Childhood & Early Life
Mike Myers was born Michael John Myers on May 25, 1963, in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, to Eric Myers, an insurance agent and World War II veteran, and Alice E. Myers, an office supervisor and veteran of the ‘Royal Air Force.’
He has two elder brothers—Peter Myers and Paul Myers—the latter is an indie rock singer-songwriter. Mike was raised a protestant.
He attended the ‘Bishopbriggs Academy,’ later renamed as ‘Sir John A. Macdonald Collegiate Institute,’ in Scarborough, Ontario. He graduated from the ‘Stephen Leacock Collegiate Institute’ in Scarborough, Ontario.
After turning 8, he began appearing in various commercials. By the time he was ten years old, he had created a commercial for ‘British Columbia Hydro Electric.’
In 1982, after graduating from high school, he became a member of ‘Second City Theatre,’ an improvisational comedy group in Chicago. He later went on a tour to Britain with comedian Neil Mullarkey.
Career
He began his career as a child actor. At the age of twelve, he made an appearance on the Canadian TV sitcom ‘King of Kensington’ in which he played ‘Ari.’
He later relocated to the United Kingdom. In October 1985, he became one of the co-founders of ‘The Comedy Store Players,’ a group of improvisational comedians. They performed at ‘The Comedy Store’ in London.
In 1986, he starred in ‘Wide Awake Club,’ a UK based children’s TV series. The same year, he became one of the cast members of a ‘Second City Theatre’ stage show in Toronto.
In 1988, he relocated to Chicago where he became a member of the improvisational comedy theatre group ‘ImprovOlympic.’ As part of the theatre group, he received training and also performed at various places.
In 1989, he auditioned to become a part of the American sketch comedy and variety show ‘Saturday Night Live.’ The same year, he was selected to join the cast of the show as one of the featured players.
In the 1980s, he made numerous appearances as ‘Wayne Campbell’ on Toronto’s ‘Citytv.’ He even appeared as ‘Wayne Campbell’ in Christopher Ward’s music video ‘Boys and Girls.’
In 1992, he played ‘Wayne Campbell’ in his debut comedy film ‘Wayne’s World’ which was directed by Penelope Spheeris. The film was a commercial success and received positive reviews.
In 1993, he played a double role as ‘Charlie McKenzie’ and ‘Stuart McKenzie’ in the film ‘So I Married an Axe Murderer.’ The same year, he reprised his role as ‘Wayne Campbell’ in the film ‘Wayne’s World 2.’
In 1997, he wrote, produced, and acted in the film ‘Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.’ In the film, he played the role of ‘Austin Powers / Dr. Evil.’ The film was a moderate success.
In 1998, he played the role of ‘Steve Rubell’ in a drama film titled ‘54’ which was directed by Mark Christopher. That year, he was also seen in films, such as ‘The Thin Pink Line’ and ‘Pete’s Meteor.’
In 1999, he reprised his role as ‘Austin Powers’ in the film ‘Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.’ The film earned an ‘Academy Award’ nomination. The same year, he was also seen in the film ‘Mystery, Alaska.’
In 2001, he played a voice role in the animated film ‘Shrek.’ The following year, he reprised his role as ‘Austin Powers’ in the film ‘Austin Powers in Goldmember.’
In 2003, he played voice roles in films like ‘The Cat in the Hat’ and ‘Shrek 4-D.’ The same year, he played the role of ‘John Witney’ in a romantic comedy film titled ‘View from the Top.’
In 2004, he played a voice role in the film ‘Shrek 2.’ He then went on to lend his voice to the subsequent sequels, ‘Shrek the Third’ and ‘Shrek Forever After.’ After two years, he appeared as himself in the ‘Emmy’ award-winning documentary ‘Home.’
In 2008, he starred, co-wrote, and co-produced the romantic comedy film ‘The Love Guru.’ The following year, he played ‘General Ed Fenech’ in the ‘Academy’ award-winning film ‘Inglourious Basterds.’
In 2013, he appeared in the documentary film ‘Being Canadian, Sometimes.’ The same year, he directed an American documentary film titled ‘Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon.’
In 2015, he appeared as himself in a documentary film titled ‘I Am Chris Farley.’ The following year, he published a book titled ‘Canada’ which talks about the country’s history and popular culture.
Myers began hosting ‘The Gong Show’ in 2017. He hosted the show as a fictional British host named ‘Tommy Maitland.’
Myers acted in a supporting role in ‘Terminal’ (2018) and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ (2018).
Awards & Achievements
In 1989, he was awarded the ‘Primetime Emmy Award’ under the ‘Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program’ category for his work in ‘Saturday Night Live.’
In 2000, he was the recipient of the ‘American Comedy Award’ under the ‘Funniest Actor in a Motion Picture (Leading Role)’ category for his role in ‘Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.’
In 2003, he won the ‘Canadian Comedy Award’ under the ‘Film – Pretty Funny Writing’ category for ‘Austin Powers in Goldmember.
In 2010, he received the ‘Screen Actors Guild Award’ under the ‘Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture’ category for ‘Inglourious Basterds.’
Personal Life & Legacy
In 1993, Mike Myers married his girlfriend and comedy writer Robin Ruzan. Myers and Ruzan filed for divorce in 2005.
In 2006, he took part in the ‘Worldwide Dungeons & Dragons Game Day.’ He plays ‘Dungeons & Dragons,’ which is a fantasy role playing game.
In 2010, he married Kelly Tisdale with whom he has a son and two daughters.
A football lover, he has played for the celebrity football team, ‘Hollywood United F.C.’ In 2010, he played in the ‘Soccer Aid for UNICEF UK’ football match.
