Miranda Cosgrove

Miranda Taylor Cosgrove (born May 14, 1993) is an American actress, singer and producer. A teen idol of the 2000s and early 2010s, she was listed as the highest-paid child actor of 2012 by Guinness World Records and appeared on ForbesTemplate:' "30 Under 30" list in 2022. Her accolades include four Kids' Choice Awards and an Emmy nomination.

Cosgrove began her career at the age of seven, making several appearances in television commercials. She made her acting debut as Summer Hathaway in the film School of Rock (2003). She had her breakout role as Megan Parker on the Nickelodeon sitcom Drake & Josh (2004–2007) and achieved mainstream breakthrough success as Carly Shay on the Nickelodeon sitcom iCarly (2007–2012). She made her musical debut in mid-2008 with the soundtrack for iCarly, in which she performed four songs, including the show's theme song, "Leave It All to Me". In early 2009, she released her debut extended play, About You Now. The following year, she released her debut studio album, Sparks Fly, which peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200 chart while its lead single "Kissin U" peaked at number 54 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified gold.

Since 2010, Cosgrove has voiced Margo in the Despicable Me film series. She then released her second extended play, High Maintenance (2011) and embarked on the Dancing Crazy Tour. She starred in the independent films The Intruders (2015), 3022 (2019), and North Hollywood (2021), and hosts the CBS series Mission Unstoppable with Miranda Cosgrove (2019–present). She then reprised her role as Carly Shay in iCarlyTemplate:'s Paramount+ revival run (2021–2023), in which she also executive produced. She has since starred in the films Drugstore June, Mother of the Bride (both 2024) and The Wrong Paris (2025).

Early life

Cosgrove was born on May 14, 1993,<ref name=allmusic>Template:Cite web</ref> at the Long Beach Memorial Medical Center (where future friend and costar Jennette McCurdy was also born) in Los Angeles, California<ref>Template:Cite podcast</ref> to Tom Cosgrove, who owns a dry-cleaning business,<ref name=Parents>Template:Cite web</ref> and Chris (née Casey), a homemaker.<ref name=Parents /> She is of Irish, English and French descent.<ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref> She is an only child and was homeschooled from sixth grade onwards.<ref name="usatodayfilm">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She struggled with body image during childhood.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Before becoming an actress, she wanted to be a veterinarian.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

At the age of three, she was discovered by a talent agent<ref name="Parents" /> while singing and dancing at the Los Angeles restaurant Taste of L.A.<ref name="cineconinterview">Template:Cite web</ref> Cosgrove says that when the agent approached her and her mother, she had "never really thought of being an actress" and "was lucky".<ref name="star">Template:Cite web</ref> She then appeared in numerous television commercials for McDonald's<ref name="Biography Today">Template:Cite book</ref> and Mello Yello,<ref name="Biography Today" /> and also modeled for various brands.<ref name="franks">Template:Cite book</ref> At the age of seven, she began auditioning for theater and television roles.<ref name="star" />

Career

2000s

Cosgrove's first television appearance was in 2001 when she provided the voice of young Lana Lang in the pilot episode of Smallville.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She made her film debut in School of Rock (2003), directed by Richard Linklater. In the movie, she played Summer Hathaway, a young girl with great ambition and discipline who finds herself adjusting to the free-spirited nature of her new music teacher (Jack Black). On working with Black, Cosgrove said that "He just acts [as] the most normal, nice guy. He doesn’t seem like he thinks he’s Jack Black at all."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She also cited the scene in which her character tries to sing as particularly difficult: "[I'd] been taking singing lessons for about five years, so getting to sing badly was new. The director kept saying, 'Try to sing even worse, Miranda,' so it was weird."<ref name="Biography Today" /> School of Rock was both a box office hit, grossing over $130 million worldwide,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and a critical success.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> David Ansen of Newsweek described her performance as "spot on".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

