Saturday Night Live cast members

The following is a list of Saturday Night Live cast members, past and present. The cast members of Saturday Night Live were originally referred to as the "Not Ready For Prime Time Players".

The original cast (l to r): Laraine Newman, John Belushi, Jane Curtin, Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd, Garrett Morris, and Chevy Chase

Cast list

Each season's cast is divided into two tiers: the more established group of repertory players, and newer cast members known as featured players, who may eventually be promoted to the repertory stable.

The show's current cast is listed below:

Current repertory players	Current featured players
Fred Armisen (joined 2002) Vanessa Bayer (joined 2010) Taran Killam (joined 2010) Seth Meyers (joined 2001) Bobby Moynihan (joined 2008) Nasim Pedrad (joined 2009) Jay Pharoah (joined 2010) Jason Sudeikis (joined 2005) Kenan Thompson (joined 2003)	Aidy Bryant (joined 2012) Kate McKinnon (joined 2012) Tim Robinson (joined 2012) Cecily Strong (joined 2012)

As of September 2012, the show has featured 132 cast members. The list below includes both repertory and featured players, but omits SNL writers and others who were not listed as cast members during the show's credits. The dates given are those of the years they were part of the cast. Also noted on the chart is whether the cast member ever served as an episode's host, appeared as the anchorperson of the "Weekend Update" segment (by any of its titles), or has been the subject of their own "Best of" home video collection. Many of the cast members were writers as well.

