Besides its hilarious humor and clever parodies, every film in the Austin Powers trilogy was also filled with a host of surprising cameos. Starting with the release of Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery in 1997, the James Bond parody series was able to pull in plenty of big names to add their star power to the popular films. Coming from all areas of the entertainment industry, the secret agent was joined by the likes of famous actors, singers, and various other media personalities who were willing to show their sillier side on the big screen. With those cameos, the Austin Powers films became a crucial part of '00s pop culture.
Although the first film only had a single cameo, the second and third films were a lot more memorable as it saw an increasing number of surprise appearances (with Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002) awash with cameos). Whether they were popular musicians like Willie Nelson and Burt Bacharach or media personalities like Katie Couric, the cameos in the Austin Powers films made them some of the most entertaining and star-studded movies of their time. They also served to enhance the humor of the film as well since a perfectly timed celebrity appearance was often used to accentuate one of the series' many running gags.
Carrie Fisher (Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery)
The first Austin Powers film was rather subdued compared to its over-the-top sequels, and it only featured a few celebrity cameos, including Star Wars' Carrie Fisher. The legendary Princess Leia actor appeared in a brief but hilarious scene as a therapist who counsels Scott and Dr. Evil as they attempt to reconcile their difficult father-and-son relationship. Fisher tackled the scene perfectly straight and didn't distract from Seth Green and Mike Myers while they stole the show in their respective roles. Her surprising cameo was one of the many elements that helped make the first Austin Powers movie a success.
Burt Bacharach (Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery)
The legendary crooner Burt Bacharach would become a fixture of the Austin Powers trilogy and would actually make a small appearance in every single film. While Austin attempted to woo Vanessa after enjoying a night on the town, Bacharach is introduced playing the piano on the top of a double-decker bus. Funny musician cameos in movies aren't anything new, but Bacharach's signature rendition of "What the World Needs Now" has become a well-remembered part of the Austin Powers franchise. Hailing from the decade of the '60s, like Powers himself, Bacharach would later appear alongside Elvis Costello in The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) before appearing again in Goldmember.
Jerry Springer (Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me)
The former politician-turned-TV host Jerry Springer was one of the most prevalent media personalities in the late-'90s and early-'00s, and his Jerry Springer Show was often must-see TV. Playing himself while hosting his infamous program, Springer appeared in The Spy Who Shagged Me in a parody of one of his most popular talk show segments. Springer had a natural talent for the screen as evidenced by the success of his talk show, and he was extremely natural onscreen, unlike many non-actors who try theatrics. Unfortunately, the Jerry Springer Show parody only helped to date the film, and The Spy Who Shagged Me was a product of its time.
Rebecca Romijn (Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me)
In one of the series' most conspicuous cameos, model and actor Rebecca Romijn had a small but hilarious part in The Spy Who Shagged Me. During the photoshoot scene, Romijn appeared as one of the models who acted out silly scenarios as Austin snapped photos. Romijn was still a year away from her breakout role as Mystique in X-Men (2000) and her Austin Powers cameo drew more from her established modeling career than her burgeoning acting one. Cameos in the series were almost always very overt, but Romijn's blink-and-you-miss-it appearance only got bigger after she broke out as an actor.
Woody Harrelson (Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me)
Austin Powers was filled with underrated jokes, but those less-known gags were balanced out by a slew of running gags that returned for each sequel. The flying phallic object joke was an opportunity for the film to stuff in a bunch of one-off cameos, with one scene seeing Woody Harrelson get his 15 minutes of Austin Powers fame when he appeared as himself surrounded by a gaggle of adoring fans. Despite his serious roles, Harrelson's performances are often tinged with humor which made him a perfect candidate to lend his face, and name, to one of the funniest jokes in the franchise.
Tim Robbins (Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me)
Casting an American president is a tricky business, and for its Commander in Chief, The Spy Who Shagged Me, tapped a celebrated dramatist. Tim Robbins, an actor known for his drama and his comedy, stepped into the role of the president, who was tasked with handling the demands of the criminal mastermind, Dr. Evil. While the part was small, it was expertly executed by Robbins who was able to be stately and cowardly in equal measure as the script demanded. Less of a one-off cameo than an unrecognized bit part, Robbins had no problem getting in on the humor of the film and played the president like he was the star.
