When Shrek hit theaters on May 18, 2001—25 years ago today—it flipped the fairy-tale formula on its head, replacing polished princes and perfect princesses with an unlikely cast of unforgettable misfits. The movie—a parody with a heartfelt message about self-acceptance—stuck the landing in large part thanks to its all-star voice cast, including Mike Myers as Shrek, Cameron Diazas Princess Fiona and Eddie Murphy as Donkey.
All three actors returned for the franchise’s sequels, Shrek 2 (2004), Shrek the Third (2007) and Shrek Forever After (2010), and they’re set to reprise their roles for the fifth installment due out next year.
“I love the theme of ‘You are beautiful to me,’” Myers once told Vulture. “Because, listen, I’ve never traded on my looks. I’m a comedy actor, I’m not like Rob Lowe … I always thought, 'What if I could play a guy who learns to love himself and find himself beautiful?' I can really connect to that.”
Keep reading to find out what the stars of Shrek (and its sequels) have been up to since the original movie premiered—plus, who will be back for more.
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‘Shrek’ Turns 25: Where Is the Voice Cast Now?
Mike Myers as Shrek
Mike Myers will return for the fifth installment of Shrek.Photo by Julian Hamilton on Getty Images
By the time Myers was cast as Shrek, he was already one of the biggest comedy stars in the world with a seven-season run on Saturday Night Liveand two massive franchises (Wayne's World and Austin Powers) under his belt.
He famously wielded that power on the set of Shrek when he insisted to DreamWorks Pictures co-founders Jeffrey Katzenberg andSteven Spielberg that he re-record his part in a Scottish accent rather than the Canadian one he went with initially.
“I said [to Katzenberg], ‘Let me just try it one more time,’” Myers recalled in an interview with Vulture. “He said, ‘It’s gonna cost millions.’ I said, ‘I’m not getting paid more to do this. Let’s do it.’ We did it, and later on, I got a letter from Steven Spielberg saying, ‘Thank you so much for caring.’ It’s framed in my house.”
After Shrek, Myers continued voicing the character through multiple sequels while also starring in films like The Cat in the Hat and The Love Guru. He’s also taken on dramatic supporting roles in such movies as Inglorious Basterds and Bohemian Rhapsody. In 2022, he returned to television with the Netflix miniseries The Pentaverate, and in 2027, he'll be back as Shrek for the fifth movie in the franchise.
Myers married Kelly Tisdale in 2010, and the couple share three children.
Related: Comedy Legend Mike Myers Is Now a Full Silver Fox, and We’re Here for It
Cameron Diaz as Princess Fiona
Cameron Diaz is married Good Charlotte's Benji Madden in 2015.Photo by Kristina Bumphrey on Getty Images
Diaz was already one of the biggest actresses in Hollywood when she voiced Princess Fiona, and that didn’t change after Shrek premiered — at least not right away. In the first ten or so years that followed, she starred in The Holiday, My Sister’s Keeper and Bad Teacher, to name just a handful of her films. Then, after appearing in 2014’s Annie, she stepped away from acting for nearly a decade.
Speaking at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit, Diaz said that taking a break “felt like something I had to do to reclaim my own life. And I just really didn’t care about anything else.”
“Nobody’s opinion, nobody’s success, no one’s offer, no one’s anything could change my mind about my decision of taking care of myself and building the life that I really wanted to have,” she added. “It really comes to: What are you passionate about? For me, it was to build my family.”
Diaz married Benji Madden of Good Charlotte in 2015 and the couple shares three children, the third of whom they welcomed via surrogate in 2026.
In recent years, the Mask star returned to acting with movies—including Back In Action and Outcome, and she has a lineup of pictures due out over the next few years, including Shrek 5.
Related: Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden Welcome Third Baby
Eddie Murphy as Donkey
Eddie Murphy's Donkey is a fan favorite.Photo by Michael Kovac on Getty Images
When Eddie Murphy signed on to voice Donkey, he was already a comedy legend. Still, Shrek introduced him to an entirely new generation of fans, many of whom counted Donkey as their favorite character from the movie. (Even Myers gushes over him. “I love Donkey so much. I want Donkey to live in my house,” he’s said.)
Following Shrek, Murphy earned an Oscar nomination for Dreamgirls and later returned to beloved franchises with Coming 2 America and Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. He was also the subject of an authorized documentary, Being Eddie, on Netflix, and he'll return as Donkey for Shrek 5.
Murphy has 10 children and married Australian modelPaige Butcher, with whom he shares two of those kids, in 2024. He was previously married to Nicole Murphy, with whom he has five children.
John Lithgow as Lord Farquaad
In 2026, John Lithgow garnered a Tony Award nomination for his performance in GIANT on Broadway.Photo by Kristina Bumphrey on Getty Images
Before voicing insecure villain Lord Farquaad, Lithgow was already considered one of the most respected actors of his generation — on Broadway (The Changing Room), in film (Terms of Endearment) and on TV (3rd Rock from the Sun).
After Shrek, Lithgow continued to master the form, most memorably with Emmy-winning roles on Dexter and The Crown, as well as with funny guest turns on How I Met Your Motherand 30 Rock. On the big-screen, he appeared in movies such as Bombshell and Conclave. (Unfortunately, he wasn’t in the Shrek sequels because his character got killed off by the end of the first one.)