(d) denotes deceased

Performer	Years active	Repertory player	Featured player only	"Weekend Update" anchor	Hosted	Best of...	Writer
Fred Armisen	2002–present	Y
Dan Aykroyd	1975–1979	Y		Y	Y	Y	Y
Peter Aykroyd	1979–1980		Y				Y
Morwenna Banks	1995	Y
Vanessa Bayer	2010–present	Y
Jim Belushi	1983–1985	Y					Y
John Belushi (d)	1975–1979	Y				Y	Y
Jim Breuer	1995–1998	Y
Paul Brittain	2010–2012		Y
A. Whitney Brown	1985–1991		Y				Y
Aidy Bryant	2012–present		Y
Beth Cahill	1991–1992		Y
Dana Carvey	1986–1993	Y			Y	Y
Chevy Chase	1975–1976	Y		Y	Y	Y	Y
Ellen Cleghorne	1991–1995	Y
George Coe	1975	Y
Billy Crystal	1984–1985	Y		Y	Y		Y
Jane Curtin	1975–1980	Y		Y
Joan Cusack	1985–1986	Y
Tom Davis (d)	1977–1980 1986-1994		Y				Y
Denny Dillon	1980–1981	Y
Jim Downey	1979–1980		Y				Y
Robert Downey, Jr.	1985–1986	Y			Y
Brian Doyle-Murray	1979–1980 1981–1982	Y		Y			Y
Rachel Dratch	1999–2006	Y
Robin Duke	1981–1984	Y					Y
Nora Dunn	1985–1990	Y
Christine Ebersole	1981–1982	Y		Y
Dean Edwards	2001–2003		Y
Abby Elliott	2008–2012	Y
Chris Elliott	1994–1995	Y
Jimmy Fallon	1998–2004	Y		Y	Y	Y
Siobhan Fallon	1991–1992		Y
Chris Farley (d)	1990–1995	Y			Y	Y
Will Ferrell	1995–2002	Y			Y	Y
Tina Fey	2000–2006	Y		Y	Y		Y
Will Forte	2002–2010	Y
Al Franken	1977–1980 1985–1986 1988–1995		Y				Y
Janeane Garofalo	1994–1995	Y
Ana Gasteyer	1996–2002	Y
Gilbert Gottfried	1980–1981	Y
Mary Gross	1981–1985	Y		Y			Y
Christopher Guest	1984–1985	Y		Y			Y
Bill Hader	2005–2013	Y
Anthony Michael Hall	1985–1986	Y
Brad Hall	1982–1984	Y		Y
Rich Hall	1984–1985	Y					Y
Darrell Hammond	1995–2009	Y				Y
Phil Hartman (d)	1986–1994	Y			Y	Y	Y
Jan Hooks	1986–1991	Y
Yvonne Hudson	1980–1981		Y
Melanie Hutsell	1991–1994	Y
Victoria Jackson	1986–1992	Y
Chris Kattan	1996–2003	Y				Y
Tim Kazurinsky	1981–1984	Y					Y
Laura Kightlinger	1994–1995		Y				Y
Taran Killam	2010–present	Y
David Koechner	1995–1996	Y
Gary Kroeger	1982–1985	Y
Matthew Laurance	1980–1981		Y
Julia Louis-Dreyfus	1982–1985	Y			Y
Jon Lovitz	1985–1990	Y			Y	Y
Norm Macdonald	1993–1998	Y		Y	Y		Y
Gail Matthius	1980–1981	Y		Y
Michael McKean	1994–1995	Y			Y
Mark McKinney	1995–1997	Y
Kate McKinnon	2012–present		Y
Tim Meadows	1991–2000	Y				Y	Y
Laurie Metcalf	1981		Y
Seth Meyers	2001–present	Y		Y			Y
Dennis Miller	1985–1991	Y		Y			Y
Jerry Minor	2000–2001		Y				Y
Finesse Mitchell	2003–2006	Y
Jay Mohr	1993–1995		Y				Y
Tracy Morgan	1996–2003	Y			Y	Y
Garrett Morris	1975–1980	Y					Y
Bobby Moynihan	2008–present	Y
Eddie Murphy	1980–1984	Y			Y	Y	Y
Bill Murray	1977–1980	Y		Y	Y		Y
Mike Myers	1989–1995	Y			Y	Y	Y
Kevin Nealon	1986–1995	Y		Y			Y
Laraine Newman	1975–1980	Y
Don Novello	1979–1980 1985–1986		Y		Y		Y
Michael O'Donoghue (d)	1975	Y					Y
Cheri Oteri	1995–2000	Y				Y
Chris Parnell	1998–2001 2002–2006	Y
Nasim Pedrad	2009–present	Y
Jay Pharoah	2010–present	Y
Joe Piscopo	1980–1984	Y					Y
Amy Poehler	2001–2008	Y		Y	Y	Y
Emily Prager	1981		Y
Randy Quaid	1985–1986	Y
Colin Quinn	1995–2000	Y		Y			Y
Gilda Radner (d)	1975–1980	Y				Y
Jeff Richards	2001–2004	Y
Rob Riggle	2004–2005		Y
Ann Risley	1980–1981	Y
Chris Rock	1990–1993	Y			Y	Y
Charles Rocket (d)	1980–1981	Y		Y
Tim Robinson	2012–present		Y
Tony Rosato	1981–1982	Y					Y
Maya Rudolph	2000–2007	Y			Y
Andy Samberg	2005–2012	Y					Y
Adam Sandler	1991–1995	Y				Y	Y
Horatio Sanz	1998–2006	Y		Y
Tom Schiller	1979–1980		Y				Y
Rob Schneider	1990–1994	Y					Y
Paul Shaffer	1979–1980		Y		Y
Molly Shannon	1995–2001	Y			Y	Y
Harry Shearer	1979–1980 1984–1985	Y					Y
Martin Short	1984–1985	Y			Y		Y
Sarah Silverman	1993–1994		Y				Y
Jenny Slate	2009–2010		Y
Robert Smigel	1991–1993		Y				Y
David Spade	1990–1996	Y			Y	Y	Y
Pamela Stephenson	1984–1985	Y
Ben Stiller	1989		Y		Y
Cecily Strong	2012–present		Y
Jason Sudeikis	2005–present	Y					Y
Julia Sweeney	1990–1994	Y
Terry Sweeney	1985–1986	Y					Y
Kenan Thompson	2003–present	Y
Danitra Vance (d)	1985–1986	Y
Dan Vitale	1985–1986		Y
Nancy Walls	1995–1996	Y
Michaela Watkins	2008–2009		Y
Damon Wayans	1985–1986		Y		Y
Patrick Weathers	1980–1981		Y
Kristen Wiig	2005–2012	Y			Y
Casey Wilson	2008–2009		Y
Fred Wolf	1995–1996		Y				Y
Alan Zweibel	1979–1980		Y				Y

Cast timeline

Lighter colors denote "featured players" versus repertory cast members.

