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Why New 'Austin Powers' Movies Won't Be The Same Without Mini-Me

Why New 'Austin Powers' Movies Won't Be The Same Without Mini-Me

RIP Verne Troyer

Rachael Grealish

Rachael Grealish

It's been a pretty exciting week for fans of the Austin Powers film series, as star and creator Mike Myers announced that the upcoming fourth film is 'looking good' - but amidst all the excitement it's easy to forget one vital character will be missing - Mini-Me.

New Line Cinema

The character of Mini-Me, played by Verne Troyer, was introduced in the second film, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me in 1999, and instantly became such a popular character among audiences that script writers made changes to the film's ending after test screenings, amending the part where the character was scheduled to be killed off.

With Myers doubling up as Powers and his nemesis Dr Evil, Mini-Me was the supervillain's clone that ended up being 1/8 his size - the pair were the ultimate double act and confirmed on an episode of Oprah a few years ago that much of the time they would ad-lib and improvise while on set with each other.

In fact, Troyer often stole the show without speaking even once during the films.

Tragically, the actor passed away earlier this year, at the age of 49. It was confirmed in October that the actor had taken his own life.

At the time of Troyer's death, Myers paid tribute to his co-star, saying: "Verne's legacy is that he was a fantastic comedy actor.

PA

"We wrote it and the part wasn't much, and he made it definitely better. He was a great stuntman, a great dancer, a great mime and a great human being."

The pair also acted alongside each other in the third Austin Powers film and in the 2008 film The Love Guru.

In life Troyer was 2ft 8in tall and suffered from a condition known as cartilage-hair hypoplasia. was one of the shortest men in the world - but this didn't stop him from becoming an incredible comedy actor.

A sufferer of the condition known as cartilage-hair hypoplasiais, Troyer's most recent work was on the bgo.com television advertisements, often staring alongside socialite Paris Hilton.

An amazing performer, Troyer's take on Mini-Me was a clear high point of the films - Myers even said the actor did a lot of his own stunts.

He said: "Verne's legacy is that he was a fantastic comedy actor. We wrote it and the part wasn't much, and he made it definitely better. He was a great stuntman, a great dancer, a great mime and a great human being."

It's a performance that makes him irreplaceable - in fact, it's difficult to really imagine the films without him. Things won't be the same in the world of Austin Powers, that's for sure.

But even after his tragic death and the knowledge he won't feature in Austin Powers 4, he certainly won't be forgotten by his fellow actors - and definitely not by his fans, who loved every performance they were lucky enough to witness.

RIP Verne Troyer.

Featured Image Credit: New Line Cinema/PA

Topics: TV and Film, Celebrity, News, Mike Myers