The Despicable Me cast is full of A-list stars playing its lovable animated characters. The movie revolves around a supervillain named Gru, who adopts three girls in a bid to steal the Moon and ends up feeling more fulfilled by fatherhood than evildoing. Despicable Me was a big enough hit to launch a blockbuster franchise. Gru became an endearing character that fans would follow in multiple sequels, and the Minions, introduced in the first of the Despicable Me movies, have become a cultural sensation, headlining their own spinoff movies. Those now-classic characters were brought to life by a fantastic cast of voice actors.
Despicable Me was the first feature-length production mounted by Illumination Entertainment, the animation studio that went on to spearhead the Sing and Secret Life of Pets franchises. It was an immediate hit with both critics and audiences, putting Illumination on the map alongside Pixar and DreamWorks Animation. Part of what attracted audiences to the original movie was its star-studded voice cast. Here's a guide to those actors and which characters they play in Despicable Me.
Steve Carell As Gru
Gru, the supervillain who wants to steal the Moon in Despicable Me, is voiced by Steve Carell. The actor best known for playing the highly quotable Michael Scott on The Office got his break as a movie star with the titular role of Andy Stitzer in The 40-Year-Old Virgin. He also played Brick Tamland in the Anchorman movies and the title roles in Evan Almighty and Get Smart. Carell delivered dramatic performances in Little Miss Sunshine, The Big Short, and Beautiful Boy and earned an Oscar nomination for portraying murderer John Eleuthère du Pont in Foxcatcher. He returned to TV to play disgraced anchor Mitch Kessler in The Morning Show.
Miranda Cosgrove As Margo
Miranda Cosgrove lends her voice to the Despicable Me cast as Margo, the oldest and most responsible of Gru’s adopted daughters. Cosgrove made her acting debut as band manager and class factotum Summer Hathaway opposite Jack Black in School of Rock. She became a globally recognized star with her Nickelodeon roles as Megan Parker in Drake & Josh and Carly Shay in iCarly. As a singer and songwriter, Cosgrove released the albums Sparks Fly and High Maintenance, plus the iCarly soundtrack, which marked her first foray into music.
Jason Segel As Vector
Vector, a long-time rival of Gru who successfully stole the Great Pyramid of Giza, is played by Jason Segel. The actor is best known for playing Marshall Eriksen in How I Met Your Mother and Nick Andopolis among the cast of Freaks and Geeks. He wrote and starred in the acclaimed rom-com Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which led to lead roles in I Love You, Man and Bad Teacher. Segel worked on more scripts for himself to star in, like The Muppets and The Five-Year Engagement, and earned widespread acclaim and an Independent Spirit Award nomination for his portrayal of author David Foster Wallace in The End of the Tour.
Russell Brand As Dr. Nefario
Russell Brand’s voice can be heard in the Despicable Me cast in the role of Gru’s elderly assistant, Dr. Nefario. Brand previously played rock star Aldous Snow in Forgetting Sarah Marshall and its Aldous-focused spinoff, Get Him to the Greek. He also played Lonny Barnett in Rock of Ages, Linus Windlesham in Death on the Nile, and the title character in the 2011 remake of Arthur. As a voice actor, he played the Easter Bunny’s son who wants to be a drummer in Hop. As a standup comedian, Brand rose to prominence with his 2013 special Messiah Complex and has won three British Comedy Awards.
Kristen Wiig As Miss Hattie
Miss Hattie, the owner of the orphanage where Gru adopts the girls, is voiced by Kristen Wiig. The actress went on to play Gru’s love interest, Agent Lucy Wilde, in the sequels to Despicable Me. Wiig rose to fame as a Saturday Night Live cast member from 2005 to 2012. She became a household name by starring in Bridesmaids and co-writing its Oscar-nominated original screenplay with Annie Mumolo. Wiig has since played Dr. Erin Gilbert in the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot and the villainous Barbara Ann Minerva in the superhero sequel Wonder Woman 1984. Her voice can also be heard as Ruffnut Thorston in the How to Train Your Dragon franchise.
Will Arnett As Mr. Perkins
Will Arnett lends his voice to the Despicable Me cast in the part of Mr. Perkins, the president of the Bank of Evil, where supervillains take out loans to fund their diabolical schemes. Arnett’s distinctive voice is recognizable as the eponymous equine sitcom has-been in BoJack Horseman and as Batman in the Lego Movie franchise. In live-action projects, Arnett is known for playing wannabe magician Gob Bluth in Arrested Development, competitive ice skater Stranz van Waldenberg in Blades of Glory, and the recurring role of Jack Donaghy’s business rival Devon Banks in 30 Rock. He also hosts the competition show Lego Masters.
