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In the late 90s to mid-2000s, Mike Myers was on top of the cinematic world. With a series of box office successes, Myers quickly became a Hollywood phenomenon. However, The Cat in the Hat star experienced a “career cooling” after a string of films were met with a less than desirable box office return. The comedic actor who made fans head bang to “Bohemian Rhapsody” and shout “Do I make you horny, baby?” ad nauseam all but vanished from the big screen shortly thereafter.
Myers is now poised to make a comeback in a brand-new Netflix series that is a bit on the bizarre side. Given Myers’ history and at times wacky brand of comedy, this new streaming series will likely have all the ingredients for a stellar comeback.
8 Who Is Mike Myers?
Michael John Myers (not to be confused with the serial killer who terrorized Haddonfield on many a Halloween night, with whom he shares the same name) was born in Toronto in 1963. Born to English parents who emigrated to Canada, Myers entered the world of show business at the age of 10, appearing in a commercial for a Canadian hydro company (where he started alongside original SNL cast member Gilda Radner.) Myers would continue with a series of appearances on various Canadian TV series such as King of Kensington and The Littlest Hobo at the ripe old age of 16. After graduating from high school, Myers would find himself entering the world of comedy, being accepted into The Second City Canadian touring company and eventually making his way to the UK to be featured at The Comedy Store in London.
7 He Transitioned From SNL To Big Screen Success
Myers would find his biggest success to date in the early 90s, becoming a cast member of the hit sketch show Saturday Night Live. Mike would star in many memorable sketches, but it would be his run as Wayne Campbell in the public access TV show sketch Wayne’s World (with Dana Carvey, with whom Myers actually once had quite the beef) where he would find the most success on the show.
6 Movie Success For Mike Myers
Breaking away from SNL to concentrate on a movie career, Myers would star in the theatrical version of Wayne’s World and its sequel, seeing much success. With the exception of a few duds along the way (such as So I Married An Axe Murderer), Myers was quickly becoming a comedic star poised to rival fellow Canadian funnyman Jim Carey.
5 The ‘Austin Powers’ Franchise Made Him An International Superstar
Mike Myers became a superstar when he was cast as Austin Powers (a character of his own creation) in the 1997 spy-comedy Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery. With its uncanny cast of memorable characters and hilarious lines (lines which were 30 to 40 percent improvised), Austin Powers raked in $67 million at the box office, spawning two sequels and inspiring many a Halloween costume for years to come.
4 A Lovable Green Ogre Made Him A Star With Kids And Families
Not content to have one memorable franchise under his belt, Myers would then become the lovable ogre with the Scottish accent in the animated DreamWorks production Shrek. Spawning a series of sequels and becoming a formidable franchise, the Shrek series solidified Myers’ superstar status and linked his pockets with an incredible amount of the good ol’ green stuff, which is always good. Side note: Chris Farley was originally cast as the voice of Shrek; however, after Farley's untimely passing, Myers was cast to replace him.
3 Mike Myers Experienced A Career Slowdown
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. After a string of successful films, Mike Myers began to experience a series of career setbacks. From a Hollywood exec and the dark reason why said Hollywood exec wanted the actor to fail, to box office bombs such as The Cat And The Hat and The Love Guru (many fans think that particular film ruined his career), Myers’ career had hit a less than enviable dark patch.
2 His New Series Is Called ‘The Pentaverate’
Myers’ new series entitled The Pentaverate is the actor's latest venture and (what he likely hopes) will be his return to form. The upcoming limited series will feature Myers as journalist Ken Scarborough, as well as several other roles (8, in fact), and it is a spin-off of Myers' 1993 romantic black comedy film, So I Married an Axe Murderer (uh-oh. Fingers crossed, am I right?).
1 Myers Embraces His Canadian Roots In The New Netflix Series
The main character in Myers’ new series is Ken Scarborough, a journalist who happens to also be Canadian. With the protagonist’s surname likely being a little nod to his hometown of Scarborough (a city within the GTA, for those who may not be familiar with Canada), Myers (who is proudly Canadian) is embracing his Red and White roots and will likely try his best to make his fellow Canadians (of which I am one) proud. Oh, Canada!