Saturday Night Live cast
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The following is a list of Saturday Night Live cast members, past and present. The cast members of Saturday Night Live are often referred to as the "Not Ready For Prime Time Players".
[edit] List of cast members
The following list of cast members includes both featured and repertory players, but omits SNL writers and others who weren't listed as cast members during the show's credits. The dates given are those of the year in which they first appeared as a player and the year when they left. Also noted on the chart is whether the cast member ever served as an episode's host, appeared as the anchor of the "Weekend Update" segment (under any of its titles), or has been the subject of their own "Best Of" home video collection.
| Performer | Years Active | Featured Player ONLY | Repertory Player | Weekend Update Anchor | Hosted | Best Of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fred Armisen | 2002 - | |||||
| Dan Aykroyd | 1975 - 1979 | |||||
| Peter Aykroyd | 1979 - 1980 | |||||
| Morwenna Banks | 1995 - 1995 | |||||
| Jim Belushi | 1983 - 1985 | |||||
| John Belushi† | 1975 - 1979 | |||||
| Jim Breuer | 1995 - 1998 | |||||
| A. Whitney Brown | 1985 - 1991 | |||||
| Beth Cahill | 1991 - 1992 | |||||
| Dana Carvey | 1986 - 1993 | |||||
| Chevy Chase | 1975 - 1976 | |||||
| Ellen Cleghorne | 1991 - 1995 | |||||
| George Coe | 1975 - 1975 | |||||
| Billy Crystal | 1984 - 1985 | |||||
| Jane Curtin | 1975 - 1980 | |||||
| Joan Cusack | 1985 - 1986 | |||||
| Tom Davis | 1977 - 1980 | |||||
| Denny Dillon | 1980 - 1981 | |||||
| Jim Downey | 1979 - 1980 | |||||
| Robert Downey, Jr. | 1985 - 1986 | |||||
| Brian Doyle-Murray | 1979 - 1980 1981 - 1982 |
|||||
| Rachel Dratch | 1999 - 2006 | |||||
| Robin Duke | 1981 - 1984 | |||||
| Nora Dunn | 1985 - 1990 | |||||
| Christine Ebersole | 1981 - 1982 | |||||
| Dean Edwards | 2001 - 2003 | |||||
| Abby Elliott | 2008 - | |||||
| Chris Elliott | 1994 - 1995 | |||||
| Jimmy Fallon | 1998 - 2004 | |||||
| Siobhan Fallon | 1991 - 1992 | |||||
| Chris Farley† | 1990 - 1995 | |||||
| Will Ferrell | 1995 - 2002 | |||||
| Tina Fey | 2000 - 2006 | |||||
| Will Forte | 2002 - | |||||
| Al Franken | 1977 - 1980 1985 - 1995 |
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| Janeane Garofalo | 1994 - 1995 | |||||
| Ana Gasteyer | 1996 - 2002 | |||||
| Gilbert Gottfried | 1980 - 1981 | |||||
| Mary Gross | 1981 - 1985 | |||||
| Christopher Guest | 1984 - 1985 | |||||
| Bill Hader | 2005 - | |||||
| Anthony Michael Hall | 1985 - 1986 | |||||
| Brad Hall | 1982 - 1984 | |||||
| Rich Hall | 1984 - 1985 | |||||
| Darrell Hammond | 1995 - 2009 | |||||
| Phil Hartman† | 1986 - 1994 | |||||
| Jan Hooks | 1986 - 1991 | |||||
| Yvonne Hudson | 1980 - 1981 | |||||
| Melanie Hutsell | 1991 - 1994 | |||||
| Victoria Jackson | 1986 - 1992 | |||||
| Chris Kattan | 1996 - 2003 | |||||
| Tim Kazurinsky | 1981 - 1984 | |||||
| Laura Kightlinger | 1994 - 1995 | |||||
| David Koechner | 1995 - 1996 | |||||
| Gary Kroeger | 1982 - 1985 | |||||
| Matthew Laurance | 1980 - 1981 | |||||
| Julia Louis-Dreyfus | 1982 - 1985 | |||||
| Jon Lovitz | 1985 - 1990 | |||||
| Norm Macdonald | 1993 - 1998 | |||||
