Facts about Austin Powers
Austin Powers Biography
The creation of comedian Mike Myers, Austin Powers is the goofy hero of the 1997 film Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.
The Austin Powers character is a silly satire of superspy James Bond and an affectionate spoof of the denizens of swinging 1960s London: he wears foppish “mod” clothing, uses outlandish Bond-style secret weapons, and (despite his comically bad teeth) relishes his role as a ladykiller. His arch-enemy is the nefarious Dr. Evil (also played by Myers).
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (which co-starred Mimi Rogers and Elizabeth Hurley) was a surprise hit and introduced pop culture catch-phrases like “Groovy, baby!” and “Behave!” It was followed by the sequels The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999, with Heather Graham) and Goldmember (2002, with Beyoncé Knowles as Foxxy Cleopatra).
Extra credit
The Austin Powers films also featured Robert Wagner as the eyepatch-wearing Number Two, Cindy Margolis as a deadly “fembot” and Verne Troyer as Dr. Evil’s small clone and sidekick Mini-Me… Dr. Evil is loosely based on Bond nemesis Ernst Stavro Blofeld; his strange hairless cat is Mr. Bigglesworth.