Rolling Stone's SNL 40 years of Cast Members Ranked, Adjusted For Reality.
by RT Firefly | created - 17 Sep 2020 | updated - 03 Oct 2022 | PublicDevoid of petty politics, popularity and just plain ignorance, here is a much more accurate ranking of the top 145 cast members, from a professional comedian who watched all 40 seasons unfold.
1. John Belushi
Actor | Saturday Night Live
John Belushi was born in Chicago, Illinois, USA, on January 24, 1949, to Agnes Demetri (Samaras) and Adam Anastos Belushi, a restaurant owner. His father was an Albanian immigrant, from Qytezë, and his mother was also of Albanian descent. He grew up in Wheaton, where the family moved when he was ...
RS ranking 1. One of the few that RS got right. That having been said, picking #1, or the top 10 for that matter, is like picking the best song ever. Belushi wins the prize because he was the essence of SNL and its energy, and he set the tone for the madness to come.
2. Martin Short
Actor | Innerspace
Martin Hayter Short OC is a Canadian-American actor, comedian, singer, and writer. He has received various awards including two Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award. In 2019 Short became an Officer of the Order of Canada, and has received Medals from Queen Elizabeth II, including in 2002 the ...
RS ranking 31! Major red flag from the Rolling Stone list that the author has no clue what he's doing. Martin Short was likely the funniest performer ever on SNL. He takes second only because of how important Belushi was.
3. Eddie Murphy
Actor | The Nutty Professor
Edward Regan Murphy was born April 3, 1961 in Brooklyn, New York, to Lillian Lynch (born: Lillian Laney), a telephone operator, and Charles Edward Murphy, a transit police officer who was also an amateur comedian and actor. After his father died, his mother married Vernon Lynch, a foreman at a ...
RS ranking 2. Brilliant. Innovative. Didn't pander. Pure comedy. His James Brown get in the hot tub sketch is what SNL is all about.
4. Bill Murray
Actor | Lost in Translation
Bill Murray is an American actor, comedian, and writer. The fifth of nine children, he was born William James Murray in Wilmette, Illinois, to Lucille (Collins), a mailroom clerk, and Edward Joseph Murray II, who sold lumber. He is of Irish descent. Among his siblings are actors Brian Doyle-Murray, ...
RS ranking 6. Never dull. Easily one of the best sketch performers in the show's history.
5. Mike Myers
Actor | Austin Powers in Goldmember
Michael John Myers was born in 1963 in Scarborough, Ontario, to Alice E. (Hind), an officer supervisor, and Eric Myers, an insurance agent. His parents were both English, and had served in the Royal Air Force and British Army, respectively.
Myers' television career really started in 1988, when he ...
RS ranking 4. Brilliant characters. Invented more characters than anyone I can think of in the history of the show. His throw away characters are better than anything anyone has come up with on SNL in the past 10 years.
6. Dana Carvey
Actor | Wayne's World
One of SNL's most talented alumni, comedian Dana Carvey reigned supreme during his six-season run creating some of the show's most memorable characters, including "Church Lady", "Garth" of Wayne & Garth fame, Grumpy Old Man and bodybuilding "Hans" of Hans & Franz notoriety. This sharp and witty ...
RS ranking 11. Boundless energy and almost always funny. A brilliant impressionist.
7. Will Ferrell
Producer | Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
John William Ferrell was born in Irvine, California, to Betty Kay (Overman), a teacher, and Roy Lee Ferrell, Jr., a musician. His parents were originally from Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina.
A graduate of the University of Southern California, Ferrell became interested in performing while a student ...
RS ranking 12. The crazy type of unhinged performer SNL needs.
8. Kristen Wiig
Actress | Bridesmaids
Kristen Carroll Wiig was born on August 22, 1973 in Canandaigua, New York, to Laurie J. (Johnston), an artist, and Jon J. Wiig, a lake marina manager. She is of Norwegian (from her paternal grandfather), Irish, English, and Scottish descent. The family moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, before ...
RS ranking 14. The funniest female cast member in SNL history. I moved you up 6 spots into the top 10, Kristen. You deserve it.
9. Chris Farley
Actor | Tommy Boy
Christopher Crosby Farley was born on February 15, 1964, in Madison, Wisconsin, to Mary Anne (Crosby) and Thomas Farley, who owned an oil company. Among his siblings are actors Kevin P. Farley and John Farley. He was of Irish heritage. Farley studied theatre and communications on Marquette ...
RS ranking 15. Started out slow and clumsy, but grew quickly and then came on like gangbusters.
10. Billy Crystal
Actor | Forget Paris
Billy Crystal was born on March 14, 1948 in Manhattan, New York, and was raised on Long Island. He is the youngest of three sons born to Helen (Gabler) and Jack Crystal. His father was a well-known concert promoter who co-founded Commodore Records and his mother was a homemaker. His family were ...