File:Miranda Cosgrove during Twist photoshoot (2009).jpg

Cosgrove, Template:Circa, during a photoshoot

In 2004, Cosgrove landed her first major role in a television series when she was cast in the Nickelodeon series Drake & Josh, alongside Drake Bell and Josh Peck. In the series, she portrayed Megan Parker, the mischievous younger sister of the title characters. In 2005, Cosgrove was awarded the role of Munch in the Cartoon Network film Here Comes Peter Cottontail: The Movie. In the film, Cosgrove portrays a female mouse who is rescued from a hawk by Junior and Flutter and who goes on to join them on their adventure.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> Cosgrove also guest-starred on two episodes of the animated comedy, Lilo & Stitch: The Series. She won her second major role in a theatrical film when she cast alongside her Drake & Josh co-star Drake Bell in the comedy film Yours, Mine & Ours.<ref>Template:IMDb title</ref> The film performed mildly at the box office. Yours, Mine & Ours opened in third place, earning $17 million at the U.S. box office during its first weekend.<ref name="Weekend Gross">Template:Cite web</ref> Cosgrove's third theatrical release, Keeping Up with the Steins, was released in 2006. It received generally negative reviews from critics and performed poorly at the box office.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="rottentomatoes.com">Template:Cite web</ref>

Cosgrove made guest appearances in a number of Nickelodeon series, the first of which was Zoey 101 as Paige Howard. Cosgrove later guest starred on an episode of Unfabulous, which starred Emma Roberts. Cosgrove was then cast as the titular lead character in the sitcom iCarly, which premiered on September 8, 2007. Creator Dan Schneider tailored iCarly around the interest young people have in the internet; viewers could submit their own videos and be included in the sitcom.<ref name="autogenerated1">Template:Cite book</ref> The final Drake & Josh episode was aired on September 16, 2007. By the summer of 2008, iCarly was the third highest rated series in the 9–14 demographic. The iCarly Saves TV special became the most-viewed entertainment show on cable television in June 2008.<ref name="Biography Today" />

Her debut as a recording artist began with the iCarly theme song "Leave It All to Me",<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> which featured Drake Bell and was released as a single on December 2, 2007.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In June 2008, Columbia Records released the iCarly soundtrack, which featured four songs performed by Cosgrove and debuted at number one on the Billboard Kid Albums chart.<ref name="autogenerated3">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="icarlyreview">Template:Cite web</ref> "Stay My Baby" was released as a promotional single from the album. In December 2008, a cover of the Christmas song "Christmas Wrapping" was released to promote the two hour-long film Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On January 28, 2009, Cosgrove released "About You Now" as the lead single from her upcoming debut extended play of the same name, that was released on February 3, 2009. "About You Now" peaked at number 47 on the Billboard Hot 100.<ref name="album">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="ayn">Template:Cite web</ref> To promote the 2009 animated film Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Columbia Records released the promotional single "Raining Sunshine" with an accompanying music video in August 2009.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="newep">Template:Cite web</ref> Cosgrove became one of MTV's Female Pop Rookies of 2009.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The same year, Cosgrove had a role in the straight-to-DVD film The Wild Stallion (2009).

2010s

File:Miranda Cosgrove 2.jpg

Cosgrove at the 2010 MuchMusic Video Awards

On March 17, 2010, it was reported that Cosgrove signed a deal, reportedly in the "low- to mid-seven-figure range" to do 26 additional episodes of iCarly.<ref>Andreeva, Nellie and Matthew Belloni. The Hollywood Reporter, March 17, 2010, "Miranda Cosgrove signs on for more 'iCarly' Template:Webarchive".</ref> Cosgrove also voiced Margo in the Universal Studios animated feature Despicable Me, released in July 2010. In 2010, Cosgrove worked with songwriters The Matrix, Dr. Luke, Max Martin,<ref name="newep" /> Leah Haywood and Daniel James for her debut studio album, Sparks Fly. "Kissin U" was released as the sole single from Sparks Fly and premiered on Ryan Seacrest's radio show on March 12, 2010.<ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref> "Kissin U" became Cosgrove's best-selling single release, peaking at number 54 on the Billboard Hot 100 and being certified gold.<ref name=KissinUChart>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=KissinUGold>Template:Cite web</ref> Sparks Fly was released in April 2010<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and peaked at number 8 on the US Billboard 200 chart. In March 2011, Cosgrove released her follow-up EP High Maintenance.<ref name="singlen" /> It was preceded by the single "Dancing Crazy", which was written by Max Martin, Shellback and Avril Lavigne, and produced by Martin and Shellback.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The single peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 100.<ref name="singlen">Template:Cite web</ref>

On January 24, 2011, she embarked on the Dancing Crazy Tour. The tour began in Missouri, traveled throughout the United States, and ended in Ohio. On July 15, 2011, the tour continued with the title, Dancing Crazy Summer Tour; Cosgrove traveled the United States and Canada and performed at music festivals and state fairs.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On May 17, 2012, it was announced that iCarlyTemplate:'s sixth season would be its last.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The series finale, "iGoodbye", aired on November 23, 2012.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On January 24, 2012, Cosgrove was featured on the iCarly soundtrack, iCarly: iSoundtrack II.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Following the filming of iCarly's finale in June 2012, Cosgrove embarked on a new tour dubbed the Summer Tour in July and August 2012.

