Verne J. Troyer (born January 1, 1969) is an American actor and stunt performer. Troyer is notable for his height of 2 ft 8 in (0.81 m), the result of cartilage–hair hypoplasia dwarfism,[1] making him one of the shortest men in the world. He is best known for playing Mini-Me in the Austin Powers series of comedy films. Contents [hide] * 1 Career * 2 Personal life * 3 Sex tape scandal * 4 Filmography * 5 Television work * 6 References * 7 External links [edit] Career Verne Troyer attending the "Kandy Masquerade" Party at the Playboy Mansion on 02/28/2009 Shortly after his high school graduation in 1987, Verne moved with some friends to Arlington, Texas,[citation needed] where, in 1993, he got his first break into show business as a stunt double for a 9-month-old baby in the film Baby's Day Out (1994). Troyer is best known for his role as "Mini-Me" in the hit comedy Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) and Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002). He has also had roles in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, and The Love Guru. [edit] Personal life Troyer was born in Sturgis, Michigan, the son of Susan, a factory worker, and Reuben Troyer, a repair technician.[2] He has two siblings, Davon and Deborah. He grew up in Centreville, Michigan and graduated from high school in 1986. Troyer reportedly married model Genevieve Gallen on February 22, 2004 but filed for an annulment the next day. Though the couple's engagement was widely reported, Troyer and his attorney deny that the two ever had any formal wedding plans, saying that Gallen had fabricated the entire story for her own financial gain.[3] [edit] Sex tape scandal On June 25 2008, a private home videotape of Troyer and his former live-in girlfriend Ranae Shrider having sex was released, which had been made during the Easter weekend of 2008 at Raffles L’Ermitage hotel,[4] was leaked to the public by Ranae Shrider to TMZ.[5] Kevin Blatt, the man responsible for brokering the deal for the Paris Hilton sex tape in 2003, attempted to sell the video. Troyer sued TMZ, Blatt, and online rental company SugarDVD for invasion of privacy and copyright infringement. [edit] Filmography Troyer at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con International Year Film Role Notes 1994 Baby's Day Out Stuntman first film role as Stuntman 1996 Dunston Checks In Stuntman 1996 Jingle All the Way Stuntman & "little santa" 1996 Pinocchio's Revenge Pinocchio's miniature double first acting film role 1997 Men in Black Alien Son 1997 Volcano Stuntman 1997 RocketMan Stuntman 1997 Wishmaster Creature stage #1 1998 My Giant Wrestler 1998 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas Wee Waiter 1998 The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald: Scared Silly Sundae 1998 Mighty Joe Young Baby Joe 1999 Here Lies Lonely Virgil 1999 Instinct Gorilla Performer 1999 Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me Mini-Me 2000 Mission Imp Ethan Runt 2000 Bit Players Marty Rosenthal 2000 How the Grinch Stole Christmas Band Member 2001 Bubble Boy Dr Phreak 2001 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Griphook the Goblin 2002 Run for the Money Atilla 2002 Austin Powers in Goldmember Mini-Me 2003 Pauly Shore is Dead Himself 2006 The Benchwarmers Himself Cameo appearance 2007 Postal Himself 2007 Drake & Josh Chuck 2008 The Love Guru Coach Punch Cherkov 2008 College Himself 2009 The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Percy [edit] Television work * Masked Rider (1995–1996) (stunts for Paul Pistore) * Shasta McNasty (1999–2000) * Jack of All Trades (2000) – Napoleon Bonaparte * Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (2002) – Angus * Boston Public (2003) – Taylor Prentice (2 episodes) * Karroll's Christmas (2004) * The Girls Next Door (2005) - Himself Episode : Fight Night. * The Surreal Life (cast member in 2005) * Bo! in the USA (2006) * The Surreal Life: Fame Games (2007) * Welcome to Sweden (2007) * Celebrity Juice (2008) - Himself * The Smoking Gun Presents: World's Dumbest... (2008) (Commentator) * The Podge and Rodge Show (2008) - Himself * Celebrity Big Brother (2009) - Himself * Friday Night with Jonathan Ross (2009) - Himself * The Paul O'Grady Show (2009) - Himself Austin Powers is a series of action-comedy films written, produced by and starring Mike Myers as the title character, directed by Jay Roach and distributed by New Line Cinema. The films mainly spoof the James Bond, Derek Flint, Jason King and Matt Helm franchises[citation needed], incorporate myriad other elements of popular culture and follows the British spy's heroic quest to bring the villain Dr. Evil to justice. The films poke fun at the outrageous plots, rampant sexual innuendo, and one-dimensional stock characters characteristically associated with 1960s spy films, as well as the cliché of the ultra-suave male superspy. Contrary to the handsome, super-smooth leading men of the James Bond genre, Powers is not characterized as being conventionally attractive (he is especially known for his bad teeth), although female characters in the films seem to find him irresistible. The