RS ranking 30. The 84-85 season was, sketch for sketch, the best season in SNL history. Billy was a major part of that.
11. Chevy Chase
Actor | Memoirs of an Invisible Man
Chevy Chase was born Cornelius Crane Chase on October 8, 1943 in Lower Manhattan, New York, to Cathalene Parker (Browning), a concert pianist and librettist, and Edward Tinsley "Ned" Chase, an editor and writer. His parents both came from prominent families, and his grandfathers were artist and ...
RS ranking 10. Like him or not as a person, he was brilliant on SNL and a major part of why people began watching TV on a Saturday at midnight.
12. Dan Aykroyd
Writer | Ghostbusters
Daniel Edward Aykroyd was born on July 1, 1952 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, to Lorraine Hélène (Gougeon), a secretary from a French-Canadian family, and Samuel Cuthbert Peter Hugh Aykroyd, a civil engineer who advised prime minister Pierre Trudeau. Aykroyd attended Carleton University in 1969, where...
RS ranking 5. Solid, but not all of his material holds up over time. He was very important to the creation of the show, so I don't move him too far.
13. David Koechner
Actor | Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Actor, writer and producer David Michael Koechner was born in Tipton, Missouri, to Margaret Ann (Downey) and Cecil Stephen Koechner, who ran a turkey coop manufacturing business. He is of German, Irish, and English ancestry. An alumnus of Chicago's Second City Theater, Koechner got his first break ...
RS ranking 110. Perhaps the most underrated performer on the list. His tenure tragically cut short by the insane Don Ohlmeyer. He was only on one season, but showed the potential to be one of the best performers in the history of SNL.
14. Jon Lovitz
Actor | Happiness
Jonathan Michael Lovitz is a American comedian and actor from Tarzana who is known for voicing Jay Sherman from The Critic and for being a Saturday Night Live cast member in the 1990s. He acted in a lot of Adam Sandler films such as The Wedding Singer, Little Nicky, Hotel Transylvania, Grown Ups 2 ...
RS ranking 19.
15. Harry Shearer
Actor | The Simpsons
Harry Shearer was born in 1943 in Los Angeles, California. His film debut was with Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (1953), followed by The Robe (1953). Probably best known for his Saturday Night Live (1975) gigs, his NPR satire program "Le Show" and The Simpsons (1989)...
RS ranking 77. His 1/2 season on the 84/85 season was brilliant.
16. Molly Shannon
Actress | Superstar
Molly Shannon has become one of Hollywood's most sought-after talents on television and the silver screen.
Shannon spent six seasons as a member of the repertory company on "Saturday Night Live," primarily known for the eclectic characters she created, such as Mary Katherine Gallagher and Sally ...
RS ranking 40.
17. Christopher Guest
Actor | This Is Spinal Tap
U.S.-born actor, director, writer, musician, and composer best known for his mockumentaries, poking fun at heavy metal music, small town theatre, dog shows, folk music and film-making itself, Christopher Haden-Guest was born February fifth, 1948, in New York City. His mother, Jean Pauline (Hindes),...
RS ranking 29.
18. Fred Armisen
Music_department | Portlandia
Fereydun Robert Armisen is an American actor, comedian, and writer. After having begun his career as a musician for groups such as Trenchmouth and the Blue Man Group, he would get his big break as a comedy actor when he joined the cast of Saturday Night Live (1975) in 2002, having remained with the...
RS ranking 23.
19. Norm MacDonald
Actor | Dirty Work
Macdonald was born Norman Gene Macdonald in Quebec City, Quebec. He began his career in stand-up comedy. Macdonald's first job was writing for The Dennis Miller Show (1992) and then Roseanne (1988). While writing for Roseanne (1988), he was noticed by Lorne Michaels, who liked Norm's stand up, and ...
RS ranking 139. Many people who read the Rolling Stone SNL rankings (it began in reverse order, starting at 145) got to 139, rolled their eyes and stopped reading. One word: Burt Reynolds.
20. Phil Hartman
Actor | NewsRadio
Phil Hartman was born Philip Edward Hartmann on September 24, 1948, in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. His surname was originally "Hartmann", but he later dropped the second "n". He was one of eight children of Doris Marguerite (Wardell) and Rupert Loebig Hartmann, a salesman. He was of German, Irish, ...
RS ranking 7. I know that Phil Hartman is beloved, and he did a lot of funny work on SNL, but it was not the huge belly laughs of Martin Short or Mike Meyers. Still, a solid player.
21. Bill Hader
Actor | The Skeleton Twins
Bill Hader is an American comedian and actor who is known for playing in Saturday Night Live from 2005 to 2013. He created and starred in the HBO show Barry. He also played Flint Lockwood from Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Colonel Custer from Night at the Museum 2, Fear from Inside Out and ...