Family connections

Some cast members are related to former staff of the show. One example is Jim Belushi, who is the 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.^{[citation needed]} Short-lived featured player Matthew Laurence was the identical twin brother of 1977-1980 associate director and bit player Mitchell Laurence.^{[citation needed]} Long-time writer and sometime performer Jim Downey is former cast member Robert Downey, Jr.'s uncle. Former SNL cast member Abby Elliott is the daughter of former cast member Chris Elliott (and granddaughter of Bob Elliott, who appeared on SNL as a guest performer on the 1978 Christmas episode hosted by Elliott Gould).

Other staff are related by marriage. 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 married in 1987. Former cast member and head writer Tina Fey is married to former show composer Jeff Richmond.

Longest tenures

The following is a list of the cast members with the longest tenures, who have spent at least eight seasons on the show.

Person	No. of seasons	Notes
Darrell Hammond	14	Hammond was hired after a cast overhaul in 1995. Hammond holds the record for most celebrity impersonations (107).[citation needed] He is also the last cast member hired in the 1990s to leave the show, the oldest cast member to leave the show (Hammond was 53 when he left the show), and the longest-running cast member at 14 seasons (1995–2009).
Seth Meyers	12	Meyers joined the show in 2001 and is the head writer and anchor of Weekend Update. As of 2012, his tenure on Weekend Update has reached its seventh year, making him the Weekend Update anchor who has served out the most seasons (and the only one to start out with a partner before doing the segment by himself). He will leave SNL during the middle of season 39 as he will take over the hosting duties for Late Night.
Al Franken	11	Franken was hired as a writer in the beginning of the series in 1975. As the show progressed, he and Tom Davis were allowed to perform material on air sporadically. Franken left the show in 1980, but returned to the show when Lorne Michaels came back in 1985, where Franken regained his writing and on air featured status until the season 20.
Fred Armisen	11	Armisen joined the show in 2002. Armisen is now the show's longest-running Hispanic cast member (beating out the Chilean-born Horatio Sanz), as well as the longest-running Asian cast member (Armisen is part Japanese), the only current cast member born before 1970 (Armisen was born in 1966), and was oldest current cast member.
Tim Meadows	10	Meadows joined the show in early 1991. As of 2012, Meadows is tied with Kenan Thompson for the record of longest-serving black cast member (Meadows left the show at the end of the season 25), both having served 10 seasons on the show.
Kenan Thompson	10	Thompson joined the show in 2003 and is still in the cast, currently in his tenth season on the show. Thompson is currently tied with Tim Meadows for the record of longest-serving black cast member, and himself holds the records of longest-running cast member who was born after SNL premiered in 1975, first cast member who was born after SNL's 1975 premiere to join the show's cast.
Kevin Nealon	9	Nealon joined the show in 1986. He served as anchor of Weekend Update for his sixth, seventh and eighth seasons, and gave up his position as anchor in his ninth season. Nealon did not return to the show after 1995.
Phil Hartman	8	Hartman, like Nealon, joined the show in 1986. He left in 1994 and hosted the show twice in 1996. He was killed by his wife four years after leaving the show.
Chris Parnell	8	Parnell was hired in 1998 and was fired in 2001 to make way for new talent. About a year later, Parnell was rehired and remained on the show until he was let go for the second time in 2006 due to budget cuts.
Horatio Sanz	8	Like Parnell, Sanz joined the show in 1998 and was let go due to budget cuts in 2006. He served as co-anchor of Weekend Update in season 31 with Poehler for a few episodes, after Fey gave birth to her first child.
Maya Rudolph	8	Rudolph joined the show in early 2000. She was absent for most of season 31 following the birth of her child. She did not return to the show in 2008 after the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike ended.
Amy Poehler	8	Like Seth Meyers, Poehler joined the show in 2001. She served as co-anchor of Weekend Update with Tina Fey in 2004–06 and with Meyers in 2006–08. She left the series in 2008 to begin production on Parks and Recreation.
Will Forte	8	Forte joined the show, like Armisen, in 2002. He left the series after the release of MacGruber in 2010.
Jason Sudeikis	8	Sudeikis joined the cast in 2005, towards the end season 30, after having been a writer for the show since 2003.
Bill Hader	8	Hader joined the show in 2005. He left the series in 2013.

Shortest tenures

The following is a list of the former cast members who have had the shortest tenures, spending less than a full 20-episode season on the show.

Person	No. of episodes	Notes
Emily Prager	1	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 season six, 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. Unlike Prager, Metcalf appeared on-camera in a Weekend Update piece. When the show was put on hiatus for retooling, Metcalf was not chosen to return to the show for the season seven cast.
Dan Vitale	3	Was hired as an on-and-off featured player for the season 11, he was only credited with appearing in three episodes throughout the season.
Morwenna Banks	4	Was hired as a repertory player for the last four episodes of season 20, 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 season 14, but quit after four episodes due to creative differences. Despite this, Stiller returned to host in 1998 and 2011.
Tom Schiller	7	Schiller was one of the show writers who was upgraded to cast member status during season five. He left the show at the end of the season.
Patrick Weathers	7	Weathers was hired as a featured cast member for season six, but was fired along with many of Doumanian's cast.
George Coe	8	Coe was one of the original "Not-Ready-for-Primetime Players", because NBC wanted someone older in the cast. He continued to make several uncredited appearances throughout the first season.
Yvonne Hudson	8	Hudson was a recurring extra during season five, and became the first black female cast member in season six. Like many of Doumanian's cast, she was fired mid-season.
Jim Downey	9	Downey was hired as one of many writers-turned-feature players in season five. Even though he left the cast after the season, Downey returned to the show as a writer in the mid-1980s and has remained with it.
Matthew Laurance	10	Laurance was hired as a feature player during the season six , and, like many of the cast, was fired as part of the mid-season overhaul.
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 for season six and was fired as part of the mid-season overhaul.
Michael O'Donoghue	12	O'Donoghue was one of the original "Not Ready for Primetime Players," but was dropped after a few episodes. He remained with the show as a writer and occasional on-screen performer.
Ann Risley	12	Risley joined the cast for season six and was fired as part of the mid-season overhaul.
Charles Rocket	12	Rocket joined the cast for season six and was fired as part of the mid-season overhaul after dropping an f-bomb on live television.
Damon Wayans	12	Wayans was hired for season 11 as a featured player. He was fired mid-season for improvising on the air, Wayans returned as a guest to perform stand-up comedy on season 11's last episode and hosted SNL in 1995.
Beth Cahill	13	Cahill joined the show during season 17 as an off-and-on featured player. She did not return the following season, as she was fired along with cast mate Siobhan Fallon.
Denny Dillon	13	Dillon joined the cast for season six and was let go after the final episode of the season as part of the cast overhaul. She auditioned for the show's first season, but did not make the cut.
Gail Matthius	13	Matthius joined the cast for the sixth season and was let go after the season ended.
Paul Shaffer	13	Shaffer joined the cast during season five after being a part of the show's house band; he left after the season's end. He hosted SNL in 1987, making him the only member of the house band to do so.
Janeane Garofalo	14	Garofalo joined the cast during season 20, but quit mid-season due to creative differences.
Michaela Watkins	15	Watkins joined the show on the first episode after the 2008 United States presidential election, then was let go before the start of season 35.

Youngest cast members

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	2008–2012
Julia Louis-Dreyfus	21 years, 8 months	1982–1985
Sarah Silverman	22 years, 9 months	1993–1994
Jay Pharoah	22 years, 11 months	2010–present

Oldest cast members

The following is a list of the oldest people to join the show.