The 80-year-old actor is currently wowing Broadway audiences with his role as Roald Dahl in the play GIANT, which runs through June 28, 2026. The part earned him a Tony nomination for Best Actor in a Play.
He’ll next be seen as Albus Dumbledore in the upcoming HBO Harry Potter series.
Lithgow has been married to UCLA professor Mary Yeager since 1981, and they share two children.
Vincent Cassel as Monsieur Hood
Vincent Cassel at the 2026 Cannes Film FestivalPhoto by Mondadori Portfolio on Getty Images
French actor Vincent Cassel had already built a strong international reputation when he voiced Monsieur Hood in Shrek, delivering intense performances in movies like La Haine.
After turning in a brief-but-memorable Robin Hood parody in Shrek, Cassel continued working steadily in both European and Hollywood productions, appearing in Ocean's Twelve and Thirteen, Black Swan and Westworld, among other projects.
Cassel was married to actress Monica Bellucci from 1999 to 2013, and they share two daughters. He later remarried model Tina Kunakey and welcomed another daughter, but the couple split in 2023.
Conrad Vernon as Gingerbread Man
Conrad Vernon is an accomplished voice actor and film director.Photo by Variety on Getty Images
Unlike many of the celebrity voices in Shrek, Conrad Vernon came from the animation world itself. Before voicing the Gingerbread Man — better known as Gingy — he worked as a storyboard artist and animator at DreamWorks Animation.
After the film’s success, Vernon continued taking voice roles in projects like Bee Movie, Monsters vs. Aliens and The Emoji Movie, but he also became a prolific director in the field, helming such movies as Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted and Sausage Party.
Julie Andrews as Queen Lillian
We won't be seeing Julie Andrews (Queen Lillian) in Shrek 5.Photo by Steve Granitz on Getty Images
Julie Andrews, star of Mary Poppins,The Sound of Music and The Princess Diaries, was Hollywood royalty before she joined the Shrek franchise as Queen Lillian in Shrek 2, Shrek the Third and Shrek Forever After — and she remains Hollywood royalty to this day.
After bringing Fiona’s mother to life in the Shrek sequels, she continued voice acting with roles in the Despicable Me franchise, Aquaman and Bridgerton, to name just a few. She’s also rumored to be returning for an unconfirmed third installment of The Princess Diaries. Alas, she’s not signed on for Shrek 5.
She was married to acclaimed director Blake Edwards from 1969 until his death in 2010 and has three daughters, including one with her first husband, Tony Walton.
John Cleese as King Harold
John Cleese will launch his new tour in October 2026.Photo by Karwai Tang on Getty Images
As co-founder of the Monty Python comedy troupe, John Cleese was a comedy legend when he joined the Shrek universe.
Since lending his dry wit and upper-crust British sarcasm to the film’s sequels (with the exception of Shrek 5, which he’s not set to star in), he’s popped up in projects ranging from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone to The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run. He also continues to tour, delivering the same sort of biting commentary that made him famous in the late ‘60s. (His upcoming 2026 tour is called “Not Dead Yet!”)
In his personal life, Cleese has been married four times and has two daughters—including comedian Camilla Cleese.
Antonio Banderas as Puss in Boots
Antonio Banderas enjoyed leading the Puss in Boots franchise.Photo by Stefano Guidi on Getty Images
Antonio Banderas joined the franchise in Shrek 2 as the scene-stealing Puss in Boots, a character so popular that he eventually starred in his own spinoff films, including Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, which earned critical acclaim and an Oscar nomination.
Outside the Shrek universe, Banderas has remained a busy leading man—starring in films like The Legend of Zorro, Pain and Glory, Uncharted and Babygirl. Much to fans’ disappointment, however, he revealed in 2025 that he had not been contacted to return for Shrek 5.
“Puss in Boots did very well. Number two got a nomination for the Oscar, and the movie behaved beautifully at the box office,” he told Parade in February 2025. “But I am totally satisfied with the five Puss in Boots that I did. I don’t know what is going to happen in the future. Maybe they [will] call me tomorrow.”
Banderas was married to actress Melanie Griffith from 1996 to 2015, and they share daughter Stella Banderas. He has since been in a long-term relationship with Nicole Kimpel.
Jennifer Saunders as Fairy Godmother
Jennifer Saunders in 2025Photo by Sébastien Courdji on Getty Images
Long before she belted out “Holding Out for a Hero” in Shrek 2, Saunders was best known in the U.K. as the co-creator and star of the sitcomAbsolutely Fabulous. After Shrek, she wrote and starred in a 2016 feature film adaptation of the star-making series.
She also continued voice acting with roles in Coraline, Minions, Sing and Sing 2.
She’s been married to comedian Adrian Edmondson since 1985, and the pair share three daughters.
Rupert Everett as Prince Charming
We first met Everett's Prince Charming in Shrek 2.Photo by Daniele Venturelli on Getty Images
When Everett signed on to play Prince Charming in Shrek 2 and Shrek the Third, he was already known for films like My Best Friend's Wedding and An Ideal Husband.
Since his turn as the vain and entitled prince, he’s appeared in series including Black Mirror, The Musketeers, TheSerpent Queen and Rivals.
In 2018, Everett took on one of his most personal projects yet: The Happy Prince, a biographical drama about Oscar Wilde that he wrote and directed.
He exchanged vows with his longtime partner, a Brazilian accountant named Henrique, in 2024.
Next: Everything to Know About 'Shrek 5'
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