| Full Name | Michael John Myers |
|---|---|
| Age | 60 |
| Birthday | May 25, 1963 |
| Birthplace | Scarborough, Ontario, Canada |
| Awards | 1 Emmy, 3 MTV Movie Awards, SAG Award, Order of Canada |
| Hollywood Star | Hollywood Walk of Fame |
| Net Worth | $200 million |
Early Life and Career Beginnings
Michael John Myers was born on May 25, 1963 in Scarborough, Ontario. His British parents had immigrated to Canada, where Myers spent most of his youth. He showed a knack for comedy early on, performing in commercials and sketch comedy shows during high school.
Myers moved to England at age 20 to attend performing arts school. He performed stand-up comedy in London before returning to Toronto and joining the Second City improv troupe. This led to his big break in 1988 when he was hired as a featured player on Saturday Night Live.
Breakout SNL Success
On SNL, Myers became renowned for performances like the peppy TV host Dieter and his improvised "Sprockets" sketches. But his most iconic character was slacker Wayne Campbell, whose memorable catchphrases like "Party on, Wayne" became ingrained in pop culture.
The widespread popularity of the "Wayne‘s World" sketches led to a hit 1992 comedy film adaption, which Myers co-wrote. It became one of the highest grossing movies of the year, cementing Myers as a bankable comedy star.
Creating Austin Powers
After leaving SNL in 1995, Myers dreamed up his next iconic character: Austin Powers. The idea came to him one night when he was listening to the song "The Look of Love" by Burt Bacharach. The super spy parody Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery was released in 1997, with Myers playing both Powers and villain Dr. Evil.
With his bad teeth and outrageous outfits, Powers became a phenomenon thanks to Myers‘ skill for physical comedy and improvisation. The film spawned two sequels and countless catchphrases like "Do I make you horny?" and "Oh, behave!"
Voicing Shrek and Beyond
Myers expanded his repertoire by voicing the lead ogre in DreamWorks‘ animated Shrek franchise starting in 2001. As Shrek, he delivered heartfelt emotion along withnowaitwit, and the first two films grossed over $1 billion combined.
Myers also voiced characters in Shrek the Third, Shrek Forever After, and The Cat in the Hat. He took an acting hiatus in the late 2000s before returning for cameos in The Love Guru and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Lasting Legacy
With his mastery of accents and physical comedy, Myers created some of the most beloved laugh-out-loud characters of the past 30 years. Though Myers has shied away from the spotlight at times, his cultural impact remains strong. His exaggerated mannerisms and one-liners have become common references in our pop culture vocabulary.
While the poorly received Love Guru showed Myers‘ style doesn‘t always land, his overall record of hits has cemented his status as true comedy royalty. For generations who grew up quoting Wayne Campbell or mimicking Dr. Evil, Mike Myers will always be one of the greats.