By Christian Mignot

One of the trademarks of Mike Meyers’ “Austin Powers” spy-movie spoofs is Dr. Evil’s terrible over-the-top laugh, produced every time the hero’s arch-nemesis hatches a diabolical plan.

Josh Zuckerman, who once lived in Los Altos and was a member of the Los Altos Youth Theater, had plenty of time to rehearse this evil laugh before it was unleashed on the world in the third and latest installment of the series, “Austin Powers in Goldmember.”

Zuckerman, who just turned 17, played the role of the Young Dr. Evil. He performed alongside famous funnyman Meyers, acting legend Michael Caine and pop singer Beyonce Knowles.

“That was definitely the ultimate character role,” Zuckerman said, “and I had a lot of fun with it.”

Zuckerman grew up in Los Altos, attending Bullis-Purissima Elementary School, then Egan Junior High for a year. He moved to Los Angeles at 14 to pursue his acting career and soon started landing television roles.

Zuckerman spent four years with LAYT, starting in 1994. His first role was a minor character in “Nicholas Nickleby.”

“I remember I was a street rat who went begging for porridge from one of the more important characters,” he said.

Zuckerman subsequently performed in other local plays, such as “Dark Deeds at Swan Place,” “Lifelines” and “The Clumsy Custard Horror Show.” In the latter, he played the evil villain - Zuckerman’s first preparation for his latest role.

Although “Goldmember” is his first major feature film, Zuckerman is by no means a new face in Hollywood. He has appeared on several TV shows, including “The West Wing,” “Judging Amy” and “The Ellen Show.” His most challenging role came on “NYPD Blue” earlier this year, when he played a sexually abused child.

“That was probably the most difficult role I have received so far,” he said. “It was the meatiest part I ever had and I worked a lot on my character.”

Zuckerman has also acted in a few made-for-TV movies, beginning in 2000 with “Geppeto,” starring Drew Carey and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

“It was actually a musical, so there was a lot of singing and choreography involved,” Zuckerman said. “I was given the role of Boy 1, and I had to run onto the set and speak my one-liner.”

Since then, he has played roles in several independent films, as well as short films produced by students enrolled at the University of Southern California Film School. But none of those roles was as high profile as his part in “Goldmember.”

The role has earned Zuckerman the nickname “Dr. Evil” among his friends and high school classmates in Los Angeles.

“The funniest part of the role was shaving my hair off,” he said. “I loved the look on my mother’s face when it was being cut on set.”

Zuckerman’s next role is as the lead in the one-act theater production “Women and Wallace.” He is the only male in a cast featuring seven female actors. He said the play is “very fun.”