Miranda Taylor Cosgrove (born May 14, 1993) is an American actress, singer and producer. Ateen idol of the 2000s and early 2010s, she was listed as the highest-paid child actor of 2012 byGuinness World Records and appeared onForbes' "30 Under 30" list in 2022. Heraccolades include fourKids' Choice Awards and anEmmy 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 filmSchool of Rock (2003). She had herbreakout role asMegan Parker on theNickelodeon sitcomDrake & Josh (2004–2007) and achieved mainstream breakthrough success asCarly Shay on the Nickelodeon sitcomiCarly (2007–2012). She made her musical debut in mid-2008 withthe soundtrack foriCarly, 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 theBillboard 200 chart while its lead single "Kissin U" peaked at number 54 on theBillboard Hot 100 and was certified gold.
At the age of three, she was discovered by a talent agent[6] while singing and dancing at the Los Angeles restaurant Taste of L.A.[13] Cosgrove says that when the agent approached her and her mother, she had "never really thought of being an actress" and "was lucky".[14] She then appeared in numerous television commercials forMcDonald's[15] andMello Yello,[15] and also modeled for various brands.[16] At the age of seven, she began auditioning for theater and television roles.[14]
Cosgrove's first television appearance was in 2001 when she provided the voice of youngLana Lang in the pilot episode ofSmallville.[17] She made her film debut inSchool of Rock (2003), directed byRichard 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."[18] 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."[15]School of Rock was both a box office hit, grossing over $130 million worldwide,[19] and a critical success.[20] David Ansen ofNewsweek described her performance as "spot on".[21]
In 2004, Cosgrove landed her first major role in a television series when she was cast in theNickelodeon seriesDrake & Josh, alongsideDrake Bell andJosh Peck. In the series, she portrayedMegan Parker, the mischievous younger sister of the title characters. In 2005, Cosgrove was awarded the role of Munch in theCartoon Network filmHere 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.[22] 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 herDrake & Josh co-star Drake Bell in the comedy filmYours, Mine & Ours.[23] 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.[24] 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.[25][26]
Cosgrove made guest appearances in a number ofNickelodeon series, the first of which wasZoey 101 as Paige Howard. Cosgrove later guest starred on an episode ofUnfabulous, which starredEmma Roberts. Cosgrove was then cast as the titular lead character in the sitcomiCarly, which premiered on September 8, 2007. Creator Dan Schneider tailorediCarly around the interest young people have in the internet; viewers could submit their own videos and be included in the sitcom.[27] The finalDrake & 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. TheiCarly Saves TV special became the most-viewed entertainment show on cable television in June 2008.[15]
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 ofiCarly.[39] Cosgrove also voiced Margo in theUniversal Studios animated featureDespicable Me, released in July 2010. In 2010, Cosgrove worked with songwritersThe Matrix,Dr. Luke,Max Martin,[37]Leah Haywood and Daniel James for her debut studio album,Sparks Fly. "Kissin U" was released as the sole single fromSparks Fly and premiered onRyan Seacrest's radio show on March 12, 2010.[40] "Kissin U" became Cosgrove's best-selling single release, peaking at number 54 on theBillboard Hot 100 and being certified gold.[41][42]Sparks Fly was released in April 2010[43] and peaked at number 8 on the USBillboard 200 chart. In March 2011, Cosgrove released her follow-up EPHigh Maintenance.[44] It was preceded by the single "Dancing Crazy", which was written byMax Martin,Shellback andAvril Lavigne, and produced by Martin and Shellback.[45] The single peaked on theBillboard Hot 100 at number 100.[44]
On January 24, 2011, she embarked on theDancing 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.[46] On May 17, 2012, it was announced thatiCarly's sixth season would be its last.[47] The series finale, "iGoodbye", aired on November 23, 2012.[48] On January 24, 2012, Cosgrove was featured on theiCarly soundtrack,iCarly: iSoundtrack II.[49] Following the filming ofiCarly's finale in June 2012, Cosgrove embarked on a new tour dubbed the Summer Tour in July and August 2012.
Cosgrove in June 2013
On February 15, 2013,Deadline reported that Cosgrove would star inGirlfriend in a Coma, a television series written byLiz Brixius forNBC and adapted from thenovel of the same title byDouglas Coupland.[50] However, following production difficulties, the project was canceled.[51] Cosgrove again voiced Margo inDespicable Me 2, released on June 5.[52] In 2013, she appeared in the animated short filmsTraining Wheels as Margo andGru's Girls as Savana. In December, she announced onThe Today Show that she was recording a new album.[53][54] In 2014, Cosgrove performed voice work in the animated filmA Mouse Tale, which was released on DVD on February 10, 2015.[55] Cosgrove also starred in the horror filmThe Intruders withAustin Butler, portraying the role of Rose Halshford.[56] She was cast in theNBC sitcomCrowded, which aired from March 15 to May 22, 2016.[57]
In 2017, Cosgrove reprised her role as Margo once again inDespicable Me 3, which was released on June 14, 2017.[58] In 2019, she appeared in the limited budgetNetflix science fiction film3022.[59] Since 2019, she has been the host ofMission Unstoppable with Miranda Cosgrove, a show which airs onCBS[60] and earned the actress aDaytime Emmy Award nomination in 2020.[61]
In 2021, Cosgrove played Rachel in theindependent filmNorth Hollywood.[62] She reprised her role as Carly Shay in aniCarly revival, which premiered onParamount+ in June 2021, and ran for three seasons until July 2023.[63][64] She additionally served as an executive producer for the series,[65] 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."[66] The first season received a100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[67] She won the award forFavorite Female TV Star at the2022 Kids' Choice Awards,[68] marking her second win from the association. Cosgrove toldYahoo! Lifestyle in 2022 that she has no plans to return to music.[69]
Cosgrove had a starring role in the comedy filmDrugstore June, which earned a limited theatrical release in February 2024.[70][71] She next starred in the Netflix filmMother of the Bride oppositeBrooke Shields,[72] 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."[73] WhileMother of the Bride received mixed reviews, Amy Amatangelo ofPaste believed Cosgrove "shines" in the film's emotional moments,[74] and Courtney Howard ofVariety called her performance "nuanced" and "thoughtful".[75] Cosgrove then reprised the role of Margo inDespicable Me 4, which was released in July 2024.[76]
Cosgrove is considered ateen idol of the 2000s and early 2010s, both for her Nickelodeon roles and her musical career.[77][78] She found this challenging, tellingPeople 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."[79] On how she is perceived in the media, Cosgrove toldBustle 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."[73]
In 2014, Cosgrove was granted a restraining order from a Los Angeles court against astalker who had allegedly followed her, sent her unsolicited gifts and threatened suicide.[96] The man was subsequently arrested for violating that order and sentenced to three years of probation.[97]
On December 16, 2016, a man shot at a woman in a car near Cosgrove's home inOutpost Estates before lighting himself on fire and shooting himself in Cosgrove's yard. The man was found dead at the scene.[98][99][100]
^abCosgrove, Miranda."Interview with The Star Scoop". Los Angeles, California. Archived from the original on September 25, 2009. RetrievedOctober 19, 2009.
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