RS ranking 13.
22. Will Forte
Actor | MacGruber
Forte was age 32 before he came to the public's attention on Saturday Night Live (1975), but had been working in comedy since 1997.
Will Forte was born in Alameda County, California, and is the son of artist Patricia (Stivers) and financial broker Orville Willis Forte III (divorced). He has an older...
RS ranking 52.
23. Joe Piscopo
Actor | Saturday Night Live
Joe Piscopo was cast on Saturday Night Live (1975) in 1980 as part of an overall replacement of the original cast. However his team of players was not up to par in comedy and was quickly replaced except for him and Eddie Murphy. Together they dominated the show for the next three years. Since then ...
RS ranking 66. The pre "movie star", steroid using, Jerry Lewis version of Joe Piscopo was brilliant. His Frank Sinatra was what SNL is all about. Hip, heady humor.
24. Gilda Radner
Actress | Saturday Night Live
Gilda Radner was one of the great comic geniuses of the 20th century, ranked with Lucille Ball and other comedy legends of the highest caliber. She was born on June 28, 1946, in Detroit, Michigan, the younger of two children of Henrietta (Dworkin), a legal secretary, and Herman Radner, a ...
RS ranking 9. She was delightful and funny, but a lot of her sketches don't age well.
25. Adam Sandler
Actor | The Waterboy
Adam Richard Sandler was born September 9, 1966 in Brooklyn, New York, to Judith (Levine), a teacher at a nursery school, and Stanley Alan Sandler, an electrical engineer. He is of Russian Jewish descent. At 17, he took his first step towards becoming a stand-up comedian when he spontaneously took ...
RS ranking 17. As many people disliked Sandler as loved him. He did have a great energy he brought to the show.
26. Horatio Sanz
Actor | Bachelorette
Horatio Sanz was born on June 4, 1969, in Santiago, Chile, and raised in Chicago, Illinois. He was one of the Upright Citizen Brigade's founding members and performed with Chicago's Second City comedy troupe.
When he joined the cast of Saturday Night Live (1975) as a featured player at the beginning...
RS ranking 58.
27. Andy Samberg
Actor | Saturday Night Live
Andy Samberg was born in Berkeley, California, to Marjorie (Marrow), a teacher, and Joe Samberg, a photographer. With Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer, Samberg is one of three Los Angeles, California-based writer-performer-filmmakers--all childhood friends--dubbed The Lonely Island, whose short ...
RS ranking 22.
28. Jason Sudeikis
Actor | Ted Lasso
Jason Sudeikis was born on September 18, 1975 in Fairfax, Virginia as Daniel Jason Sudeikis. His father is Daniel Joseph Sudeikis, a Vice President of a business development and his mother is Kathryn (née Wendt), a travel agent at Brennco and President of the American Society of Travel Agents. He ...
RS ranking 25.
29. Kevin Nealon
Actor | Saturday Night Live
Kevin Nealon is an American comedian and actor known for Saturday Night Live, Stanley the Gatekeeper from Little Nicky, Mr. Cheezle from Grandma's Boy, Doug Wilson from Weeds and the voice of Glenn Martin DDS. He acted in many other films starring Adam Sandler including Happy Gilmore, The Wedding ...
RS ranking 59.
30. Darrell Hammond
Actor | Blues Brothers 2000
Comedian Darrell Hammond was born in Melbourne, Florida, to Margaret Evelyn (Helms) and Max Carey Hammond. A Saturday Night Live (1975) cast member from 1995 to 2009 - the longest tenure of any SNL cast member - Hammond was one of the sketch TV show's strongest and funniest performers. As well as ...
RS ranking 49. A great utility player.
31. Tim Kazurinsky
Actor | Saturday Night Live
Tim Kazurinsky is an American actor and screenwriter known for his tenure as a writer and cast member on Saturday Night Live (1981-1984) and for playing Officer Carl Sweetchuck in the "Police Academy" film franchise. Notable screenwriting credits include "About Last Night..." (1986) and "For Keeps?...
RS ranking 32
32. The Muppets
Soundtrack | Muppets Most Wanted
The Muppets is known for Muppets Most Wanted (2014), The Muppets (2011) and Some Jerk with a Camera (2011).
RS ranking 144
33. Rob Riggle
Actor | The Daily Show
Comedian, actor and United States Marine Corps Reserve Lieutenant Colonel Robert Allen Riggle, Jr. was born April 21, 1970 in Louisville, Kentucky, to Sandra (Shrout) and Robert Allen Riggle, who worked in insurance. Riggle has amassed notable television credits and has also earned roles in many ...
RS ranking 120 Oh, wait, wasn't he a marine or something? That must mean he's conservative and therefore not funny That's called thinking over at Rolling Stone.
