Austin Powers (character)
Sir Austin Danger Powers is a fictional character from the "Austin Powers" series of films, and is created and portrayed by Mike Myers. He is the protagonist of "" (1997), "The Spy Who Shagged Me" (1999) and "Austin Powers in Goldmember" (2002). He is a womanizing, hard partying British spy embodying the Swinging London mod culture and hippie culture of the 1960s who, with his nemesis Dr. Evil, was frozen in a cryonics experiment. The series' humor follows his attempts to adjust to the modern world as he continues to try to save it from terrorism. Personality. Austin  Powers was a character seen as a parody of James Bond, and being influenced by Evelyn Tremble played by Peter Sellers in the spoof James Bond 1967 movie Casino Royale. Also being inspired by the flamboyant dress sense of Jason King. The character of Austin Powers represents an archetype of 1960s Swinging London, with his advocacy for free love, his use of obscure expressions and his clothing style (including crushed velvet suits and Beatle boots). Development. Myers, Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs formed the faux British 1960s band Ming Tea after Myers' "Saturday Night Live" stint in the early 1990s . The band members all performed under pseudonyms with 1960s personas. Myers adopted the pseudonym and character of Austin Powers. This group made a number of live club and television performances in character. Myers' then wife, Robin Ruzan, encouraged him to write a film based on Austin Powers. Obituaries of Simon Dee (1935–2009), the radio and television presenter, stated that his "Sixties grooviness" made him the inspiration for the character. Mike Myers has claimed his father was the inspiration behind Austin Powers. In popular culture. In November 2010, he was voted #23 in "Entertainment Weekly"s list "The 100 Greatest Characters of  The Last 20 Years."