| Gail Matthius | 1980 - 1981 | |||||
| Michael McKean | 1994 - 1995 | |||||
| Mark McKinney | 1995 - 1997 | |||||
| Tim Meadows | 1991 - 2000 | |||||
| Laurie Metcalf | 1981 - 1981 | |||||
| Seth Meyers | 2001 - | |||||
| Dennis Miller | 1985 - 1991 | |||||
| Jerry Minor | 2000 - 2001 | |||||
| Finesse Mitchell | 2003 - 2006 | |||||
| Jay Mohr | 1993 - 1995 | |||||
| Tracy Morgan | 1996 - 2003 | |||||
| Garrett Morris | 1975 - 1980 | |||||
| Bobby Moynihan | 2008 - | |||||
| Eddie Murphy | 1980 - 1984 | |||||
| Bill Murray | 1977 - 1980 | |||||
| Mike Myers | 1989 - 1995 | |||||
| Kevin Nealon | 1986 - 1995 | |||||
| Laraine Newman | 1975 - 1980 | |||||
| Don Novello | 1979 - 1980 1985 - 1986 |
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| Michael O'Donoghue† | 1975 - 1975 | |||||
| Cheri Oteri | 1995 - 2000 | |||||
| Chris Parnell | 1998 - 2006 | |||||
| Nasim Pedrad | 2009 - | |||||
| Joe Piscopo | 1980 - 1984 | |||||
| Amy Poehler | 2001 - 2008 | |||||
| Emily Prager | 1981 - 1981 | |||||
| Randy Quaid | 1985 - 1986 | |||||
| Colin Quinn | 1995 - 2000 | |||||
| Gilda Radner† | 1975 - 1980 | |||||
| Jeff Richards | 2001 - 2004 | |||||
| Rob Riggle | 2004 - 2005 | |||||
| Ann Risley | 1980 - 1981 | |||||
| Chris Rock | 1990 - 1993 | |||||
| Charles Rocket† | 1980 - 1981 | |||||
| Tony Rosato | 1981 - 1982 | |||||
| Maya Rudolph | 2000 - 2007 | |||||
| Andy Samberg | 2005 - | |||||
| Adam Sandler | 1991 - 1995 | |||||
| Horatio Sanz | 1998 - 2006 | |||||
| Tom Schiller | 1979 - 1980 | |||||
| Rob Schneider | 1990 - 1994 | |||||
| Paul Shaffer | 1979 - 1980 | |||||
| Molly Shannon | 1995 - 2001 | |||||
| Harry Shearer | 1979 - 1980 1984 - 1985 |
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| Martin Short | 1984 - 1985 | |||||
| Sarah Silverman | 1993 - 1994 | |||||
| Jenny Slate | 2009 - | |||||
| Robert Smigel | 1991 - 1993 | |||||
| David Spade | 1990 - 1996 | |||||
| Pamela Stephenson | 1984 - 1985 | |||||
| Ben Stiller | 1989 - 1989 | |||||
| Jason Sudeikis | 2005 - | |||||
| Julia Sweeney | 1990 - 1994 | |||||
| Terry Sweeney | 1985 - 1986 | |||||
| Kenan Thompson | 2003 - | |||||
| Danitra Vance† | 1985 - 1986 | |||||
| Dan Vitale | 1985 - 1986 | |||||
| Nancy Walls | 1995 - 1996 | |||||
| Michaela Watkins | 2008 - 2009 | |||||
| Damon Wayans | 1985 - 1986 | |||||
| Patrick Weathers | 1980 - 1981 | |||||
| Kristen Wiig | 2005 - | |||||
| Casey Wilson | 2008 - 2009 | |||||
| Fred Wolf | 1995 - 1996 | |||||
| Alan Zweibel | 1979 - 1980 | |||||
| † denotes performer is deceased | ||||||
[edit] Family connections
Some cast members are related to former staff of the show. The most prominent example is Jim Belushi, younger brother of cast member John Belushi. Before that, Bill Murray's older brother Brian Doyle-Murray was a writer and cast member. When Dan Aykroyd left the show in 1979, he was replaced by a series of short-lived featured players, one of whom was his brother Peter Aykroyd. Long-time writer and sometime performer Jim Downey is former cast member Robert Downey Jr.'s uncle. Abby Elliott is the daughter of season 20 castmember, Chris Elliott (and whose grandfather Bob Elliott appeared on SNL as a guest performer on the 1978 Christmas episode hosted by Elliot Gould).
Other family connections exist that do not share the same name. For instance, cast member Gilda Radner was briefly married to G.E. Smith, who later became the show's bandleader. Michael O'Donoghue was married to SNL band pianist Cheryl Hardwick. Cast members Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Brad Hall were an item during their tenure, and were married in 1987. Cast member and writer Tina Fey is married to musical director Jeff Richmond.
[edit] Longest Tenures
The follwing is a list of the cast members who have had the longests tenures on the show.
| Person | Tenure | Years on Show |
| Darrell Hammond | 1995 - 2009 | 14 |
| Al Franken | 1977 - 1980, 1985 - 1995 | 12 |
| Tim Meadows | 1991 - 2000 | 10 |
| Seth Meyers | 2001 - present | 9 |
| Kevin Nealon | 1986 - 1995 | 9 |
| Fred Armisen | 2002 - present | 8 |
| Will Forte | 2002 - present | 8 |
| Phil Hartman | 1986 - 1994 | 8 |
| Chris Kattan | 1996 - 2003 | 8 |
| Chris Parnell | 1998 - 2006 | 8 |
| Amy Poehler | 2001 - 2008 | 8 |
| Maya Rudolph | 2000 - 2007 | 8 |
| Horatio Sanz | 1998 - 2006 | 8 |
[edit] Shortest Tenures
The follwing is a list of the cast members who have had the shortest tenures on the show. [1]
| Person | Number of Episodes | Notes |
| Emily Prager | 0 | Prager was hired by Dick Ebersol to be a featured player on the show. She appeared in a few sketches at dress rehearsal in what would be the final episode of the sixth season, due to the Writers' Guild of America going on strike in 1981. She did not return to the SNL cast in season seven, and is the only SNL cast member who never appeared on the show, despite being credited. |
| Laurie Metcalf | 1 | Like Prager, Metcalf was hired as part of Dick Ebersol's temporary season six cast following the termination of Jean Doumanian and her cast (save for Denny Dillon, Gail Matthius, Eddie Murphy, writer Brian Doyle-Murray and Joe Piscopo). Unlike Prager, Metcalf appeared on-camera in a Weekend Update piece about taking a bullet for the President. When the show was put on hiatus for retooling, Metcalf, like Prager, was not chosen to return to the show for the season seven cast. |
| Dan Vitale | 3 | Was hired as a featured player for the 11th season, but was dropped after three episodes, leaving behind no memorable recurring characters or celebrity impersonations. |
| Morwenna Banks | 4 | Was hired as a repertory player for the last four episodes of the 20th season, but was let out of her contract as part of a major cast overhaul Lorne Michaels had planned for season 21. |
| Ben Stiller | 4 | Before becoming a cast member, Stiller submitted a short film -- a parody of the movie The Color of Money -- that was shown on the season 12 episode hosted by Charlton Heston. Stiller was hired during SNL's fourteenth season, but left after four episodes due to creative differences. Despite this, Stiller returned to host in 1998. |
| Tom Schiller | 7 | Schiller was one of the show writers who was upgraded to cast member status during the 5th season following the departure of Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi. Schiller, along with the remnants of the original cast, newcomer Harry Shearer, and the myriad of writers-turned-feature players, left the show after season five. |
| Patrick Weathers | 7 | Weathers was hired as a featured cast member for Jean Doumanian's ill-fated sixth season. After Charles Rocket's on-air "f-word" incident, everyone in Jean Doumanian's repertory and feature player cast (save for Denny Dillon, Gail Matthius, Eddie Murphy, writer Brian-Doyle Murray, and Joe Piscopo) was fired, including Doumanian herself. In his short time, Weathers had two celebrity impersonations: Bob Dylan and Ravi Shankar. |
| George Coe | 8 | Coe was one of the original "Not Ready for Primetime" cast in SNL's 1st season, because NBC wanted someone older in the cast. Coe was limited to appearing as spokesmen for fake commercials and was eventually dropped before the end of the first season. |
| Yvonne Hudson | 8 | Hudson was a recurring extra during SNL's fifth season, and made show history as the first black female cast member hired to the show when Jean Doumanian was assembling her cast for season six. Unfortunately, Hudson never made it past feature player, had little to no screen time, had no memorable characters or impersonations, and -- like most of Doumanian's ill-fated cast -- was fired after Charles Rocket's on-air f-bomb enraged NBC executives and censors. |