34. Amy Poehler
Actress | Inside Out
Amy Meredith Poehler was born in Newton, Massachusetts, to high school teachers Eileen Frances (Milmore) and William Grinstead Poehler. Her brother is comedian Greg Poehler. She is of Irish (from her mother) and English, Irish, German, and Portuguese (from her father) descent. Amy was first ...
RS ranking 8 Just in case you were confused, SNL is NOT Parks and Rec. Amy was definitely not a top 10 performer on SNL, no matter how funny she was on her other stuff after SNL.
35. Colin Quinn
Actor | Trainwreck
Colin Quinn was born on June 6, 1959 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He is a writer and actor, known for Trainwreck (2015), A Night at the Roxbury (1998) and Cop Show (2014). He has been married to Jen Sochko since June 9, 2019.
RS ranking 140. More evidence of the RS author's insane political bias.
36. Jim Breuer
Actor | Half Baked
Jim Breuer was born on June 21, 1967 in Valley Stream, Long Island, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Half Baked (1998), Titan A.E. (2000) and Zookeeper (2011). He has been married to Dee Breuer since August 28, 1993. They have three children.
RS ranking 143. Brewer was no Eddie Murphy, but you could easily move him up 100 positions in the rankings. Did the RS idiot that made this list even watch SNL?
37. David Spade
Actor | Joe Dirt
Adept at playing comic brat extraordinaires both on film and TV, David Spade was born on July 22, 1964, in Birmingham, Michigan, the youngest of three brothers. He is the son of Judith J. (Meek), a writer and editor, and Wayne M. Spade, a sales rep, and is of German, English, Irish, and Scottish ...
RS ranking 27
38. Nancy Carell
Actress | The 40 Year Old Virgin
Nancy Carell was born on July 19, 1966 in Cohasset, Massachusetts, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012) and Bridesmaids (2011). She has been married to Steve Carell since August 5, 1995. They have two children.
RS ranking 109. Nancy was a very strong performer on SNL. I never understood why she wasn't more popular.
39. Vanessa Bayer
Actress | Trainwreck
Vanessa Bayer was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, where she attended Orange High School. She is best known as a cast member of Saturday Night Live (1975). In 2004, she graduated from the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School for Communication. During her college career, she worked as an...
RS ranking 43
40. Kate McKinnon
Actress | Ghostbusters
Kathryn McKinnon Berthold (born January 6, 1984), known professionally as Kate McKinnon, is an American actress and comedienne, who is best known as a regular cast member on Saturday Night Live and The Big Gay Sketch Show, and for playing the role of Dr. Jillian Holtzmann in the 2016 Ghostbusters ...
RS ranking 37 She was definitely funny, but not enough to overcome the poor writing for her seasons.
41. Rob Schneider
Actor | Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo
Robert Michael "Rob" Schneider (born October 31, 1963) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and director. A stand-up comic and veteran of the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live (1975), Schneider has gone on to a successful career in feature films, including starring roles in the ...
RS ranking 44. If this list were made by RS today, no doubt whatsoever Rob would drop over 100 positions because he is now saying things the editors disagree with, which obviously means he was not funny before RS knew that.
42. Cheri Oteri
Actress | Scary Movie
Cheri Oteri was born on September 19, 1962 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She grew up in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, graduating from Archbishop Prendergast High School, then moved to Los Angeles when she was 25, where she worked in Promotions for A&M records for 4 years and joined up with the ...
RS ranking 98 More evidence of the unqualified status of RS. Oteri was not one of my favorite performers, and her characters could start to appear all the same, but she was funny, you can't deny her that. I moved you up 56 spots Cheri. You're welcome.
43. Chris Parnell
Actor | Rick and Morty
Born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, Chris Parnell enrolled at Germantown High School where he took drama and auditioned for every play. In 1985, when he was a senior at Germantown, he was voted "Most Talented" by his classmates. Right after graduating high school, Chris attended North Carolina ...
RS ranking 35
44. Mary Gross
Actress | Saturday Night Live
Mary Gross was born March 25, 1953 in Chicago, Illinois, to Virginia Ruth and William Oscar Gross. She is often associated with her run on Saturday Night Live (1975), from 1981-85, and other characters she plays on television and film including, Janis Zuckerman in Feds (1988), Annie Herman in Troop...
RS ranking 64
45. Victoria Jackson
Actress | UHF
Victoria was raised in a Bible-believing, piano-playing, gymnastic home with no TV. Her dad was a gym coach so she competed in gymnastics from age 5 to 18. Was a cheerleader and a homecoming queen. Attended Florida Bible College; received a gymnastic scholarship to Furman University, attended ...
RS ranking 142. Oh, 142. Huh. I wonder if she has political opinions that make her not funny to the morons at RS.
46. Laraine Newman
Actress | Coneheads
Laraine Newman is a founding member of The Groundlings. After seeing her in The Groundlings, Lorne Michaels cast her in a Lily Tomlin Special and later as an original cast member of Saturday Night Live (1975). She has worked from directors ranging from Woody Allen to Guillermo del Toro. She has a ...
RS ranking 24.
47. Maya Rudolph
Actress | Bridesmaids
Maya Rudolph was born on July 27, 1972 in Gainesville, Florida, to Richard Rudolph, a music producer, and soul singer Minnie Riperton. Her mother was African-American and her father is Ashkenazi Jewish (from a family from Lithuania, Russia, Germany, and Hungary). In 1973, Maya, her parents, and her...
RS ranking 18
48. Rich Hall
Writer | Not Necessarily the News
Rich Hall was born on June 10, 1954 in Alexandria, Virginia, USA. He is a writer and actor, known for Not Necessarily the News (1982), Arthur Christmas (2011) and Otis Lee Crenshaw: Live (2001). He has been married to Karen Hall since 2004. They have two children.
RS ranking 70
49. Laura Kightlinger
Actress | Curb Your Enthusiasm
Laura Kightlinger is a writer, stand-up comic, and actor. Her comedic roles include self-obsessed mom Deb Taylor in "PEN15" on Hulu, and Nurse Shelia in "Will & Grace". She's been a consulting producer on "Will & Grace" since its inception. Laura created and starred in her own critically acclaimed ...
RS ranking 111. Her saying she didn't like Norm MacDonald aside, she was funnier than 111th.
50. Tim Meadows
Actor | Mean Girls
Tim Meadows was born on February 5, 1961 in Highland Park, Michigan, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Mean Girls (2004), The Ladies Man (2000) and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007). He was previously married to Michelle Taylor.
RS ranking 48
51. Julia Sweeney
Actress | Work in Progress
Benevolent, sweet-faced, actress and comedienne Julia (Anne) Sweeney, who was born on October 10, 1959 in Spokane, Washington, is normally identified with one single, highly unappetizing androgynous character. This sniveling, chunky-framed, springy-haired, plaid shirt-wearing, grotesque-looking ...
RS ranking 76
52. Jay Pharoah
Actor | Saturday Night Live
Jay Pharoah was born on October 14, 1987 in Chesapeake, Virginia, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Saturday Night Live (1975), Unsane (2018) and White Famous (2017).
RS ranking 55
53. Jan Hooks
Actress | Pee-wee's Big Adventure
Jan Hooks is better remembered for her five-year run on Saturday Night Live (1975) (1986-91) on the series she impersonated actress ranging from Bette Davis, to Ann-Margret, to Sally Kellerman, to Jodie Foster. After she left the show, she was proposed by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason to replace Jean ...
RS ranking 26
54. Rachel Dratch
Actress | Just Go with It
Rachel Dratch grew up in Lexington, Massachusetts. After graduating from Dartmouth College with a degree in Drama and Psychology, she moved out to Chicago, where she studied with Del Close at Improvolympic. She was on the house team, "Victim's Family", with Adam McKay. Rachel went on to tour with ...
RS ranking 16. When you consider who RS thinks Rachel Dratch was funnier than, you can't have any respect for the author. Rachel was funny, but not #16 funny. More like #54 funny.
55. Jimmy Fallon
Writer | The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Jimmy Fallon was born in 1974 in Brooklyn, New York, to Gloria (Feeley) and Jimmy Fallon. He is of Irish, German, and Norwegian descent. He was raised in Saugerties, New York, which is in upstate New York. He has performed stand up, impressions and characters across the country, in some of the ...
RS ranking 36
56. Chris Kattan
Actor | A Night at the Roxbury
Christopher Lee Kattan was born in Sherman Oaks, California, to model Hajni Joslyn and actor Kip King. Chris moved to Mt. Baldy when he turned five, and resided there until the age of fifteen, when he moved to Bainbridge Island, Washington for high school.
After he graduated from high school, Chris ...
RS ranking 99
57. Jenny Slate
Actress | Obvious Child
Jenny Sarah Slate is an American actress, comedian, and author. Born and raised in Milton, Massachusetts, Slate was educated at Milton Academy and studied literature at Columbia University, where she became involved in the improvise and comedy scene. She lent voice performances to the animated ...
RS ranking 75
58. Nasim Pedrad
Actress | Despicable Me 2
Nasim Pedrad (born November 18, 1981) is an American actress and comedian best known for her five seasons as a cast member on Saturday Night Live (1975) from 2009 to 2014. She has since gone on to co-star in sitcoms such as Mulaney (2014), Scream Queens (2015), People of Earth (2016), and New Girl ...
RS ranking 50
59. Michael Che
Writer | Saturday Night Live
Michael Che was born on May 19, 1983 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. He is a writer and actor, known for Saturday Night Live (1975), War (2007) and Top Five (2014).
