In which 2001 movie did John Lithgow play Lord Farquaad of Duloc? The answer is Shrek.
Released by DreamWorks Animation in 2001, Shrek adapts William Steig’s 1990 picture book into a fairy-tale comedy about an antisocial ogre whose swamp is invaded by displaced storybook creatures. To reclaim his home, Shrek agrees to rescue Princess Fiona for Lord Farquaad, the ruler of Duloc.
John Lithgow provides the voice of Farquaad, a short, authoritarian ruler whose grand castle, spotless kingdom and obsession with control contrast with Shrek’s muddy, independent lifestyle. Farquaad is not the film’s main physical villain, but his treatment of the fairy-tale creatures sets the story in motion. Mike Myers voices Shrek, Eddie Murphy voices Donkey and Cameron Diaz voices Fiona.
A common mix-up is confusing Farquaad with the dragon or with the later villain characters from the sequels. Farquaad appears in the original Shrek and is defeated before the series moves on to new antagonists.