Who voiced the matchmaker in Mulan?

Miriam Margolyes voiced the matchmaker in Disney’s 1998 animated film Mulan.

The Matchmaker appears early in the story, when Mulan visits her for an arranged-marriage assessment. The chaotic appointment ends badly, and the Matchmaker declares Mulan a disgrace rather than a suitable bride. This scene establishes the social expectations Mulan is pressured to meet before she chooses to join the army in her father’s place.

Margolyes is an English-Australian actor known for both live-action and voice performances. Her other notable credits include Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter films and Fly in the Babe films. In Mulan’s original English cast, she played the Matchmaker, while other frequently confused names belong to different characters: B.D. Wong voiced Captain Li Shang, George Takei voiced the First Ancestor, and Pat Morita voiced the Emperor of China.

The Matchmaker is a Disney-created supporting character rather than a central figure in the older Mulan ballad. The traditional story focuses on Mulan’s enlistment, military service, return home, and eventual revelation to her comrades.