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List of Saturday Night Live cast members

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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".

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:[1]

  • performers from the Groundlings often end up creating the vivid recurring characters which 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, taking a boyhood fantasy to an extreme, for example.

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 season in which they first appeared as a player and the season when they left. For example, Bill Murray first appeared on the show in 1977. However, the season began in 1976. Therefore, the date given on the listing will specify 1976.

Cast members who have left a memorable legacy on the show often have been the subject of a Best of SNL videotape, DVD, or compilation special. Cast members where this applies are marked with a Green tickY on the list below. In addition, some hosts have had such compilation videos made for their performances even though they were never members of the cast of Saturday Night Live: Steve Martin, Christopher Walken, Tom Hanks and Alec Baldwin. Cast members who were only featured (never promoted to contract player) are marked with an Red XN. If a (has hammer) appears next to a cast member, he or she has anchored Weekend Update at some point during the show. If a Template:A appears next to a cast member, he or she is deceased.

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

V

W

Z

Notable tenures

Although Saturday Night Live has a rapid turnover of supporting players, some performers have had long tenures with the show. A Green tickY in the final column indicates that the performer has a "Best Of" SNL Compilation:

Performer Years Number of
seasons		 Number of
episodes
Darrell Hammond 1995–present 14 272
Al Franken 1979–1980; 1986; 1987–1995 10 123
Tim Meadows 1991–2000 10 190
Kevin Nealon 1986–1995 9 175
Maya Rudolph 2000–2007 9 138
Phil Hartman 1986–1994 8 156
Chris Kattan 1996–2003 8 150
Seth Meyers 2001–present 8 153
Horatio Sanz 1998–2006 8 160
Chris Parnell 1998–2006 8 148
Amy Poehler 2001–2008 8 143
Fred Armisen 2002–present 7 133
Dana Carvey 1986-1993 7 133
Rachel Dratch 1999–2006 7 137
Will Ferrell 1995–2002 7 141
Will Forte 2002–present 7 133
Tracy Morgan 1996–2003 7 146
Mike Myers 1989-1995 7 126
Molly Shannon 1995-2001 7 122

Best Ofs

Cast members who have left a memorable legacy on the show often have been the subject of a Best of SNL videotape, DVD, or compilation special. In addition, some hosts have had such compilation videos made for their performances even though they were never members of the cast of the show. People marked with a Template:A are hosts, ones without are cast members.

Performer Season Best of Given Notes
John Belushi 10
Gilda Radner 14
Chris Farley 23
Phil Hartman 23
Eddie Murphy 23 Only castmember that did not work under Lorne Michaels to have a best of
Dana Carvey 24
Chris Rock 24
Steve Martin Template:A 24
Adam Sandler 25
Molly Shannon 26
Will Ferrell 28
Chris Kattan 29
Tracy Morgan 29
Will Ferrell 29 Volume 2
Christopher Walken Template:A 30
Cheri Oteri 30
Jon Lovitz 30
Jimmy Fallon 30
Tom Hanks Template:A 30
Alec Baldwin Template:A 30
David Spade 31
Darrell Hammond 32 First castmember to get a best of while still a castmember
Amy Poehler 34

Cast members who have hosted

Green tickY indicates a castmember with a "Best Of" collection. Castmembers are put into order of when they first hosted.