Person	Age when joined show	Tenure
Michael McKean	46 years, 5 months	1994–1995
George Coe	46 years, 5 months	1975–1976
Darrell Hammond	39 years old	1995–2009
Garrett Morris	38 years, 8 month	1975–1980
Phil Hartman	38 years, 1 month	1986–1994
Michaela Watkins	36 years, 11 months	2008–2009
Christopher Guest	36 years, 8 months	1984–1985
Billy Crystal	36 years, 7 months	1984–1985
Colin Quinn	36 years, 4 months	1995–2000

Darrell Hammond is currently the oldest cast member who left at 53 years old during his final season on the show.

President of the United States impressionists

Impersonating the sitting President of the United States is considered "about as high of an honor that can be bestowed upon a cast member." The following is a list of people who have impersonated the president.

President	Performer (years)
Richard Nixon (1)	Dan Aykroyd (1975–1979)
Gerald Ford	Chevy Chase (1975–1976)
Jimmy Carter	Dan Aykroyd (1977–1979) Joe Piscopo (1980–1981)
Ronald Reagan	Charles Rocket (1981) Joe Piscopo (1981–1984) Harry Shearer (1984) Randy Quaid (1985–1986) Phil Hartman (1986–1989)
George H. W. Bush	Dana Carvey (1989–1993)

President	Performer (Years)
Bill Clinton	Phil Hartman (1993–1994) Michael McKean (1994) Darrell Hammond (1995–2001)
George W. Bush	Will Ferrell (2001–2002) Chris Parnell (2002–2003) Darrell Hammond (2003) Will Forte (2004–2006) Jason Sudeikis (2006–2008)
Barack Obama	Fred Armisen (2009–2012) Jay Pharoah (2012–present)

Darrell Hammond had the longest tenure as a President impersonator, with Bill Clinton from 1995-2001 and time as George W. Bush during 2003.

Michael McKean portrayed Bill Clinton during a brief period after Phil Hartman's departure. There was also a sketch featuring Chris Farley, David Spade, Chris Elliott, Adam Sandler, and Tim Meadows "auditioning" for the role of Clinton. There was also a gag in a 2001 sketch with Tracy Morgan "filling in" for Will Ferrell as George W. Bush.

(1) Although Richard Nixon resigned over a year before SNL's premiere, he was still often in the news.

Deceased cast members

Although SNL is best known as the launchpad for many successful careers, eight cast members have died prematurely. This has given rise to a superstition known as the "Saturday Night Live Curse".

Two cast members have died of a drug overdose at the age of 33 in parallel situations. John Belushi and Chris Farley 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 before Belushi's death, SNL aired a short sketch titled Don't Look Back In Anger featuring an elderly 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 final 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

Original cast member Gilda Radner died on May 20, 1989 from ovarian cancer. Radner was originally scheduled to host the season 13 finale, a first for a former female cast member, but the show was canceled due to a Writer's Guild of America strike. Radner's health worsened the following year. Shortly before the season 14 finale, news came of Radner's death and Steve Martin delivered his visibly shaken monologue, followed by the sketch called "Dancing in the Dark" that he and Radner performed 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.

Danitra Vance, a cast member during season 11, died on August 21, 1994, three years after her breast cancer was put in remission.

Original cast member and writer Michael O'Donoghue died on November 8, 1994 of a cerebral hemorrhage after suffering from severe chronic migraine headaches for most of his life. Bill Murray honored O'Donoghue's memory in an appearance on the season 20 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.

Phil Hartman, a long-time veteran cast member between 1986 and 1994, was shot to death on May 28, 1998 by his wife while he slept in his Encino, California home. Before committing the act, Brynn consumed a combination of cocaine, alcohol, and the antidepressant drug Zoloft, and later killed herself.

Doumanian-era performer Charles Rocket was found dead on October 7, 2005 in his Canterbury, Connecticut backyard. Local police ruled his death a suicide. Rocket had allegedly taken his own life by slashing his throat with a box cutter.

Tom Davis, a cast member and writer for the show's first five years, died on July 19, 2012, after a three-year battle with throat and neck cancer.

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.

See also

• List of Saturday Night Live cast members who have hosted