RS ranking 84
60. Pamela Stephenson
Actress | Superman III
Pamela Stephenson was born on December 4, 1949 in Takapuna, Auckland, New Zealand. She is an actress and writer, known for Superman III (1983), History of the World: Part I (1981) and Not the Nine O'Clock News (1979). She has been married to Billy Connolly since December 20, 1989. They have three ...
RS ranking 51
61. Ellen Cleghorne
Actress | Armageddon
Ellen Cleghorne was born on November 29, 1965 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for Armageddon (1998), Little Nicky (2000) and Coyote Ugly (2000).
RS ranking 69
62. Abby Elliott
Actress | No Strings Attached
Abby Elliott is the first second-generation cast member on Saturday Night Live (1975). Her father is Chris Elliott, who was featured on the show during the 1994-1995 season. She is also the granddaughter of veteran comic Bob Elliott, from the "Bob and Ray Show".
Before coming to "Saturday Night Live...
RS ranking 80
63. Michael McKean
Actor | This Is Spinal Tap
McKean was born in New York City at Manhattan Women's Hospital, now part of the Mt. Sinai St. Luke's complex on Amsterdam Avenue. He is the son of Ruth Stewart McKean, a librarian, and Gilbert S. McKean, one of the founders of Decca Records, and was raised in Sea Cliff, New York, on Long Island. ...
RS ranking 78
64. Dennis Miller
Actor | The Net
Dennis Miller was born on November 3, 1953 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for The Net (1995), Joe Dirt (2001) and Murder at 1600 (1997). He has been married to Ali Espley since April 10, 1988. They have two children.
RS ranking 34
65. Tina Fey
Actress | Date Night
Elizabeth Stamatina Fey was born in 1970 in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, just west of Philadelphia, to Xenobia "Jeanne" (Xenakes), a brokerage employee, and Donald Henry Fey, who wrote grant proposals for universities. Her mother is Greek, born in Piraeus, while her father had German, Northern Irish,...
RS ranking 3. Tina Fey #3? That's evidence of drug use there. Tina was a good writer, but this list is about performers, and Fey didn't do a single memorable thing on SNL that I can remember. Her work on 30 Rock is another story. That was excellent. Her on Weekend Update? Let's see what's on Mad TV.
66. Gilbert Gottfried
Actor | Aladdin
At the tender age of 15, Gilbert Gottfried began doing stand-up at open mike nights in New York City and, after a few short years, became known around town as "the comedian's comedian". After spending several years mastering the art of stand-up comedy, producers of the legendary NBC late-night ...
RS ranking 141
67. Sarah Silverman
Actress | Wreck-It Ralph
Sarah Silverman was most recently the host of the two-time Emmy-nominated weekly topical series, I Love You America, which streamed on Hulu and also received a Writers Guild Awards nomination.
Silverman is currently working on a musical adaptation of her 2010 memoir and New York Times Bestseller ...
RS ranking 105. Sarah is very funny but I defy you to find a single line she spoke in any sketch. She should not be ranked so low, but it's really hardly fair to even have her on this list.
68. Jim Belushi
Actor | Red Heat
James Adam Belushi was born June 15, 1954, in Chicago, to Agnes Demetri (Samaras) and Adam Anastos Belushi, a restaurant owner. His father was an Albanian immigrant, from Qytezë, and his mother was also of Albanian descent. The third of four children - his brother was comedian John Belushi - he ...
RS ranking 72
69. Don Novello
Actor | Atlantis: The Lost Empire
Don Novello was born on January 1, 1943 in Lorain, Ohio, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001), The Godfather Part III (1990) and Casper (1995).
RS ranking 42
70. Ben Stiller
Producer | Tropic Thunder
Benjamin Edward Meara Stiller was born on November 30, 1965, in New York City, New York, to legendary comedians Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. His father was of Austrian Jewish and Polish Jewish descent, and his mother was of Irish Catholic descent (she converted to Judaism).
His parents made no real...
RS ranking 129 Ben was on 4 episodes of SNL and then quit. I don't remember any sketch he was in except the Color of Money short film he made which was hilarious. It's not fair to rank him 129. Maybe the author is ranked 129 at Rolling Stone, and they only have 128 writers.
71. Melissa Villaseñor
Actress | Hubie Halloween
Melissa Villaseñor was born on October 9, 1987 in Whittier, California, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for Hubie Halloween (2020), Saturday Night Live (1975) and Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018).
RS ranking 96
72. Joan Cusack
Actress | In & Out
Actress Joan Cusack was born on October 11, 1962 in New York City and is the daughter of Nancy (née Carolan) and Dick Cusack. Her father was an advertising executive, writer and actor, and her mother was a mathematics teacher. Her siblings - Susie Cusack, John Cusack, Ann Cusack and Bill Cusack are...