| Jim Downey | 9 | Downey was hired as one of many writers-turned-feature players in SNL's fifth season. Even though he left the cast after season 5, Downey returned to the show as a writer in the mid-1980s and has been there ever since. |
| Matthew Laurance | 10 | Laurance was hired as a feature player during the 6th season, and, like the majority of the cast after the Charles Rocket "f-bomb," was fired as part of a cast and crew overhaul. Laurance only had one celebrity impersonation: Jimmy "The Weasel" Fratianno in a cold opening parodying To Tell The Truth. |
| Alan Zweibel | 11 | Zweibel was a writer for the show before joing the cast during season 5, and left after the season finale. |
| Gilbert Gottfried | 12 | Gottfried joined the cast during the ill-fated sixth season, and was part of the majority of cast members who were fired after after Charles Rocket's on-air f-bomb enraged NBC executives and censors. |
| Gail Matthius | 12 | Matthius joined during the 6th season, and was part of the majority of cast members who were fired after after Charles Rocket's on-air f-bomb enraged NBC executives and censors. |
| Michael O'Donoghue | 12 | Along with Coe, O'Donoghue was also part of the original "Not Ready for Primetime Players" cast and was dropped after a short amount of time. Unlike Coe, O'Donoghue made his mark on the show as a writer and occasional on-screen performer, particularly in the "Mr. Mike's Least-Loved Bedtime Stories" sketches. |
| Ann Risley | 12 | Risley joined during the 6th season, and was part of the majority of cast members who were fired after after Charles Rocket's on-air f-bomb enraged NBC executives and censors. |
| Charles Rocket | 12 | Rocket joined during the 6th season, and was fired for deliberately saying the word "fuck" on live television. |
| Damon Wayans | 12 | Wayans joined during the 11th season as a featured player. As the season progressed, Wayans had started to become frustrated with the types of roles he was made to play. One night he became particularly angry during the March 15, 1986 dress rehearsal when he was told by a producer that he "sounded too much like a pimp" when playing the role of a cop. In an act of rebellion in the live show, an angry Wayans decided to suddenly play his small role of a cop as a flamboyantly homosexual stereotype without consent from Lorne Michaels or anyone else, he was fired immediately afterwards. Despite this, Wayans returned as a special guest to perform stand-up comedy on season 11's last episode and hosted SNL in 1994. |
| Beth Cahill | 13 | Cahill joined the show during the 17th season as an off-and-on featured player. She did not return the following season. |
| Denny Dillon | 13 | Dillon joined during the 6th season, and was part of the majority of cast members who were fired after after Charles Rocket's on-air f-bomb enraged NBC executives and censors. Prior to being an SNL cast member, Dillon was a guest performer on the season one episode hosted by Rob Reiner. |
| Paul Shaffer | 13 | Shaffer joined the cast during the fifth season after years of being a part of the show's house band. Shaffer would later leave the show (along with the rest of the season five cast) and become the bandleader for David Letterman's "Late Night with David Letterman" on NBC (and "Late Show with David Letterman" when Letterman left NBC for CBS). Has hosted SNL in 1987, making him the only member of SNL's house band to do so, and the only cast member from "The Late Show with David Letterman" to appear on SNL. |
| Janeane Garofalo | 14 | Garofalo joined the cast during the 20th season, but quit mid-season due to creative differences, particularly centered around how "sexist, puerile, and homophobic" she found the sketch writing and how the other cast members resented her for not contributing. |
| Michaela Watkins | 15 | Watkins joined the show on the first episode after the 2008 Presidential election (along with Abby Elliott). Despite netting minor audience appeal, Watkins was let go before the start of the 35th season, leaving with Casey Wilson and long-time cast member Darrell Hammond. |
[edit] Youngest Castmembers
The following is a list of the youngest people to join the show
| Person | Age When Joined Show | Tenure |
| Anthony Michael Hall | 17 years old | 1985-1986 |
| Eddie Murphy | 19 years old | 1980-1984 |
| Robert Downey Jr. | 20 years old | 1985-1986 |
| Abby Elliott | 21 years, 5 months | 2008-present |
| Julia Louis-Dreyfus | 21 years, 8 months | 1982-1985 |
| Sarah Silverman | 22 years old | 1993-1994 |
[edit] Oldest Castmembers
The following is a list of the oldest people to join the show.
