Austin Powers | |
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Austin Powers character | |
First appearance | Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) |
Last appearance | Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002) |
Created by | Mike Myers |
Based on | James Bond |
Portrayed by | Mike Myers Aaron Himelstein (young) Tom Cruise (in Austinpussy ) |
In-universe information | |
Full name | Austin Danger Powers |
Alias | Richie Cunningham |
Occupation | Spy for the Ministry of Defence |
Family | Nigel Powers (father) Douglas Powers (twin-brother) |
Spouse | Vanessa Kensington (deceased) |
Significant others | Felicity Shagwell Foxxy Cleopatra |
Relatives | Mini-Me (nephew) Scott Evil (nephew) Frau Farbissina (sister-in-law) Helga Powers (grandmother) Kyle (great-nephew) |
Nationality | British |
Sir Austin Danger Powers KBE [1] 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). [2]
He is a womanizing, hard partying British spy embodying the Swinging London psyche and hippie culture of the 1960s who, with his nemesis Dr. Evil, was frozen in a cryonics experiment. The series' humor follows his attempts to adjust to the modern world as he continues to try to save it from terrorism.
Austin Powers was a character seen as a parody of James Bond, and being influenced by Evelyn Tremble (played by Peter Sellers) in the spoof James Bond 1967 movie Casino Royale . [3] Other notable influences were Harry Palmer (played by Michael Caine who would go on to play Austin's father, Nigel, in Goldmember), especially his thick horn-rimmed glasses, [4] and the flamboyant dress sense of Jason King (played by Peter Wyngarde). [5]
The character of Austin Powers represents an archetype of 1960s Swinging London, with his advocacy for free love, his use of obscure expressions and his clothing style (including crushed velvet suits and Beatle boots). [6]
Myers, Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs formed the faux British 1960s band Ming Tea after Myers's Saturday Night Live stint in the early 1990s. [7] [8] The band members all performed under pseudonyms with 1960s' personas. Myers adopted the pseudonym and character of Austin Powers.
This group made a number of live club and television performances in character. Myers's then wife, Robin Ruzan, encouraged him to write a film based on Austin Powers. [8] [9] Obituaries of Simon Dee (1935–2009), the radio and BBC television presenter, stated that his "Sixties grooviness" made him the inspiration for the character. [10] [11]
Heavily influenced by British pop culture growing up, Mike Myers has claimed that his British-born father was the inspiration behind Austin Powers. [12]
In November 2010, he was voted #23 in Entertainment Weekly 's list "The 100 Greatest Characters of The Last 20 Years." [17]
Harry Palmer is the name given to the anti-hero protagonist of several films based on spy novels written by Len Deighton, in which the main character is an unnamed intelligence officer. For convenience, the novels are also often referred to as the "Harry Palmer" novels.
Michael John Myers is a Canadian-American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. His accolades include seven MTV Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2002, he was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2017, he was named an Officer of the Order of Canada for "his extensive and acclaimed body of comedic work as an actor, writer, and producer."
Austin Powers in Goldmember is a 2002 American spy comedy film directed by Jay Roach. It is the third and final installment in the Austin Powers film series and stars Mike Myers in four different roles: Austin Powers, Dr. Evil, Goldmember, and Fat Bastard. Myers and Michael McCullers co-wrote the screenplay, which also features Beyoncé Knowles in her theatrical film debut, as well as Seth Green, Michael York, Robert Wagner, Mindy Sterling, Verne Troyer, and Michael Caine.
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery is a 1997 American spy comedy film directed by Jay Roach. It is the first installment in the Austin Powers series. It stars franchise co-producer and writer Mike Myers, playing the roles of Austin Powers and his arch enemy Dr. Evil. Supporting roles are played by Elizabeth Hurley, Robert Wagner, Seth Green, and Michael York. The film is a parody of the James Bond films and other popular culture from the 1960s, centering on a flamboyant, promiscuous secret agent and a criminal mastermind, arch-nemesis who go into and come out of cryostasis at the same time as each other as their conflict spans decades.
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me is a 1999 American spy comedy film directed by Jay Roach. It is the second installment in the Austin Powers film series, after International Man of Mystery. It stars franchise co-producer and writer Mike Myers as Austin Powers, Dr. Evil, and Fat Bastard. The film also stars Heather Graham, Michael York, Robert Wagner, Seth Green, Mindy Sterling, Rob Lowe, and Elizabeth Hurley. The film's title is a play on the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). The film centers on Dr. Evil returning again from cryostasis to strike at Powers from the past, using a time machine to remove Powers's charisma ("mojo") and deprive him of whatever qualities made him an effective secret agent so he can no longer interfere with Evil's plans.
Mathew Jay Roach is an American filmmaker. He is best known for directing the Austin Powers film series, Meet the Parents, Dinner for Schmucks, The Campaign, Trumbo, and Bombshell.
Verne Jay Troyer was an American actor, best known for playing Mini-Me in the Austin Powers film series. He had cartilage–hair hypoplasia and was 2 ft 8 in (81 cm) tall.
Mini-Me is a fictional character from the Austin Powers film franchise, portrayed by the late Verne Troyer. He debuts in the second film in the trilogy, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, and appears again in the third film, Austin Powers in Goldmember.
Jason King is a British television series starring Peter Wyngarde as the eponymous character. It was produced by ITC Entertainment and had a single season of 26 one-hour episodes that aired from 1971 to 1972. It was shown internationally as well, and has been released on DVD in the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia and Germany.
Frau Greta Farbissina is a fictional character played by Mindy Sterling in the Austin Powers film series. Farbissina is a German attack and defense specialist and the founder of "the militant wing of the Salvation Army". She is also Dr. Evil's henchwoman and tries to help in his schemes to terrorize and take over the world. She has a heavy German accent and is well known for a running gag in which she shouts her orders needlessly loud and screeching, often startling Dr. Evil. For her performances, Sterling was nominated for Favorite Supporting Actress in a Comedy at the BMI Film & TV Awards.
Ming Tea is a faux retro-mod band consisting of Mike Myers, Susanna Hoffs, Matthew Sweet, Stuart Johnson, and Christopher Ward. The band was formed by Myers after he appeared on Saturday Night Live in the 1990s, and appeared in the Austin Powers film series, with the members performing under pseudonyms.
Michael McCullers is an American screenwriter who specializes in writing comedies.
Austin Powers is a series of American satirical spy comedy films created by Mike Myers, who stars as the eponymous title character as well as his arch-nemesis, Dr. Evil. The series consists of 1997's International Man of Mystery, 1999's The Spy Who Shagged Me and 2002's Goldmember, all of which were directed by Jay Roach, and co-produced and released by New Line Cinema.
Fat Bastard is a fictional character in the second and third films of the Austin Powers series. A morbidly obese henchman hailing from Clydebank, Scotland, Fat Bastard serves Dr. Evil in his quest to destroy Austin Powers. The character is portrayed by Mike Myers.
Suzanne Todd is an American film and television producer, and the owner of the film production company Team Todd.
Douglas Powers, commonly known as Dr. Evil, is a fictional character portrayed by Mike Myers in the Austin Powers film series. He is the main antagonist and Austin Powers' nemesis. He is a parody of James Bond villains, primarily Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Dr. Evil routinely hatches schemes to terrorize and take over the world, and is usually accompanied by "Number Two", his second in command who fronts his evil corporation Virtucon Industries, his cat Mr. Bigglesworth and his sidekick Mini-Me, a dwarf clone of himself.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to James Bond:
Austin Powers may refer to: