#TBT: 15 Fun Facts About 'Austin Powers' for 15th Anniversary of 'Goldmember'

Movies By TooFab Staff |

It's hard to believe that it's been 15 whole years since we last saw Mike Myers in an Austin Powers movie.

Thursday marks the 15th anniversary of "Austin Powers in Goldmember," the comedic trilogy's final installment, which is widely remembered for bringing Beyonce to the big screen for the first time.

In honor of the movie franchise that made it totally acceptable to yell "Yeah, baby, yeah!", here are 15 fun facts every Austin Powers fan should know.

  1. Mike Myers came up with the idea for Austin Powers while driving in his car and listening to Burt Bacharach. He thought about where all of the swingers of the world had gone. He went home and tried to seduce his wife with, "Do I make you horny baby?" But she wasn't having it. She told him to write a movie where he could play this new character instead.

  2. Beyonce was the youngest of all of Austin Powers' girlfriends. She was only 20 during the making of "Goldmember".

  1. MTV aired a one hour special titled "Austin Powers' Electric Pussycat Swingers Club" before the first movie premiered, to get audiences excited. Rosie O' Donnell made a surprise appearance!

  1. Jim Carrey was originally tapped to play Dr. Evil, but he had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts.

  2. Thanks to Mr. Bigglesworth, Sphinx cats rose in popularity after the first movie came out.

  1. The original name for the 2nd movie was "Austin Powers 2: The Wrath of Khan," but the Star Trek influenced title was shot down.

  2. The first version of "Austin Powers in Goldmember" was over 3 hours. Celebrity cameos by Heather Graham and Will Ferrell had to get cut.

  2. Dr. Evil's look is based off of the James Bond villain Blofeld.

  1. Improvisation was widely used in the three movies. A prominent example is the "Shhh" scene.

  1. The 2nd movie in the series "The Spy Who Shagged Me" made more money than the original did in its entire run.

  2. MGM fought back against the "Goldmember" title, due to its clear James Bond influence. As a result, the film's title was briefly removed from all promotional materials.

  2. The teaser trailer for "The Spy Who Shagged Me" was inspired by Star Wars.

  1. Many know that the series was influenced by James Bond, but another source of inspiration is the 1960's BBC series "Adam Adamant Lives," in which a crime fighter is woken up from hibernation in London.

  2. HBO intended to make an Austin Powers cartoon series in 1999, but it never panned out.

  2. Mike Myers had to sit in makeup for 7 hours to become Fat Bastard.

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