He begins the series as an unsociable hermit until he meets his soon-to-be best friend, Donkey. In a deal with Lord Farquaad, he and Donkey embark on a quest to save Princess Fiona from the castle in which she was confined. Despite their differences, Shrek and Fiona fall in love, marry at the end of the first film, and have three ogre babies in the third film. Chris Farley was originally set to play Shrek, but he died before he could complete film (he finished 80-90% of the film or according to his brother Tom, 95%).
In Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space, a woman mistakes The Missing Link as Shrek.