Saturday Night Live Logo Over New York City
- Phil Hartman – 8 seasons, 1986-1994
Memorable characters:
- Frankenstein
- Frozen Caveman Lawyer
- Jesus
- Bill Clinton
- Frank Sinatra
In 1995, he starred as Bill McNeal in the NBC sitcom, “NewsRadio”. He also had frequent voice-over roles on “The Simpsons”. His life was brought to a tragic end when his wife killed him in his sleep and later committed suicide
2. Will Ferrell – 7 seasons, 1995-2002
Memorable Characters:
- Harry Caray
- Neil Diamond
- Janet Reno
- Alex Trebek
- James Lipton
Will Ferrell has starred in several successful movies since he left “Saturday Night Live”. Some of his biggest hits are: “Old School” ,”Elf, “Anchorman-The Legend of Ron Burgundy” and, “Kicking and Screaming”. He has been nominated for several industry awards including an Emmy, ESPY, Golden Globe, Kid’s Choice, and MTV movie awards.
3. Eddie Murphy – 4 seasons, 1980-1984
Memorable Characters:
- Gumby
- Buckwheat
- Mr. Robinson
- James Brown
- Stevie Wonder
Eddie Murphy has had both an active movie career and a singing career since leaving SNL. He has starred in some major hit movies, including: “Trading Places”, “Beverly Hills Cop”, and “Coming to America”. As a singer, he also had two hit singles, “Party all the Time” and “Put Your Mouth on Me”
4. Chris Farley – 5 seasons, 1990-1995
Memorable Characters
- Matt Foley
- El Nino
- Chippendale Dancer
- Newt Gingrich
- Chicago Bears Superfan
Chris Farley paired up with David Spade and starred in 2 movies, “Tommy Boy” and “Black Sheep”. His final movie was “Beverly Hills Ninja”. On December 18, 1997, at the age of 33, Farley was found dead of a cocaine and morphine overdose.
5. Dana Carvey – 7 seasons, 1986-1993
Memorable Characters:
- The Church Lady
- Garth
- George Bush, Sr.
- Jimmy Stewart
- Casey Kasem
Dana Carvey has had a relatively quiet post-SNL career. He did star in a couple of notable movies, “The Master of Disquise” and “Clean Slate”. But, neither one made much noise with critics or at the box office. Carvey withdrew from the limelight early to focus on his family. He has been named number 90 on the list of the greatest stand-up comics of all-time
6. Mike Myers – 9 seasons, 1986-1995
Memorable Characters:
- Linda Richman
- Wayne Campbell
- Dieter
- Simon
- Stuart Rankin
Mike Myers has written, produced and acted in several box office hits. He wrote and acted in the movie adaptations of “Wayne’s World”, and “Wayne’s World 2”. He was also a producer, writer and actor for the very successful “Austin Powers” trilogy. In addition, Myers is the voice of the animated character, Shrek.
7. Kristen Wiig – 7 seasons, 2005-2012
Memorable Characters:
- Target Lady
- Penelope
- Kathy Lee Gifford
- Shanna
- Dooneese
Kristen Wiig has not been out of the SNL cast for very long. But she’s already making a big name for herself in Hollywood. The 2011 comedy, “Bridesmaids”, which she wrote and starred in, was nominated for an academy award for Best Original Screenplay
Post SNL Highlights:
8. Adam Sandler – 5 seasons, 1991-1995
Memorable Characters:
- Canteen Boy
- Cajun Man
- Opera Man
- Gap Girl w/David Spader
- Brian, from the Denise Show
Adam Sandler has had arguably one of the most successful post-SNL careers. He has his own production company, “Happy Madison Productions”. Happy Madison’s most successful movies include: “Happy Gilmore”, “The Wedding Singer”, “Little Nicky”, “Joe Dirt”, “Eight Crazy Nights”, and “Anger Management”.
9. Dan Aykroyd – 4 seasons, 1975-1979
Memorable Characters:
- Beldar
- Tom Snyder
- Georg Festrunk
- E. Buzz Miller
- Fred Garvin
Like Sandler, Dan Aykroyd has enjoyed a very long and successful post SNL career. Aykroyd plays the beloved Elwood, in the “Blues Brothers” franchise. He has starred in a number of popular comedies , including: “Trading Places”, “Ghostbusters”, and “Spies Like Us”. Akryod was nominated for an academy award for his role in “Driving Miss Daisy”. He is also part owner of “Crystal Head Vodka”, the official vodka of the Rolling Stones.
10. Andy Samberg – 7 seasons, 2005-2012
- Nicholas Cage
- Mark Wahlberg
- Mark Zuckerman
- Shy Ronnie
- Jimmy Fallon
Andy Samberg has starred in a number of roles in little known films, “Hot Rod”, “Hotel Transylvania” , and “That’s My Boy”. His most well-known film to date is “Celeste and Jessie Forever”. He is best known as the wise-cracking Jake Peralta, on “Brooklyn 99”. For his role as Perralta, he received a Golden Globe Award in 2014. He delivered a hilarious speech for “Class Day” at Harvard University. The speech has since gone viral on Youtube.
Honorable Mention : Tina Fey, Norm McDonald, John Belushi, Molly Shannon, Jimmy Fallon, Dennis Miller, John Belushi, Jason Sudiekis, Tracey Morgan, and Bill Hader.
Up and Coming*: Kate Mckinnon, Bobby Moynihan, Jay Pharoah, and Keenan Thompson.
*Note-Only cast members who have already left SNL were chosen to be in the top 10.
rjdick 