SNL50 - Top 20 Cast Members

 

There have been 167 cast members of SNL since it started 50 years ago. This is my list of the top 20. While there is consideration that goes into impact they had on the legacy of SNL, most of my choices are based on how happy I am to see them in a sketch or on Weekend Update. These performers have memorable characters, killer impressions and hold the show together with their energy, creativity and amazing comedic skills.

20. MIKEY DAY
SEASONS: 9+ (S42-Present)
CHARACTERS: Donald Trump Jr., Matt Schatt, “Butthead”
Miley Day is not known for a lot of recurring characters, except maybe Trump Jr., but he can always been found as a dad or political figure in sketches. He plays exasperated to perfection and is one of the stronger utility players to help add humour to any sketch. He is also a gifted writer who has brought a lot to many of sketches he doesn’t star in.

19. SETH MEYERS
SEASONS: 13 (S27-S39)
CHARACTERS: Needlers, John Kerry, Anderson Cooper
Seth Meyers is one of the best Weekend Update anchors with his quick wit and Really? segments. He was always great at playing the straight man to Update guests. While he would usually downplay his sketch acting, I always enjoyed his take on young or upper class roles. He also served a pivot role as a head writer who helped everyone else be funny on the show.

18. BOWEN YANG
SEASONS: 6+ (S45-Present)
CHARACTERS: George Santos, Elton John, Iceberg
Bowen Yang took a little time to grown on me. He is able to mix crazy with deadpan although he also tends to break quite easily. His update features including trend forecaster, animals or Titanic’s iceberg are filled with sass and fun. He always brings a breath of fresh air to a sketch.

17. NORM MACDONALD
SEASONS: 5 (S19-S23)
CHARACTERS: Larry King, David Letterman, Bob Dole
Norm MacDonald is the best Weened Update anchor; his dry sense of humour and weird obsessions made update a highlight for his years behind the desk before being booted for too many OJ jokes. His nasally voice was no barrier to great impressions and his Burt Reynolds always added another level to the great Jeopardy sketches.

16. KATE MCKINNON
SEASONS: 11 (S37-S47)
CHARACTERS: Colleen Rafferty, Olya Povlatsky, Ellen, RBG, Hillary Clinton, Jeff Sessions, Rudy Giuliani
Kate McKinnon is a very gifted impressionist. She always rocked political sketches and took on a large number of male roles which were necessary during the Trump sagas. Her characters were often quirky and often went over the top which caused many fellow cast members to break like the Close Encounters sketches. I always enjoyed her comradery with other female cast members like Cecily Strong and Aidy Bryant.

15. CECILY STRONG
SEASONS: 11 (S38-S48)
CHARACTERS: Jeanine Pirro, Melania Trump, Girl You Wish You Hadn’t Started a Conversation with at a Party   
Cecily Strong has such a great range. She nailed air-headedness with her party girl, Gemma and porn star pitchwoman. She was loud and in your face when playing entitled Republican political figures. She is smart as a one season Weekend Update anchor. And don’t forget her Girlfriends Talk Show and The Science Room. Cecily also has a perfect blend of sexiness and humour that adds to a lot of sketches.

14. WILL FORTE
SEASONS: 8 (S28-S35)
CHARACTERS: Tim Calhoun, The Falconer, Greg Stink, MacGruber, Zell Miller, George W Bush, Dancing Coach
Will Forte is weird but his brand of humour always makes me laugh out loud; I’m not sure if some of it is just his voice. Despite some of the crazy characters he has played, I rarely saw him break. There is an innocence to him that always makes you want to root for him whether he’s singing Jon Bovi lyrics or performing terribly at a spelling bee. He is also not afraid to go to dark places like the Halloween pedophile. There are not many people who could fill the shoes Forte left behind.

13. AMY POEHLER
SEASONS: 8 (S27-S34)
CHARACTERS: Betty Caruso, Kaitlin, Hillary Clinton,
Avril Lavigne, Dakota Fanning, Michael Jackson
Amy Poehler always brought a great amount of energy to the SNL stage. Just watching her run around as Kaitlin asking Rick about a sleepover was both exhausting and hilarious. She played the political figures well and took on male roles which paved the way for Kate McKinnon. Amy was also a lot of fun on Weekend Update playing around with her BFF’s Tina Fey and Seth Meyers. She was always a treat to watch.

12. DAN AYKROYD
SEASONS: 4 (S1-S4)
CHARACTERS: Beldar Conehead, Irwin Mainway,
Bob Dole, Elwood Blues, Jimmy Carter, Julia Child
I don’t think SNL would have made it without Dan Aykroyd. John Belushi got to be crazy but Aykroyd was the stalwart player that kept each sketch going and throwing in the best lines. He was surprisingly not great as an Update anchor but always excelled at Point/Counterpoint. A perfect pitchman and game show host, he also played great skeezy characters. Every character was so specific and original in those early days. He was truly a wild and crazy guy.

11. KRISTEN WIIG
SEASONS: 7 (S31-S37)
CHARACTERS: Penelope, Dooneese, Target Lady, Gilly,
Aunt Linda, Judy Grimes, Bjork, Kathie Lee Gifford
Kristen Wiig always went all out when it came to her characters, like throwing herself out a window as Sue who loves surprises. Her dramatic characters like a diva on Secret Word or Liza Minnelli trying to turn off a lamp were always outrageous and made you laugh. While many of her characters were always welcomed back with open arms, someone like Gilly got too one note, but that’s just me.

