Lacey Chabert is an American actress and voice actress, known for her roles as Claudia Salinger in the television drama Party of Five and as Gretchen Wieners in the movie Mean Girls. She has also provided the voice of Eliza Thornberry in The Wild Thornberrys TV show and two feature films, and Meg Griffin during the first production season of the animated sitcom Family Guy.

Chabert was born in Purvis, Mississippi, the daughter of Julie and Tony Chabert. Her father is a French-speaking Cajun from Louisiana who worked as a maintenance operations representative for an oil company. She has a younger brother, T.J., and two older sisters, Wendy and Crissy, one of whom owns a restaurant in Purvis.

Regarded as one of the best young actresses of her generation, Lacey Chabert started in drama and music performances in and around her hometown in Mississippi from an early age, and was a finalist on "Star Search" (1983) in 1991. She gained her break in a cough syrup commercial, before successfully auditioning for the Broadway production of Les Miserables, where she played young Cosette for two years. Since then, she has been on a few television series, notably "Party of Five" (1994), a number of telemovies like Gypsy (1993) (TV), and her big-screen debut, Lost in Space (1998). Known for her natural acting skills and charming personality, her cotton candy voice has seen her record many advertising jingles, plus play parts in animated films and TV shows like Nickelodeon's "The Wild Thornberrys" (1998). A more than capable violinist, she enjoys various activities, especially shoe shopping, and she is particularly fond of Cajun cooking. As a result of her promising career, her family, including two sisters and a brother, have moved from Mississippi to California.