RS ranking 97
73. Mark McKinney
Actor | Slings and Arrows
Mark was born to Canadian diplomat Russell and architectural writer Chloe McKinney. Mark and his siblings spent much time traveling with their diplomat dad, and Mark attended schools in many cities around the world, including Trinidad, Paris, and Washington, D.C. His younger brother Nick is also a ...
RS ranking 108
74. Aidy Bryant
Actress | Saturday Night Live
Aidy Bryant was born on May 7, 1987 in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for Saturday Night Live (1975), Shrill (2019) and Human Resources (2022). She has been married to Conner O'Malley since April 28, 2018.
RS ranking 93
75. Brian Doyle-Murray
Actor | Caddyshack
Brian Doyle-Murray was born on October 31, 1945 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Caddyshack (1980), JFK (1991) and Groundhog Day (1993). He has been married to Christina Stauffer since August 28, 2000.
RS ranking 100
76. Ana Gasteyer
Actress | Mean Girls
Ana Kristina Gasteyer was born on May 4, 1967 to Marian Roumell-Gasteyer and Phil Gasteyer. Gasteyer began her career at Northwestern University; she initially enrolled as a voice major, but later switched to theater studies when she started to get involved with the campus' improv comedy group. She...
RS ranking 33
77. Tracy Morgan
Actor | 30 Rock
Tracy Morgan is an African-American comedian and actor from New York City who is known for playing Tracy Jordan from 30 Rock, Luiz from the Blue Sky Studios Rio franchise, Tray Barker from The Last O.G. and several roles on Saturday Night Live. He also was in Scoob, Fist Fight, G-Force, The ...
RS ranking 53 Tracy was not good on SNL. He was good in 30 Rock. Those are two different shows.
78. Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Actress | Seinfeld
Julia Louis-Dreyfus was born on January 13, 1961, in the New York City borough of Manhattan, to Judith (LeFever), a special needs tutor and author, and Gérard Louis-Dreyfus, a billionaire businessman. Her parents divorced when she was young, and she spent her childhood in Washington, D.C., and New ...
RS ranking 45 There is zero chance the RS nut that made this list saw Julia Louis Dreyfus do anything. Nobody watched the show those years. She did nothing memorable. She is hilarious, but was not memorable on SNL. #45? Lies!
79. Tom Davis
Writer | Saturday Night Live
Tom Davis was born on August 13, 1952 in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for Saturday Night Live (1975), Trading Places (1983) and Evolution (2001). He was married to Mimi Raleigh. He died on July 19, 2012 in Hudson, New York, USA.
RS ranking 63
80. Al Franken
Writer | Saturday Night Live
Al Franken is best known for nearly two decades of work on Saturday Night Live (1975). During that time he wrote, performed in and produced hundreds of sketches, including "Daily Affirmations with Stuart Smalley" and "The Final Days," a piece about the last days of Richard Nixon's presidency. A ...
RS ranking 20. One of the most overrated on the list, which leads one to suspect a political bias. Franken was a notorious bastard whose contribution to the show was minimal. To consider him top 20 is ludicrous.
81. Nora Dunn
Actress | Three Kings
Nora Dunn got her start working at the famous Second City comedy troupe, where she was eventually spotted by Saturday Night Live (1975) casting directors, and she joined the SNL cast (among them Joan Cusack, Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Michael Hall, Jon Lovitz, Dennis Miller, Randy Quaid, Terry ...
RS ranking 60
82. Gary Kroeger
Actor | Saturday Night Live
Gary Kroeger was born on April 13, 1957 in Cedar Falls, Iowa, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Saturday Night Live (1975), The Magical World of Disney (1954) and Murder, She Wrote (1984). He has been married to Shannon Alexander since December 24, 2017. He was previously married to Leigh...
RS ranking 101
83. A. Whitney Brown
Writer | Saturday Night Live
A. Whitney Brown was born on July 8, 1952 in Charlotte, Michigan, USA. He is a writer and actor, known for Saturday Night Live (1975), Tales from the Crypt (1989) and Exit 57 (1995). He has been married to Carolyn Wonderland since March 4, 2011. He was previously married to Cynthia Swanson.
RS ranking 79
84. Seth Meyers
Writer | Documentary Now!
Seth Meyers was born on December 28, 1973 in Bedford, New Hampshire, USA. He is a writer and actor, known for Documentary Now! (2015), Saturday Night Live (1975) and New Year's Eve (2011). He has been married to Alexi Ashe Meyers since September 1, 2013. They have three children.
RS ranking 28
85. Robert Downey Jr.
Actor | Iron Man
Robert Downey Jr. has evolved into one of the most respected actors in Hollywood. With an amazing list of credits to his name, he has managed to stay new and fresh even after over four decades in the business.
Downey was born April 4, 1965 in Manhattan, New York, the son of writer, director and ...
