, 2014). "Mike Myers' Dr. Evil Schools North Korea and Sony Pictures". The Wall Street Journal. News Corp. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
- ^ "Dr. Evil Returns on 'SNL' to Talk Sony and North Korea". Variety. Michelle Sobrino-Stearns. December 21, 2014. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
External links
- Mike Myers at Curlie
- Mike Myers at IMDb
- Mike Myers on National Public Radio in 2008
- 1963 births
- Living people
- 20th-century British comedians
- 21st-century British comedians
- 20th-century American male actors
- 20th-century British male actors
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- 21st-century Canadian male actors
- 20th-century American writers
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