| Person | Age When Joined Show | Tenure |
| Michael McKean | 46 years old | 1994-1995 |
| George Coe | Believed to be around late 40s | 1975 |
| Darrell Hammond | 39 years old | 1995-2009 |
| Phil Hartman | 38 years old | 1986-1994 |
| Garrett Morris | 37 years old | 1975-1980 |
| Michaela Watkins | 36 years, 11 months | 2008-2009 |
| Billy Crystal | 36 years, 7 months | 1984-1985 |
| Colin Quinn | 36 years, 4 months | 1995-2000 |
[edit] Cast members who have dropped the F-Bomb
The Following is a list of cast members who have said the word fuck on the show.[2]
| Person | Season | Notes |
| Paul Shaffer | 5 | On the 100th episode, Shaffer slipped instead of saying "floggin'". No major action was taken. |
| Charles Rocket | 6 | The running gag in the episode was Rocket having been shot, in a take-off of the Who Shot J.R.? craze surrounding Dallas. During the goodnights, host Charlene Tilton asked how he was. Rocket replied, "I'd like to know who the f*ck did it." Rocket and most of the cast were soon fired after this. |
| Norm MacDonald | 22 | During Weekend Update, after having trouble reading a joke, Norm mutters "...the fuck was that?!". He later says that this will be his farewell performance. The following season NBC would take him off WU, ostensibly for not being funny enough. |
| Jenny Slate | 35 | Slate's biker-chick character is written to repeatedly use the words "freakin" and "frigging". Early on, she slips and says "You stood up for yourself and I fucking love you for that". |
[edit] Hosts who had auditioned for the cast
The following is a list of guest hosts who had previously auditioned for the show earlier in their careers only to be turned down. This list does not include the names of hosts, like Billy Crystal, who were rejected but eventually joined the cast at a later date. The list of the hosts and dates of their auditions are as follows:
| Host | SNL Season of Audition | First Hosted | Last Hosted | Notes |
| John Goodman | 6th (1980–1981) | December 2, 1989 | November 3, 2001 | |
| Jim Carrey | 6th (1980–1981) | May 18, 1996 | Charles Rocket was hired over him. | |
| Catherine O'Hara | 6th (1980–1981) | April 13, 1991 | October 31, 1992 | Was actually hired, but quit before ever appearing on camera after listening to Michael O'Donoghue's tirade over season six's abysmal performance. Got Robin Duke to audition to fill her place. |
| Geena Davis | 10th (1984–1985) | April 22, 1989 | Pamela Stephenson was hired over her. | |
| Paul Reubens | 6th (1980–1981) and 10th (1984-1985) | November 23, 1985 | Gilbert Gottfried was hired over him the first time; the second time, Billy Crystal was hired over him. | |
| Lisa Kudrow | 16th (1990–1991) | October 5, 1996 | Julia Sweeney was hired over her. | |
| Steve Carell | 21st (1995–1996) | October 1, 2005 | May 17, 2008 | Will Ferrell was hired over him. |
| Johnny Knoxville | 21st (1995–1996) | May 7, 2005 | Turned down doing stunts for the show. | |
| Dane Cook | 28th (2002–2003) | December 3, 2005 | September 30, 2006 | Will Forte was hired over him. |
[edit] Writers
All cast members on Saturday Night Live are expected to write as well as perform. Those who do not write tend to receive fewer parts and less camera time.