RS ranking 145
86. Bobby Moynihan
Actor | Saturday Night Live
Bobby Moynihan was born on January 31, 1977 in Eastchester, New York, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Saturday Night Live (1975), IF (2024) and Inside Out 2 (2024). He has been married to Brynn O'Malley since August 13, 2016. They have one child.
RS ranking 102
87. Alex Moffat
Actor | Holidate
Alex Moffat was born on March 25, 1982 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is an actor and director, known for Holidate (2020), Uncle John (2015) and Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018).
RS ranking 95
88. Mikey Day
Actor | Saturday Night Live
Mikey Day was born on March 20, 1980 in Orange County, California, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Saturday Night Live (1975), Home Sweet Home Alone (2021) and Terminator: Termination (2012).
RS ranking 94
89. George Coe
Actor | Transformers: Dark of the Moon
George Coe was born on May 10, 1929 in Jamaica, Queens, New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor and producer, known for Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011), Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) and The Stepford Wives (1975). He was married to Karen Foray, Nancy Baker and Susan Allsopp Massaron. He died...
103
90. Danitra Vance
Actress | The War of the Roses
Danitra Vance was born on July 13, 1954 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She was an actress, known for The War of the Roses (1989), Jumpin' at the Boneyard (1991) and Miami Vice (1984). She died on August 21, 1994 in Markham, Illinois, USA.
RS ranking 104
91. Jane Curtin
Actress | Coneheads
Jane Therese Curtin was born September 6th, 1947. Years later, a 27-year-old Jane auditioned for a comedy variety show. which turned out to be the the thing that would first expose her to fame, Saturday Night Live (1975). Jane won the audition against Mimi Kennedy, a tough competitor. Also in the ...
RS ranking 47
92. Kenan Thompson
Actor | Saturday Night Live
Kenan Thompson was born on May 10, 1978 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Saturday Night Live (1975), Snakes on a Plane (2006) and Good Burger (1997). He has been married to Christina Evangeline since November 11, 2011. They have two children.
RS ranking 46
93. Janeane Garofalo
Actress | Mystery Men
Janeane, the petite woman with the acerbic wit, was born in Newton, New Jersey, in 1964, to Joan, a secretary, and Carmine Garofalo, an Exxon executive. She is of Italian and Irish descent. Janeane had many jobs before breaking into show biz. She worked as a bike messenger, a shoe saleswoman, ...
RS ranking 106
94. Chris Elliott
Actor | Groundhog Day
Christopher Nash Elliott is an American actor, comedian and writer. He appeared in comedic sketches on Late Night with David Letterman (1982-1988), created and starred in the comedy series Get a Life (1990-1992) on Fox, and wrote and starred in the film Cabin Boy (1994). His writing has won four ...
RS ranking 107
95. Beth Cahill
Actress | Saturday Night Live
Beth Cahill is known for Saturday Night Live (1975), It's Now... or Never! (1995) and Fatty Drives the Bus (1999). She is married to Michael Coleman.
RS ranking 62
96. Pete Davidson
Actor | The King of Staten Island
Pete Davidson is an American comedian and actor who is a featured player on Saturday Night Live (1975), as of September 2014. He was raised on Staten Island, New York, and is the son of Amy (Waters) and Scott Matthew Davidson. Pete's father, a firefighter, died during the 9/11 attacks.
Davidson ...
RS ranking 91
97. Chris Rock
Actor | Top Five
Christopher Julius Rock was born in Andrews, South Carolina and raised in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York. He is the son of Rosalie (Tingman), a teacher and social worker for the mentally handicapped, and Julius Rock, a truck driver and newspaper deliveryman, whose own father was a preacher.
...
RS ranking 21 Chris Rock was terrible on SNL. I can only imagine ranking him 21, you are thinking of his stand up.
98. Brad Hall
Writer | Brooklyn Bridge
Brad Hall was born on March 21, 1958 in Santa Barbara, California, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Brooklyn Bridge (1991), Picture Paris (2011) and Picture Paris. He has been married to Julia Louis-Dreyfus since June 25, 1987. They have two children.
RS ranking 67
99. Denny Dillon
Actress | Servant
Tony Award-nominated stage, screen, television actress and comedian Denny Dillon was born on May 18, in Cleveland, Ohio. Her professional career began six weeks after moving to NYC in 1973, when she made her Broadway debut as Agnes in the highly anticipated revival of Gypsy starring Angela Lansbury...
RS ranking 57
100. Michaela Watkins
Actress | Wanderlust
Michaela is currently a main company member of The Groundlings in Los Angeles.
Before moving to Los Angeles, Michaela pursued a life in regional theater.
She received her BFA from Boston University School For the Arts.
Her father is a math professor at Syracuse University, and her mother teaches Latin...
RS ranking 68
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