Julie Andrews As Gru’s Mom
Gru’s mother is voiced by Julie Andrews, one of the biggest stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Andrews has been lauded by the Kennedy Center Honors and with the AFI Life Achievement Award, and she was made a dame by Queen Elizabeth II. She’s a three-time Best Actress nominee who won the Academy Award for her performance as the title character in Mary Poppins. Andrews also played Maria von Trapp in The Sound of Music and starred as Sarah Sherman alongside Paul Newman’s Professor Michael Armstrong in the Alfred Hitchcock thriller Torn Curtain. She scored a career revival after playing Clarisse Renaldi in the Princess Diaries franchise.
Despicable Me Supporting Cast & Characters
Dana Gaier as Edith: The voice of Dana Gaier can be heard in the Despicable Me cast in the role of Edith, one of Gru’s adopted daughters. Gaier also played Brie in the psychological thriller The Ice Cream Truck.
Elsie Fisher as Agnes: Gru’s other adopted daughter, Agnes, is voiced by Elsie Fisher. The actress received a Golden Globe nomination for her lead turn as Kayla in Bo Burnham’s debut feature, Eighth Grade, and also played Katie in Barry season 3 and Lila in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre reboot. Though she reprised the role in Despicable Me 2, she did not return to voice Agnes in Despicable Me 3.
Pierre Coffin as the Minions: Gru’s iconic henchmen, the Minions, are voiced by Pierre Coffin, the co-director of Despicable Me. Coffin continued to play the Minions in sequels and spinoffs when they became an unexpected cultural phenomenon. He previously created the animated series Pat & Stan.
Chris Renaud as Dave the Minion: The other director of Despicable Me, Chris Renaud, plays a Minion named Dave. Renaud received an Academy Award nomination for his Ice Age short, No Time for Nuts, featuring Scrat. He also directed the feature-length adaptation of The Lorax and both Secret Life of Pets movies.
Jemaine Clement as Jerry the Minion: Jemaine Clement cameos in the Despicable Me cast as a different Minion named Jerry. Clement is best known as half of the musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords with Bret McKenzie. As an actor, he played Boris the Animal in Men in Black 3, Dr. Ian Garvin in Avatar: The Way of Water, and the vampire Vladislav in the movie version of What We Do in the Shadows, which he also co-directed and co-wrote with Taika Waititi.
Danny McBride as Fred McDade: Danny McBride lends his voice to the Despicable Me cast as Gru’s next-door neighbor, Fred McDade. McBride co-created and starred in the HBO series Eastbound & Down, Vice Principals, and The Righteous Gemstones. He also played Rico Brown in Hot Rod, Cody Underwood in Tropic Thunder, and an exaggerated version of himself in This is the End, and he voiced Rick Mitchell in The Mitchells vs. the Machines.
Jack McBrayer as a carnival barker and a tourist dad: Jack McBrayer has two minor credits in the Despicable Me cast as a carnival barker and a tourist dad. McBrayer is best known as Kenneth Parcell from 30 Rock and Fix-It Felix from Disney's animated Wreck-It Ralph franchise.
Mindy Kaling as a tourist mom: The tourist mom opposite McBrayer’s tourist dad is voiced by Mindy Kaling, who rose to prominence as a writer and cast member on The Office in the role of Kelly Kapoor. She also created The Mindy Project and starred on the show as Dr. Mindy Lahiri. Kaling’s voice is known as Disgust from Pixar’s Inside Out and the title character in Velma.
Ken Jeong as a talk show host: Ken Jeong has a cameo role as a talk show host in Despicable Me. Jeong is best known for playing Leslie Chow in the Hangover trilogy, Ben Chang on Community, and Ken Park on Dr. Ken, which he also created. Jeong is also a panelist on The Masked Singer and released his first comedy special, You Complete Me, Ho, on Netflix in 2019.
Rob Huebel as a news anchor: A news anchor who appears briefly in Despicable Me is played by Rob Huebel. The actor is best known as Russell on The League, Len Novak on Transparent, Tevin Downey in I Love You, Man, and Holly’s boyfriend A.J. on The Office.