File:Miranda Cosgrove 6, 2013.jpg

Cosgrove in June 2013

On February 15, 2013, Deadline reported that Cosgrove would star in Girlfriend in a Coma, a television series written by Liz Brixius for NBC and adapted from the novel of the same title by Douglas Coupland.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> However, following production difficulties, the project was canceled.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Cosgrove again voiced Margo in Despicable Me 2, released on June 5.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2013, she appeared in the animated short films Training Wheels as Margo and Gru's Girls as Savana. In December, she announced on The Today Show that she was recording a new album.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2014, Cosgrove performed voice work in the animated film A Mouse Tale, which was released on DVD on February 10, 2015.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Cosgrove also starred in the horror film The Intruders with Austin Butler, portraying the role of Rose Halshford.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She was cast in the NBC sitcom Crowded, which aired from March 15 to May 22, 2016.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2017, Cosgrove reprised her role as Margo once again in Despicable Me 3, which was released on June 14, 2017.<ref name=":0b">Template:Cite news</ref> In 2019, she appeared in the limited budget Netflix science fiction film 3022.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref> Since 2019, she has been the host of Mission Unstoppable with Miranda Cosgrove, a show which airs on CBS<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and earned the actress a Daytime Emmy Award nomination in 2020.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

2020s

In 2021, Cosgrove played Rachel in the independent film North Hollywood.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She reprised her role as Carly Shay in an iCarly revival, which premiered on Paramount+ in June 2021, and ran for three seasons until July 2023.<ref name="S2Premiere">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She additionally served as an executive producer for the series,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> on which Cosgrove stated "I knew from a really young age how the executive producer of the show pretty much got to decide almost every aspect, now I get to have a say in everything."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The first season received a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She won the award for Favorite Female TV Star at the 2022 Kids' Choice Awards,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> marking her second win from the association. Cosgrove told Yahoo! Lifestyle in 2022 that she has no plans to return to music.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Cosgrove had a starring role in the comedy film Drugstore June, which earned a limited theatrical release in February 2024.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":3">Template:Cite web</ref> She next starred in the Netflix film Mother of the Bride opposite Brooke Shields,<ref name=":4">Template:Cite web</ref> which was released in May 2024. Of her experience with the film, Cosgrove said that "all the people in this movie were so nice, from the crew to all the actors. It couldn’t have come at a more perfect moment in my life."<ref name=":5">Template:Cite web</ref> While Mother of the Bride received mixed reviews, Amy Amatangelo of Paste believed Cosgrove "shines" in the film's emotional moments,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Courtney Howard of Variety called her performance "nuanced" and "thoughtful".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Cosgrove then reprised the role of Margo in Despicable Me 4, which was released in July 2024.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Media image

Cosgrove is considered a teen idol of the 2000s and early 2010s, both for her Nickelodeon roles and her musical career.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> She found this challenging, telling People magazine that "when you're a little kid and someone's calling you a role model, it's like, 'Oh no, I don't want to let anyone down,' but you also aren't fully formed and you don't really know how to be a role model. So there are nice things about it but it's also challenging."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On how she is perceived in the media, Cosgrove told Bustle that "there’s still a little part of me that’s like, 'It’d be nice if people could see me in a different light.' I like my little bubble and my life, so I’m torn a lot because I’m like, how much should I put out there on social media? How much should I really want people to know about me? Maybe it’s nice that I just have one thing people think of me [for], and at least it’s a nice thing, and then I can live my life on the inside."<ref name=":5" />

Cosgrove was chosen by Common Sense Media as the role model of 2011, being the youngest artist honored at the time.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the 2012 edition of the Guinness World Records, Cosgrove was listed as the highest paid child actress.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Cosgrove was included on Forbes magazine's "30 Under 30" list in 2022.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Cosgrove hosted the 2022 Kids' Choice Awards alongside Rob Gronkowski.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She appeared on Whitney Cummings' Good for You podcast in 2020, and a clip of her cursing went viral on TikTok two years later in 2022.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Personal life

