Shrek (character)

Shrek
Shrek character
Shrek in the DreamWorks film franchise
First appearance	Shrek
Created by	William Steig
Voiced by	Mike Myers (films, Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party, Far Far Away Idol, Shrek the Halls, Scared Shrekless, Donkey's Christmas Shrektacular) Michael Gough (video games, singing voice in Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party, Far Far Away Idol, Thriller Night)
Information
Species	Ogre
Gender	Male
Occupation	Replacement ruler of Far Far Away (temporarily)
Family	Unnamed parents
Spouse(s)	Princess Fiona
Children	Fergus, Farkle and Felicia
Relatives	King Harold (father-in-law, deceased) Queen Lillian (mother-in-law) Arthur Pendragon (cousin-in-law)

Shrek is a fictional ogre character created by American author William Steig. Shrek is the protagonist of the book of the same name and of eponymous films by DreamWorks Animation. The name "Shrek" is derived from the German word, , meaning "fright" or "terror". Shrek is voiced by Mike Myers, although it was planned for him to be voiced by Chris Farley before his death in December 1997, and played by Brian d'Arcy James in the musical.

On May 21, 2010, Shrek received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles. In June 2010, Entertainment Weekly named him one of the "100 Greatest Characters of the Last 20 Years", placing 15th.

Shrek is a large, green, physically intimidating ogre with a Scottish accent. Even though his background is something of a mystery, according to Shrek The Musical and the book, it is revealed that on his 7th birthday, Shrek was sent away by his parents because it was an ogre tradition. He is seen traveling alone, being either screamed at or teased by passers-by. The only time he receives a pleasant greeting is a wave from a young Fiona, who is promptly led away by her parents.

After scaring away an angry mob, he arrives at his swamp, enters an outhouse, and literally breaks out as the adult Shrek. Though surly, misanthropic, and venomously cranky, Shrek is peaceful and doesn't care to hurt anyone, but he just wants to live his life in solitude and be left alone. Shrek is accompanied by Donkey, an excitable, hyperactive, and talking donkey. It's notable that when Shrek's first seen, he's successfully scaring off villagers by roaring at them, but it later becomes obvious that they were only attacking him because he's an ogre, not because he did anything wrong.