Miranda Cosgrove

Miranda Taylor Cosgrove is an American actress, singer-songwriter, and producer who gained prominence as a teen idol during the 2000s and early 2010s. She is best known for her television roles on Nickelodeon and for voicing Margo in the animated Despicable Me film franchise. Over her career, Cosgrove has received four Kids' Choice Awards, a Daytime Emmy Award nomination, and recognition as the highest-paid child actor of 2012 by Guinness World Records. She was also featured on Forbes' "30 Under 30" list in 2022.

Cosgrove was born on May 14, 1993, in Long Beach, California, to Tom Cosgrove, a dry-cleaning business owner, and Chris Cosgrove, a homemaker. She is an only child of Irish, English, French, Mexican, and Ashkenazi Jewish descent. Homeschooled from the sixth grade onward, Cosgrove originally aspired to become a veterinarian. At age three, she was discovered by a talent agent while singing and dancing at a Los Angeles restaurant. She subsequently appeared in television commercials for brands such as McDonald's and Mello Yello, modeled, and began auditioning for theater and television roles at age seven.

Her acting debut occurred in 2001 when she provided the voice of young Lana Lang in the pilot episode of Smallville. She made her feature film debut as Summer Hathaway in the 2003 comedy School of Rock, which was a critical and box office success. Cosgrove achieved her breakout television role in 2004 when she was cast as Megan Parker in the Nickelodeon sitcom Drake & Josh, a role she played until 2007. During this period, she also appeared in films such as Yours, Mine & Ours and Keeping Up with the Steins, and voiced a character in Here Comes Peter Cottontail: The Movie.

In 2007, Cosgrove achieved mainstream breakthrough success starring as the title character Carly Shay on the Nickelodeon sitcom iCarly. She made her musical debut performing four songs for the show's soundtrack, including its theme song, "Leave It All to Me." She released her debut extended play, About You Now, in 2009, followed by her debut studio album, Sparks Fly, in 2010. The album peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200 chart, and its lead single "Kissin U" was certified gold. Cosgrove released a second EP, High Maintenance, in 2011 and launched the Dancing Crazy Tour.

Beginning in 2010, Cosgrove voiced Margo in the Despicable Me animated franchise, reprising the role in sequels including Despicable Me 2, Despicable Me 3, and Despicable Me 4. She starred in independent films such as The Intruders, 3022, and North Hollywood, and appeared in the sitcom Crowded. Since 2019, she has hosted the CBS television series Mission Unstoppable with Miranda Cosgrove. From 2021 to 2023, she reprised her role and served as an executive producer for the iCarly revival series on Paramount+. Her recent film roles include Drugstore June, Mother of the Bride, and The Wrong Paris.

In her personal life, Cosgrove earned a degree in psychology from the University of Southern California. She actively supports charitable organizations, serving as a national spokesperson for Light the Night Walk and supporting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Education Through Music, and local children's hospitals.