Three groups serve as “farm clubs” for the cast and writing staff: The improvisational comedy troupes The Groundlings and The Second City, and the publication Harvard Lampoon. Recently the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre has become a noted "club" as well.
Each of the three brings a different perspective:[3]
- performers from the Groundlings often end up creating the vivid recurring characters that are one hallmark of the show;
- writer-performers from Second City are known for “aesthetic perfectionism”; they tinker obsessively with the wording and inflections of a punch line or the behavioral details of a character;
- writers from the Lampoon emphasize the conceptual premise of a sketch, such as taking a boyhood fantasy to an extreme.
[edit] Comedy Troupes
Cast members most often hail from improvisational sketch comedy troupes before joining SNL, hiring cast members from famed comedy institutions such as The Groundlings and Second City has been a tradition of SNL since the beginning. In recent years, the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater has also become a frequent hotspot for finding new SNL talent. The lists below shows which cast members came to SNL through these comedy troupes.
[edit] The Groundlings
The following is a list of cast members who are Groundlings alumni.
| Person | Alumni Status |
| Abby Elliott | Student Only |
| Jimmy Fallon | Student Only |
| Siobhan Fallon | Company Player |
| Will Ferrell | Company Player |
| Will Forte | Company Player |
| Ana Gasteyer | Company Player |
| Phil Hartman | Company Player |
| Jan Hooks | Company Player |
| Chris Kattan | Company Player |
| Jon Lovitz | Company Player |
| Laraine Newman | Company Player |
| Cheri Oteri | Company Player |
| Nasim Pedrad | Company Player |
| Chris Parnell | Company Player |
| Maya Rudolph | Company Player |
| Julia Sweeney | Company Player |
| Michaela Watkins | Company Player |
| Kristen Wiig | Company Player |
[edit] Second City
The following is a list of cast members who are Second City alumni.
| Person | Venue |
| Dan Aykroyd | Second City Toronto |
| Peter Aykroyd | Second City Toronto |
| Jim Belushi | Second City Chicago |
| John Belushi | Second City Chicago |
| Brian Doyle-Murray | Second City Chicago |
| Rachel Dratch | Second City Chicago |
| Robin Duke | Second City Toronto |
| Chris Farley | Second City Chicago |
| Tina Fey | Second City Chicago |
| Mary Gross | Second City Chicago |
| Bill Hader | Second City Los Angeles |
| Tim Kazurinsky | Second City Chicago |
| David Koechner | Second City Chicago |
| Tim Meadows | Second City Chicago |
| Jerry Minor | Second City Chicago |
| Bill Murray | Second City Chicago |
| Mike Myers | Second City Toronto |
| Amy Poehler | Second City Chicago |
| Gilda Radner | Second City Chicago |
| Tony Rosato | Second City Toronto |
| Horatio Sanz | Second City Chicago |
| Martin Short | Second City Toronto |
| Jason Sudeikis | Second City Las Vegas |
| Danitra Vance | Second City Chicago |
| Nancy Walls | Second City Chicago |
[edit] Upright Citizens Brigade
The following is a list of cast members who are Upright Citizens Brigade Theater (UCBT) alumni.
| Person | Venue or Association |
| Abby Elliott | UCBT-LA Student & Performer |
| Bobby Moynihan | UCBT-NY Student & Performer |
| Nasim Pedrad | UCBT-LA Performer |
| Amy Poehler | Original Member/UCBT Co-Founder |
| Rob Riggle | UCBT-NY Student & LA/NY Performer |
| Horatio Sanz | Original Member/LA&NY Performer |
| Jenny Slate | UCBT-NY Student & Performer |
| Casey Wilson | UCBT-NY Student & LA/NY Performer |
[edit] Contracts
SNL received some negative publicity in 1999 when it was leaked that, henceforth, actors joining the show would have to agree in their five-to-six year contract that, upon request, they would act in up to three movies by SNL Films, for fees of US$75,000, US$150,000, and then US$300,000; and also that, upon request, they would leave SNL and act in an NBC sitcom for up to an additional six years. This appeared to be a reaction to former cast members such as Adam Sandler and Mike Myers going on to movie stardom.