Cosgrove graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in psychology.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="schoolmtv">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She is an active supporter of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.<ref name="stjude">Template:Cite news</ref> She also visits other children's hospitals and considers Education Through Music one of her favorite charities.<ref name="educationcharity">Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> She is a national spokesperson for Light the Night Walk, an organization that creates awareness for blood cancer.<ref name="lightthenight">Template:Cite tweet</ref>

In 2014, Cosgrove was granted a restraining order from a Los Angeles court against a stalker who had allegedly followed her, sent her unsolicited gifts and threatened suicide.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The man was subsequently arrested for violating that order and sentenced to three years of probation.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On December 16, 2016, a man shot at a woman in a car near Cosgrove's home in Outpost Estates before lighting himself on fire and shooting himself in Cosgrove's yard. The man was found dead at the scene.<ref>Template:Cite podcast</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2003	School of Rock	Summer Hathaway
2005	Yours, Mine & Ours	Joni North
2006	Greatest Ever Comedy Movies	Herself	Documentary<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	Khan Kluay	Kon Suay	Voice role; English dub
	Keeping Up with the Steins	Karen Sussman
2009	The Wild Stallion	Hannah Mills
2010	Despicable Me	Margo	Voice role
	Despicable Me: Home Makeover		Voice role; short film
2011	Our Deal	Night Creepers	Short film
2013	Despicable Me 2	Margo	Voice role
	Despicable Me: Training Wheels		Voice role; short film
2015	A Mouse Tale	Samantha	Voice role
	The Intruders	Rose Halshford
2017	Despicable Me 3	Margo	Voice role<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref>
2019	Despicable Me: Minion Scouts		Voice role; short film
	3022	Lisa Brown	<ref name=":1" />
2021	North Hollywood	Rachel	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2024	Drugstore June	Kelly
	Mother of the Bride	Emma
	Despicable Me 4	Margo	Voice role
2025	The Wrong Paris	Dawn	Also executive producer<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:TableTBA	Untitled iCarly project	Carly Shay	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2001	Smallville	Young Lana Lang	Episode: "Pilot"
2004	Grounded for Life	Jessica	Episode: "You Better You Bet"
2004-2007	Drake & Josh	Megan Parker	Main role
2005	Lilo & Stitch: The Series	Sarah	Voice role; episode: "Morpholomew"
	What's New, Scooby-Doo?	Miranda Wright	Voice role; episode: "A Terrifying Round with a Menacing Metallic Clown"
	All That	Herself	Episode: "10th Anniversary Reunion Special"
	Here Comes Peter Cottontail: The Movie	Munch	Voice role; television film
2006	Drake & Josh Go Hollywood	Megan Parker	Television film
2007	Zoey 101	Paige Howard	Episode: "Paige at PCA"
	Just Jordan	Lindsey Chandler	Episode: "Piano Stressin"
	Unfabulous	Cosmina	Episode: "The Talent Show"
2007–2012	iCarly	Carly Shay	Lead role
2008	The Naked Brothers Band	Herself	Episode: "Mystery Girl: Part Two"
	Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh	Megan Parker	Television film
2010	7 Secrets with Miranda Cosgrove	Herself	Television documentary<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	The Good Wife	Sloan Burchfield	Episode: "Bad Girls"
	Big Time Rush	Herself	Episode: "Big Time Christmas"
2016	Crowded	Shea Moore	Main role
2019–present	Mission Unstoppable	Host	Educational series; also executive producer
2020	The Goldbergs	Elana Reid	Episode: "Preventa Mode"
	Minions Holiday Special	Narrator	Voice role; television special
2021–2023	iCarly	Carly Shay	Lead role; also executive producer

Video games

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2007	Drake & Josh: The Video Game	Megan Parker	Character design
	Drake & Josh: Talent Showdown
2009	iCarly	Carly Shay	Voice role
2010	iCarly 2: iJoin the Click!

Discography

• Sparks Fly (2010)

Tours

• Dancing Crazy Tour (2011)
• Summer Tour (2012)

Awards and nominations

Cosgrove has won two Young Artist Awards and three Kids' Choice Awards, and was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award. She has won various awards in recognition for her public image.

External links

• Template:IMDb name