Performer Times Hosted First Hosted Most Recently Hosted When a Castmember
Chevy Chase 9 February 18, 1978 February 15, 1997 1975-1976 / 1½ seasons Green tickY
Bill Murray 5 March 7, 1981 February 20, 1999 1977-1980 / 3½ seasons
Eddie Murphy 2 December 11, 1982 December 15, 1984 1980-1984 / 3½ seasons
Don Novello 2 January 14 , 1984 May 12, 1984 1979-1980 + 1985-1986
Billy Crystal 2 March 17, 1984 May 12, 1984 1984-1985 / 1 season
Michael McKean 1 November 3, 1984 November 3, 1984 94-95 / 1½
Martin Short 2 December 6, 1986 December 7, 1996 1984-1985 / 1 season
Paul Shaffer 1 January 31, 1987 1979-1980 / 1 season
Dana Carvey 3 October 22, 1994 October 21, 2000 1986-1993 / 6½ seasons Green tickY
Damon Wayans 1 April 8, 1995 1985-1986 / ½ season
Phil Hartman 2 March 23, 1996 November 23, 1996 1986-1994 / 8 seasons Green tickY
Chris Rock 1 November 2, 1996 1990-1993 / 3 seasons Green tickY
Robert Downey, Jr. 1 November 16, 1996 1985-1986 / 1 season
Mike Myers 1 March 22, 1997 1989-1995 / 6 seasons Green tickY
Chris Farley 1 October 25, 1997 1990-1995 / 5 seasons Green tickY
Jon Lovitz 1 November 8, 1997 1986-1990 / 5 seasons Green tickY
Ben Stiller 1 October 24, 1998 1989-1989 / ½ season
David Spade 2 November 7, 1998 1990-1996 / 6 seasons Green tickY
Norm Macdonald 1 October 23, 1999 1993-1998 / 5 seasons
Dan Aykroyd 1 May 17, 2003 1975-1979 / 4 seasons Green tickY
Will Ferrell 2 May 14, 2005 May 16, 2009 1995-2002 / 7 seasons Green tickY
Julia Louis-Dreyfus 2 May 13, 2006 March 17, 2007 1982-1985 / 3 seasons
Molly Shannon 1 May 12, 2007 1995-2001 / 6½ seasons Green tickY
Tina Fey 1 February 23, 2008 2000-2006 / 6 seasons
Tracy Morgan 1 March 14, 2009 1996-2003 / 7 seasons Green tickY

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 Other notes
John Goodman 6th (1980–1981) December 2, 1989 November 3, 2001
Jim Carrey 6th (1980–1981) May 18, 1996
Catherine O'Hara 6th (1980–1981) April 13, 1991 October 31, 1992
Geena Davis 10th (1984–1985) April 22, 1989
Paul Reubens 6th (1980–1981) and 10th (1984-1985) November 23, 1985
Lisa Kudrow 16th (1990–1991) October 5, 1996
Steve Carell 21st (1995–1996) October 1, 2005 May 17, 2008
Johnny Knoxville 21st (1995–1996) May 7, 2005
Dane Cook 28th (2002–2003) December 3, 2005 September 30, 2006

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, the latest castmember to join SNL as of 2008, 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.

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".[3][4][5]

Two cast members have died due to drug overdoses, in parallel situations. Both Chris Farley, deceased December 18, 1997, and John Belushi, deceased March 5, 1982, overdosed from a "speedball," an injection of cocaine and heroin. Farley's death occurred nearly two months after he came back to host SNL, which turned out to be his last television appearance. 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.

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, opening line of Don't Look Back In Anger, 11 March 1978

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 until a year later, when Steve Martin hosted the last episode of the 1988-1989 season (Season 14). Shortly before the episode, news came of Radner's death, and Martin's visibly shaken monologue now introduced a sketch called "Dancing in the Dark" that he performed with Radner on an episode he hosted in 1978, followed by 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 after the cancer was in remission for three years.

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 shot and killed in his sleep by his wife, Brynn. Before committing the act, Brynn consumed a combination of alcohol, cocaine and the prescription drug Zoloft. She later killed herself.

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.

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.

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 characterized these long-term contracts as involuntary servitude, saying that almost any young, undiscovered comic would immediately agree to any given set of 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.

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?031103fa_fact
  2. ^ Longdorf, Amy (2009-09-05). "Michaela Watkins & Casey Wilson Leaving 'Saturday Night Live,' Kristen Wiig To Join 'Weekend Update?'". Access Hollywood. Retrieved 2009-09-07.
  3. ^ "Saturday Night Live Curse?". Who2?. Retrieved September 21 2006. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  4. ^ "The SNL Curse". Saturday-Night-Live.com. Retrieved September 21 2006. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  5. ^ Worek, Steven. "Live From Up There". SNLRA.com. Archived from the original on 2006-07-06. Retrieved September 21 2006. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
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