Mike Myers to Receive Career Achievement Award at 60th Chicago International Film Festival

Comedy legend and The Second City alumnus Mike Myers is set to receive a Career Achievement Award at the 60th Chicago International Film Festival, running October 16 – 27, 2024, it was announced today. “An Evening with Mike Myers” will be presented on the first Saturday of the Festival, October 19, and will be hosted by fellow comedy legend Dave Foley.

“With his creation of iconic characters from Wayne Campbell to Austin Powers, to performances in SO I MARRIED AN AXE MURDERER to the cross-generational phenomenon that is SHREK, Mike Myers’ incredible career has had an unmistakable influence on comedy, film, and our broader culture,” said Chicago International Film Festival Artistic Director Mimi Plauché. “He is one of the most revered voices in comedy in Hollywood and beyond. With his razor-sharp writing, extraordinary range,, and prodigious talent as a performer, Myers has established a standard of excellence that has been inspiring artists for decades.”

“There couldn’t be a more appropriate comedy genius to celebrate during Second City’s 65th Anniversary year than Mike Myers,” said The Second City Vice President Kelly Leonard. “As an alumnus of both our Chicago and Toronto stages; an incredibly gifted actor, writer and improvisor; and someone whose work serves as a cultural touchstone for generations, we are so proud to celebrate Mike’s lifetime of achievements with our friends at the Chicago International Film Festival.” 

Myers joins a pantheon of previous Career Achievement Award honorees, including Jack Lemmon, Robin Williams, Steven Spielberg, Michael Douglas, Guillermo del Toro, Steve McQueen, Carey Mulligan, Shirley MacLaine, Al Pacino, Ron Howard, Quentin Tarantino, Viggo Mortensen, and Christopher Nolan, among others.

Big Dates Coming Up for CIFF

Further event details will be released in the lead-up to the Festival; the full slate of films and programs comprising the 60th edition of the Chicago International Film Festival will be announced on September 23, 2024. Tickets will go on sale for Cinema/Chicago members on September 24, and will be available to the general public on September 27, 2024.

North America’s longest-running competitive film festival, the 60th Chicago International Film Festival runs October 16 – 27, 2024, unspooling at venues across the city including the AMC NEWCITY 14, the Music Box Theatre, the Gene Siskel Film Center, the Chicago History Museum, the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts at the University of Chicago, and pop-up screenings in partnership with the Chicago Park District.

Mike Myers: From Second City to Austin Powers to Shrek

Mike Myers, one of the most multifaceted performers of his generation, has brought an astonishing array of memorable characters to life in film and television as an actor, director, producer and writer. He is a singular talent in comedy, having created such iconic characters as‎ Wayne Campbell, Austin Powers, Dr. Evil and Shrek.

Myers created, wrote, produced and starred in the record-breaking smash hit, AUSTIN POWERS: INTERNATIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY. Myers portrayal of Austin Powers spawned two sequels, AUSTIN POWERS: THE SPY WHO SHAGGED ME and AUSTIN POWERS: GOLDMEMBER. Myers lent his voice to the title role of Shrek, the beloved green ogre for the DreamWorks animated franchise, which include SHREK, SHREK 2, SHREK THE THIRD, and SHREK FOREVER AFTER. SO I MARRIED AN AXE MURDERER, Myers’ first film following his tenure at SNL, is a cult classic.

Here’s a thoroughly entertaining interview with Myers by Vanity Fair…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGd7lr0T9l8

Myers starred in and executive produced Netflix’s original comedy series THE PENTAVERATE, in which Myers portrays eight major characters across six episodes. He most recently appeared in David O. Russell’s historical drama AMSTERDAM, alongside Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, John David Washington, Robert De Niro and Anya Taylor-Joy. Additional film credits include an appearance in Fox’s critically acclaimed BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY with Rami Malek, in which he played the pugnacious record producer Ray Foster. He also starred as both Clinton and Mr. Franklyn in Vaughn Stein’s thriller TERMINAL alongside Margot Robbie and Simon Pegg.

Myers will once again voice the title role in SHREK 5, the beloved franchise’s return for Universal and DreamWorks Animation, on July 1, 2026. Myers stars with Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz in the much anticipated fifth installment, twenty-five years after the original film’s release.

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