Willie Nelson (Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me)
Not content with merely featuring a lounge legend like Burt Bacharach, The Spy Who Shagged Me also featured a cameo from the Red Headed Stranger himself, Willie Nelson. Known as one of country music's biggest stars, Nelson's cross-cultural appeal, and name, made him the perfect celebrity to appear during the phallic joke montage. The film equates Willie's name with what the other characters saw in the sky, and Nelson goes along with the joke with perfect aplomb. Having acted before, Nelson was no outlaw in Hollywood and gave a performance as himself that transcended a simple celebrity walk-on cameo appearance.
Austinpussy Cameos (Austin Powers In Goldmember)
Closing out the third film in the trilogy, Austin is treated to a screening of a new film based on his life, and the cast of the film-within-a-film was packed with celebrity appearances. The Austin Powers surrogate for Austinpussy was none other than Tom Cruise. Considering Tom Cruise's sway in Hollywood even today, the fact that he appeared at all was a shock. He was joined onscreen by Gwyneth Paltrow, who played one of Austin's many love interests, John Travolta as Goldmember, and even the now-maligned Kevin Spacey as Dr. Evil. Finally, Danny DeVito's cameo as Mini Me showed the veteran had a good sense of humor.
Steven Spielberg (Austin Powers In Goldmember)
Like the closing sequence of the film, the opening credits scene also featured a full slate of Hollywood cameos. After revealing that the beginning of the film was actually a film production itself, Austin Powers is then seen being close friends with legendary director Steven Spielberg. The E.T. (1982) and Jurassic Park (1993) director was seen orchestrating the opening credits, and his early cameo is only a preview of the star-studded affair that Goldmember would be. Spielberg didn't direct the film of course, but his humorous cameo is used as a clever joke to imply that he did.
Quincy Jones (Austin Powers In Goldmember)
Although Steven Spielberg's opening credits cameo was just a joke, the sudden appearance of music legend Quincy Jones actually had a connection to the Austin Powers franchise itself. The Grammy award-winning producer didn't compose music specifically for the score, but his classic tune, "Soul Bossa Nova," was co-opted and used as the main theme for the entire trilogy. Austin approached Jones as he conducted an orchestra and planted a big kiss on his cheek for the important contribution that Jones' song made to all three Austin Powers movies. Powers spoke directly to the audience and informed them that Jones helped him find his mojo, presumably through his amazing tune.
Britney Spears (Austin Powers In Goldmember)
Undoubtedly the biggest pop star at the time of Goldmember's 2002 release, Britney Spears' cameo was perhaps the biggest coup of the entire trilogy. Making his way through the backlot, Austin accidentally busted in while Britney was filming the video for her song "Boys", where the singer then gets in a dance battle with Powers. She is eventually revealed to be a fembot, and Powers is forced to dispatch her the same way he did in the previous films. Britney Spears' cameo alone was enough to make the opening memorable, but the hilarious nature of her appearance set the movie off on the right foot.
Katie Couric (Austin Powers In Goldmember)
Katie Couric has been one of the most respected broadcasters for decades, and her strange cameo in Goldmember was hilarious because of how random it was. During the prison scene when Frau Farbissina visited Dr. Evil to help him escape, the celebrated journalist appeared under heavy makeup as a no-nonsense prison guard. Practically unrecognizable in her brief cameo, Couric tried her hand at acting and was quite successful considering the fact that she slipped by practically unnoticed. While most celebrities who appeared in the series played themselves, Couric stepped out of her comfort zone and inhabited an original character.
Nathan Lane (Austin Powers In Goldmember)
Along with him portraying heroes, Nathan Lane's has also played unlikely villains on occasion as well. His small part in Goldmember wasn't a cameo that took advantage of his celebrity, but instead put his rubber-faced theatrics on display in one of the movie's most humorous small moments. While Foxy and Austin attempted to secretly communicate at Goldmember's club, Lane played an intermediary who tried to mouth the words that the others were saying. While Lane himself never spoke, his charming pantomime was a brilliant piece of physical comedy that couldn't have been pulled off by just any day player.
The Osbourne Family (Austin Powers In Goldmember)
Most known for his singing career, classic rocker Ozzy Osbourne found new life on TV in the early-'00s as his family was the subject of a popular reality show. Taking advantage of the dual celebrity of the Osbourne clan, Goldmember featured a cameo from the family as they watched television and reacted to the mysterious flying object that resembled a piece of human anatomy. Paying off the running gag perfectly, the joke was given a punctuation when Ozzy flatly stated what the object looked like instead of using innuendo. If another Austin Powers film does ever get made, cameos will no doubt be a big part of its appeal.