Summary

• Mike Myers' cameo in Inglourious Basterds was essential for Lt. Hicox's introduction and added comedic flair to the film's intense storyline.
• Myers played General Ed Fenech with a hilarious deadpan delivery of Tarantino's witty lines, bringing a unique charm to his short-lived role.
• Although Myers' appearance in the film was brief, it showcased his versatility as an actor and added an unexpected twist to the star-studded cast.

Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds featured a special cameo appearance by comedy icon Mike Myers. Inglourious Basterds revolves around a squad of Jewish-American soldiers deep behind enemy lines at the height of World War II on a mission to obtain as many "Nazi scalps" as possible. Inglourious Basterds was released in 2009 to stellar reviews and a healthy box-office haul to the tune of $321 million worldwide. Tarantino attracted a variety of top performers to the Inglourious Basterds cast, including Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender and a breakout role for Christoph Waltz as the despicable Colonel Hans Landa.

Fassbender's character in the film Lt. Archie Hicox is quite short-lived as he only appears in three scenes - and the brief Mike Myers Inglourious Basterds cameo was essential to his introduction. Recruited by Winston Churchill himself, former film critic Hicox is sent deep behind enemy lines to pose as a German and make contact with both the Basterds and German film star/Allied spy Bridget von Hammersmark. Before he undergoes his mission, which ends in a bloody Mexican shootout and one of the best setpieces in Inglourious Basterds, he obtains his briefing from Mike Myers' General Fenech.

Mike Myers Plays General Fenech In Inglourious Basterds

The Austin Powers Actor Tapped Into His Penchant For Exaggerated Britishness

Inglourious Basterds found Mike Myers under some old-age make-up in the role of General Ed Fenech. Giving Hicox his marching orders for 'Operation Kino' — whilst Winston Churchill sits ominously in the corner — Fenech is a posh, whiskey-swilling career General with an array of medals adorning his chest. Myers' spouts such brilliant Tarantino-written lines as "...we have all our rotten eggs in one basket. The objective of Operation Kino: blow up the basket" with the kind of scenery-chewing effect that fans have come to expect from the comedian.

General Ed Fenech is also based on George Sanders, a classic British film actor who was perhaps most well-known for 1945's The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Mike Myers' character is named for Italian scream queen Edwige Fenech, who ultimately quit acting in 2015. In 2007 she made an appearance in Eli Roth's Hostel: Part II and Roth — a friend of Tarantino's — appears in Inglourious Basterds as Donny Donowitz, AKA the 'Bear Jew'. General Ed Fenech is also based on George Sanders, a classic British film actor who was perhaps most well-known for 1945's The Picture of Dorian Gray. The stiff upper lip and scenery-chewing is a nod to Sanders.

This Isn't Mike Myers' Only Seemingly Random Cameo

Inglourious Basterds Is One Of Several Short-But-Memorable Appearances From The Character Comedian

Sadly Mike Myers only appears for one small scene in Inglourious Basterds; a pleasant surprise, given that no one would ever expect Quentin Tarantino to cast Myers — the voice of Shrek — in one of his movies. However, this is not the only time the Austin Powers star has turned up for a short yet memorable cameo in a movie.

Myers appeared for an equally heavily made-over cameo in Queen-biopic Bohemian Rhapsody in 2018 as Ray Foster, a record executive who doesn't like the sound of the titular power ballad. This cameo was also a nod to his role in Wayne's World. Foster remarks that Bohemian Rhapsody isn't a song that "teenagers can crank up the volume and bang their heads to" — a hilariously meta-comment, given that this is exactly what Wayne and Garth do in one of Wayne's World's most memorable scenes.

Prior to Inglourious Basterds, Myers would also make small but notable appearances in movies where he wasn't the main star, but where his unique brand of character comedy made for some incredibly memorable scenes. For example, in the 1992 sports comedy Mystery, Alaska, Myers had a scene as Donnie Shulzhoffer. While Mystery, Alaska failed to make waves, Myers' quote of "hey, do you know where a guy can get a rub and a tug around here?" delivered in total earnestness to a shocked Hank Azaria has gone on to become perhaps more well-known than the movie itself.