by Mark Hudis

Video clip: On breaking out the big guns with Hurley QuickTime | AVI | Don't Know

Mike Myers is no character actor, but he is an actor with plenty of characters. In fact, when he turns on the juice, he's the male Sybil--on much less medication.

In the course of casual conversation, Myers can transform himself instantly, effortlessly and hilariously into Wayne Campbell, the king of schwing. Or Dieter, the monkey man from "Sprockets." Or Linda Richman, the one-woman Barbra Streisand fan club.

These days, Myers' most favored guise is Austin Powers, International Man of Mystery. Powers--a high-fashion photographer by day, a British secret agent by night--is a lovable throwback to the Swingin' '60s who's been unleashed on the uptight '90s.

In his crushed-velvet suit, bell-bottoms and social-medicine glasses, the time-warped, thawed-out Powers is out to "shag" every "bird" he meets. It's left to Elizabeth Hurley--doing her best Emma Peel--to update Powers and help him battle the modern-day forces of evil.

The 33-year-old Myers, who was born in Canada to British parents, sees Austin Powers as his tribute to the high-flying, questionably attired era of Carnaby Street and James Bond.

It's also a way for him to extend the line of Saturday Night Live stars who've burned their various incarnations into the retinas and vocabularies of pop culture. Will Austin measure up? If he does--and the odds are good--that'll be just groovy, baby.