Fred Armisen is an American comedian, actor, musician, and writer who has built a substantial career in voice acting for animated productions, lending his distinctive comedic style to a variety of film and television roles. His background is rooted in music and sketch comedy, which informs his approach to character work in animation. Before gaining fame as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, where he appeared for eleven seasons from 2002 to 2013, Armisen was a drummer for the Chicago-based punk rock band Trenchmouth and performed with the Blue Man Group. This musical foundation continued alongside his acting career; he has been the bandleader and frequent drummer for the 8G Band on Late Night with Seth Meyers since 2014. His comedic sensibilities were further honed as the co-creator and star of the acclaimed IFC sketch series Portlandia, a role that earned him multiple Emmy nominations.

In the realm of voice acting, Armisen has taken on a range of roles in major animated features. One of his most prominent performances is as the voice of Cranky Kong in the 2023 animated film The Super Mario Bros. Movie. In this adaptation, he voices the ruler of the Jungle Kingdom and father of Donkey Kong, bringing a distinctive characterisation to the role. His filmography in animation also includes voicing the character Cole in The Lego Ninjago Movie and providing voices for both The Mitchells vs. the Machines and the Netflix animated series Big Mouth. Earlier in his career, he voiced Speedy Gonzales in the Cartoon Network series The Looney Tunes Show and appeared in the Smurfs films, voicing Brainy in The Smurfs and The Smurfs 2.

Armisen's career is marked by frequent collaborations with a close-knit group of fellow comedians and writers. His work on Saturday Night Live established long-standing creative partnerships, particularly with Bill Hader and Seth Meyers, with whom he co-created and stars in the IFC mockumentary series Documentary Now!. His partnership with Carrie Brownstein on Portlandia is another significant collaboration that defined a significant phase of his career. These recurring creative relationships have helped shape his body of work across live-action and animated projects. His contributions to comedy and television have been recognised with two Peabody Awards, one as part of the Saturday Night Live cast and another for Portlandia, as well as a Grammy Award nomination for his comedy album Standup for Drummers.