general theme of the films is that arch-villain Dr. Evil plots to extort large sums of money from governments or international bodies but is constantly thwarted by British super-spy Austin Powers, and (to a degree) his own inexperience with life and culture in the 1990s. In the first film, he and Dr. Evil are awakened after being cryogenically frozen for 30 years. Continuing to incorporate cultural elements of the 1960s and 1970s, the second and third film features time travel as a plot device and deliberately overlook inconsistencies. Contents [hide] * 1 Original sources * 2 The films o 2.1 Austin Powers 4 * 3 Characters * 4 Cars * 5 Box office reception o 5.1 Charts * 6 Games * 7 See also * 8 References * 9 External links [edit] Original sources Mike Myers himself has stated in interviews that the idea for Austin Powers came to him one night while driving home from ice hockey practice. Hearing the song "The Look of Love" by Burt Bacharach on his car radio, he wondered "Where have all the swingers gone?", and conceived the character who would become Austin Powers. The first phrase he thought the character might say was "Do I make you horny?" which later did indeed become a catch phrase for the character. Myers has also disclosed that the character also draws on his recollections of former Radio Caroline DJ Simon Dee who hosted the first real TV chat show in the UK in 1967 which ended with his driving off in a sports car with a young blonde in the passenger seat. A Canadian by birth, Myers' parents are British and he holds dual nationality. Although the films parody the plots and characters of 1960s spy movies, the humour is influenced by Myers' British heritage particularly the Carry On films, Benny Hill and Peter Sellers of whom Myers is a self-confessed fan (his favourite films being the Bond spoof Casino Royale and The Party). Influences from Sellers' films are apparent throughout the series with the character of Austin Powers being inspired by Seller's portrayal of Roger Danvers in the 1972 film There's a Girl in My Soup. Powers' dandyish appearance is inspired by Jason King - the adventurer from Department S who starred in his eponymous spin-off show. The name Austin Powers is probably inspired by the British Austin brand of motorcar. Other influences are The Beatles films, The Monkees television series and the cocktail party scene from Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. [edit] The films The series so far consists of the following films : * 1997 - Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery * 1999 - Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me * 2002 - Austin Powers in Goldmember An early draft of the first film's script features a post-credits scene that states "SEE AUSTIN POWERS IN YOU ONLY FLOSS ONCE", and also advertises movies such as Middle Name: Danger (which is supposed to be set in the 1950s, and made to reflect that it was made at that time), Four Eyes Only (a supposed 1970s film where Austin is played by Roger Moore), and From India With Affection (where Austin is portrayed as an Indian gentleman). None of these movies are real, of course, furthering the Bond parody theme of the series as a whole.[1] [edit] Austin Powers 4 During a 2005 interview on Entertainment Weekly,[2] Mike Myers discussed the possibility of studio sources moving forward with a fourth Austin Powers film. "There is hope!" says Myers of the latter. "We're all circling and talking to each other. I miss doing the characters." In an interview with IGN (May 16, 2007),[3] IGN asked, "So no more Austin Powers?" and Myers said, "No, no, there is a fully conceived idea for a fourth and I can just say that it's from Dr. Evil's point of view. So if you balanced how much of it was Austin with Dr. Evil, it's more about Dr. Evil than Austin." In mid-February it was announced that Roach will return for this film. In May 2007, at the Shrek the Third premiere, Mike Myers announced that a fourth Austin Powers film is planned but that it would focus more on Dr. Evil than Austin himself, and will include Will Ferrell, Adam Sandler and Vince Vaughn. He also said that he'd be starting work on it after he starts work on another film project, The Love Guru, in August 2007.[4] It was also thought that Gisele Bündchen had been offered a role in the film.[5] Myers recently stated in an interview with TV Guide Network that he plans to begin serious work on the fourth installment in the Austin Powers series. Confirming earlier reports, Myers again stated that the upcoming film would be from the point of view of Dr. Evil, Austin Powers' twin brother.[citation needed] In a June 2008 interview, when asked about another Austin Powers film, Myers stated, "I have an idea, and again it's one of those things that will emerge or it won't."[citation needed] In September 2009 Verne Troyer (Mini-Me) stated on UK chat show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross that Myers had been putting pen to paper on a fourth movie.

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2. stand up comedy tips says:

   January 27, 2010 at 8:33 am

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