The Transformation Of Mike Myers From Childhood To The Pentaverate

Mike Myers is comedy royalty. he got his start on Canadian television before he transitioned to American TV by joining the cast of "Saturday Night Live." There, he shone as one of the best cast members throughout the 1990s, alongside co-stars like Dana Carvey, Adam Sandler, and Chris Farley. He quickly transitioned to the big screen, appearing in blockbuster comedies like "Wayne's World," "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery," and "Shrek." 

Myers' strength is his ability to merge clever, sophisticated humor with lowbrow, childish jokes — a trait he inherited from Monty Python, at one point stating "Everything I've ever done can be distilled to at least one Monty Python sketch." It's the same quality that's made his films, sketch work, and TV shows so accessible to audiences young and old.

In recent years, Myers' output has slowed. He's had brief roles in Oscar-nominated films like "Inglourious Basterds" and "Bohemian Rhapsody," and also has made several documentary appearances (and directed one himself). He's finally returned to his roots in his Netflix series "The Pentaverate," which finds Myers taking on a project that encompasses his entire career in one outlandish, farcical show.

Myers joined the cast of "Saturday Night Live" in January 1989, a new addition to an already established ensemble of comedy hard hitters, including Phil Hartman, Kevin Nealon, and Jan Hooks. During his first week there, Myers was welcomed by a note from writer Conan O'Brien, saying "I'm going to destroy you." Fortunately, that didn't come to pass, despite Myers' fear of failure at the show. 

During his six-year tenure, Myers became one of the show's biggest stars, even as future "SNL" legends like Farley, Sandler, and Tim Meadows joined the cast in the coming seasons. According to Entertainment Weekly, Myers' work on the show was notable for "creating oddball characters with memorable catchphrases." As much of a compliment as that is, it seems slightly reductive of Myers' comedy, although he catchphrases definitely stuck. 

Some of Myers' most famous characters, like Wayne Campbell, captured American audiences with quotes like "Schwing!" and "Party on, Garth!" He also became widely known for Dieter, host of a German talk show called "Sprockets." Rounding out the trio of talk show characters is Linda Richman, the Barbra Streisand-loving host of "Coffee Talk." Myers left the show in 1995, but not before taking one of his best roles on "SNL" to the big screen.

Following the success of "Wayne's World," Myers quickly continued his burgeoning movie career. "Wayne's World 2" arrived in late 1993, less than two years after the original — and just a few months after Myers' other big-screen outing of the year, the black comedy "So I Married an Axe Murderer."

In the film, Myers plays Charlie MacKenzie, a San Francisco-based beat poet who struggles with commitment issues, until he falls in love with a woman (played by Nancy Travis) he starts to suspect is a serial killer. As part of Myers' re-writes, the "SNL" star also plays Charlie's father Stuart. Other actors in the film include Myers' "SNL" co-star Phil Hartman, as well as comedian Steven Wright and actor Alan Arkin. 

Despite Myers' success with "Wayne's World," "Axe Murderer" was a box office disappointment. While this would be his first foray into playing multiple roles in a comedy film, it wouldn't be his last — or his most successful.

The third Austin Powers film, "Austin Powers in Goldmember," is certainly the biggest of the three in terms of scale, with an opening sequence featuring cameos from Tom Cruise, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Steven Spielberg. The story finds Powers traveling back in time to the 1970s to thwart Dr. Evil and Goldmember. He's joined by Foxxy Cleopatra, an FBI agent played by pop star Beyonce Knowles — who wasn't the only pop star to appear in the film.

The opening credits sequence also features a cameo appearance by Britney Spears, performing her song "Boys." In the sequence, she and Austin flirt with each other through dance, until Spears is revealed to be a Fembot and explodes.

Myers also stars as Austin Powers in the music video for "Boys," and although many fans may have forgotten it, this wasn't Powers' first such appearance — the International Man of Mystery also appeared in the video for Madonna's 1999 single "Beautiful Stranger." For a young comedian dreaming of being on "SNL" while growing up in Toronto, sharing the screen with Britney Spears and Madonna is quite the ascension. 

Following the success of "Wayne's World," Myers returned to his stable of "SNL" characters for another film project — this one centering on "Sprockets" host Dieter. Myers developed the film's script in 1998, along with "SNL" writer Jack Handey and "Austin Powers" co-writer Michael McCullers. He planned to star in the "Sprockets" movie alongside Will Ferrell, Jack Black, and David Hasselhoff, but backed out just before filming was scheduled to begin, saying he was unhappy with the script. 

Myers' decision resulted in a legal dispute with Universal, which was settled when he agreed to star in another Universal project: a live-action adaptation of the Dr. Seuss book "The Cat in the Hat" that arrived in 2003.  

Unfortunately for both sides, the film was an embarrassing flop. Furthermore, some of Myers' co-stars, like Amy Hill, have publicly stated how much they didn't enjoy working with Myers on the misbegotten project.

Myers' film career took a back seat during the late 2000s and 2010s. He kept his focus on his personal life, marrying Kelly Tisdale in 2010 and having three children. He wasn't entirely offscreen, however — he was seen briefly in Quentin Tarantino's 2008 film "Inglourious Basterds" as a general in the British army, and he appeared in another supporting role in the Margot Robbie-led 2018 film "Terminal." Without giving too much away, suffice it to say that the latter project made use of Myers' affinity for prosthetics and playing multiple roles.

Myers also made an appearance in 2018's "Bohemian Rhapsody," a biopic starring Rami Malek as late Queen singer Freddie Mercury. In a meta moment, he plays a radio executive who refuses to play the title song, saying nobody will bang their heads to it in their car — an obvious reference to that famous scene in "Wayne's World." Myers also reunited with Dana Carvey to introduce the film at 2019's Academy Awards ceremony. 

In 2017, ABC revived "The Gong Show," a classic game show featuring amateur performers judged by a panel of celebrity guests. It gets its title from its main gimmick, which allows judges to bang a gong and stop any performance if they deem it awful enough. 

This new revival was executive produced by actor Will Arnett and hosted by a much less well-known celebrity, British comedian Tommy Maitland. Although it was never confirmed by ABC or Arnett during the show's first season, Maitland was played by Myers in prosthetic makeup. Part of the stunt involved Myers appearing on late night talk shows, such as Jimmy Kimmel Live, in character. 

ABC finally confirmed Myers' involvement after the show was picked up for a second season. It was unfortunately not renewed for a third go-round, but while it was on, it was nice to see Myers return to the public eye, even under the guise of a British insult comic spewing one-liners. 

After many years away from the spotlight, Mike Myers returned in 2022 with the Netflix series "The Pentaverate." In a way, this series is the culmination of Myers' entire career in one project. It's a loose spinoff of "So I Married an Axe Murderer," centering on a secret society that was referenced in a scene from the film. Myers' roles include a Canadian TV journalist, the British leader of the Pentaverate, and even Shep Gordon.

One of the show's best scenes has gone viral on social media, depicting Myers' character Ken Scarborough being rescued from a Sasquatch by none other than Shrek. Though this Shrek is a costumed performer, he's voiced by Myers and accompanied by Smash Mouth's cover of "I'm A Believer" from the first "Shrek" movie.

The six-episode series premiered to lukewarm reviews that criticized its lowbrow humor, but fans of Myers' previous work will find that "The Pentaverate" is a kind of homecoming for the comedian. If nothing else, it led to a press tour that offered Myers an opportunity to look back on his old work.