Some agents and managers sought to characterize the long-term contracts as involuntary servitude, arguing that young, undiscovered comics would agree to exploitative contractual restrictions for the opportunity to launch a career via the show. NBC publicly defended the new contracts, saying that SNL was doing a service to young comics by launching so many careers.
Jay Mohr reported in Gasping for Airtime: Two Years in the Trenches of Saturday Night Live (ISBN 1-4013-0006-5), that his starting salary of his 5 year deal was US$5,500 per episode (in 1994) plus $1,500 for his writing credit. The following year's salary was $6,500 per episode, up to $12,500 for a 5th year tenured player.
[edit] Saturday Night Live Curse
Although SNL is well-known as the launchpad for many successful careers, a few cast members (and active crew members) have died prematurely. This has given rise to a superstition known as the "Saturday Night Live Curse".[4][5][6]
Two cast members have died due to drug overdose at their age of 33, in parallel situations. Both John Belushi, deceased March 5, 1982, and Chris Farley, deceased December 18, 1997, overdosed from a "speedball," an injection of cocaine and heroin. Belushi's death led to the conviction of Cathy Smith for administering the fatal injection. Nearly four years prior to Belushi's death, SNL aired a short sketch titled Don't Look Back In Anger featuring an elderly John Belushi as the last living of the "not ready for prime time" cast members. Farley's death occurred nearly two months after he came back to host SNL, which turned out to be his last television appearance.
Yep, they all thought I'd be the first to go. I was one of those live-fast, die-young, leave-a-good-looking-corpse types, you know?—John Belushi
Cast member Gilda Radner, deceased May 20, 1989, succumbed to ovarian cancer after a long struggle. Radner was scheduled to host the last episode of season 13 (1987-1988), a first for a female former cast member, but the show was cancelled due to a writer's strike. Her condition worsened over the next year. Shortly before the last episode of the 1988-1989 season, Season 14, news came of Radner's death, and the host Steve Martin delivered a visibly shaken monologue, followed by the sketch called "Dancing in the Dark" that he performed with Radner on an episode he hosted in 1978, and a musical tribute to Radner performed by her former husband G. E. Smith and the SNL Band.
Repertory player Danitra Vance, deceased August 21, 1994, died from breast cancer.
Michael O'Donoghue, deceased November 8, 1994, died of a cerebral hemorrhage; the cast member and writer long suffered from severe chronic migraine headaches. Bill Murray honored his memory in an appearance on the season 20 (1994-1995) episode (hosted by Sarah Jessica Parker with musical guest R.E.M.) by replaying O'Donoghue's sketch, "Mr. Mike's Least Loved Bedtime Stories: The Soiled Kimono" from December 1977.
Long-time performer Phil Hartman, deceased May 28, 1998, was killed by his wife while he slept in his Encino, California home. Before committing the act, Brynn consumed a combination of alcohol, cocaine and the prescription drug Zoloft, and committed suicide hours later in her bedroom.
Doumanian-era performer Charles Rocket was found dead by local police in his Canterbury, Connecticut backyard on October 7, 2005. The death was ruled a suicide; Rocket had allegedly taken his own life by cutting his neck with a pair of box-cutters.
[edit] Survivor
Julia Sweeney was diagnosed with cervical cancer in the mid-1990s, but has survived and transformed her experiences into a one-woman show, God Said, Ha!, developed at LA's alternative comedy show, "Un-Cabaret". Miramax released the film version of the show in 1998, produced by Quentin Tarantino. The film version of the play earned the Golden Space Needle Award, while Sweeney's recording earned her a Grammy nomination for best comedy album. It was released on DVD in 2003.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?031103fa_fact
- ^ "Saturday Night Live Curse?". Who2?. http://www.who2.com/satnightlivecurse.html. Retrieved September 21 2006.
- ^ "The SNL Curse". Saturday-Night-Live.com. http://www.saturday-night-live.com/snl/miscellaneousstuff/documents/thesnlcurse.html. Retrieved September 21 2006.
- ^ Worek, Steven. "Live From Up There". SNLRA.com. Archived from the original on 2006-07-06. http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:1OzYG_P-cXYJ:www.snlra.com/curse.html+site:http://www.snlra.com/curse.html&hl=en&lr=&strip=0. Retrieved September 21 2006.