10. ANDY SAMBERG
SEASONS: 7 (S31-S37)
CHARACTERS: Blizzard Man, Cathy, Swedish Chef, Hugh Jackman, Nicholas Cage, Kuato, Mark Wahlberg
I love Andy Samberg. This is a guy that you could tell was having the time of his life on SNL. Every character is full of goofy playfulness that makes you smile. Of course, his Digital Shorts with the Lonely Island boys took him to the top; those videos were often a highlight of the show whether it be a hilarious musical number or something very weird and outrageous. I wasn’t a fan of his hairstyles though.

9. DANA CARVEY
SEASONS: 7 (S12-S18)
CHARACTERS: Garth, Church Lady, George HW Bush, Dennis Miller, Hans, Johnny Carson, Ross Perot
Dana Carvey helped saved the show after the disastrous previous season. His impressions were so amazing he had to pull double duty doing Bush and Perot debating each other. He was usually the star and standout in sketches, rarely playing supporting roles, well maybe except Garth. He could carry a sketch on his own as shown in plenty of his cold opens as Bush. He brought new life to SNL and will always be synonymous with the show.

8. KENAN THOMPSON
SEASONS: 22+ (S29-present)
CHARACTERS: Lorenzo McIntosh, Charles Barkley, Willie, OJ, Reese De’What, Steve Harvey, Jean K Jean
For most viewers now, it is hard to imagine SNL without Kenan Thompson. He is still bringing it every episode. Like Phil Hartman, he is the glue that keeps everything running and elevates every sketch. He often has perfect line delivery whether it be saying his character’s name or a capper to a scene. I enjoy his rascally characters most. Kenan must have played every black celebrity at this point.

7. GILDA RADNER
SEASONS: 5 (S1-S5)
CHARACTERS: Baba Wawa, Emily Litella, Lisa Loopner, Roseanne Roseannadanna, Bobbi Farber
Everyone was in love with Gilda Radner. If you read about the history of the show, this is quite evident from the male cast and writers. The energy that Gilda brought to the show was amazing. Her hyper activeness as Judy Miller was adorable and hilarious. Her nerdiness as Lisa Loopner played so well with Bill Murray. While John Belushi didn’t believe that women could be funny, the exception for him was Gilda. She was the bright beacon of the first five years with her sweetness and optimism in a show full of cynicism.

6. WILL FERRELL
SEASONS: 7 (S21-S27)
CHARACTERS: George W Bush, Alex Trebek, Spartan Cheerleader, Reno, Jacob Silj Marty Culp, James Lipton, Robert Goulet, Ted Kaczynski, Gene Frenkle, Steve Butabi
Will Ferrell is perfect at starting quiet and working his way up to insanity; look at Get Off the Shed and Cowbell if you need a reference. Will works great in duos whether it be cohosting a talk show, dancing to Haddaway, cheerleading or dueling with Al Gore. Will could play doctors and dads with the best of them but also created some outrageous personalities. His work at SNL led to his triumphs beyond the show as Ron Burgundy and Ricky Bobby. Will Ferrell is truly one of the greats.

5. MIKE MYERS
SEASONS: 7 (S14-S20)
CHARACTERS: Wayne Campbell, Linda Richman, Lothar, Lance Ito, Simon, George Stephanopoulos, Ron Wood
My love of Mike Myers may be connected to the fact that he is Canadian. I enjoyed watching him succeed on SNL. He was the king of recurring characters, most notably as Wayne Campbell of Wayne’s World. Like Will Ferrell after him, Myers was great at creating a fully developed character, which would later serve him for Austin Powers. I’m not sure with how well he played with other cast members but he always brought the laughs.

4. CHRIS FARLEY
SEASONS: 5 (S16-S20)
CHARACTERS: Matt Foley, Bennett Brauer, Beverly Gelfand, Tom Arnold, Meat Loaf, Newt Gingrich
Chris Farley never thought he was a good actor, he was just large and loud. I disagree. Sure, he was large and loud but he brought awesome characters to the SNL stage. His motivational speaker is top-notch. His Chippendales dance is athletic and courageous. Despite his bombastic nature, you always rooted for Chris. Just watch his interviews with Paul McCartney and Martin Scorsese and you will laugh and feel his every embarrassment. There is no one like Chris Farley. He eclipsed his idol, John Belushi, despite falling victim to same vices. I think Farley is remembered more fondly though in the history of SNL.

3. EDDIE MURPHY
SEASONS: 4 (S6-S9)
CHARACTERS: Buckwheat, Mr. Robinson, James Brown, Gumby, Velvet Jones, Bill Cosby, Stevie Wonder, Dion, Mr. T, Michael Jackson, Tyrone Green
Eddie Murphy will always be credited with saving SNL. While it was almost dead after the original cast left, Murphy single-handedly brought life to the show with his youthful energy and dynamic characters. I would often rent the best of Eddie Murphy SNL so I could re-watch his amazing sketches. Mr. Robinson was always a highlight for me. It would also be fun to watch Murphy break with Joe Piscopo and then try to get back on track. Eddie Murphy is an SNL legend and continues to be so.

2. BILL HADER
SEASONS: 8 (S31-S38)
CHARACTERS: Stefon, Herb Welch, Devin, Lyle Round, Nitro, Dwayne Vogelcheck, Vinny Vedecci, James Carville, Al Pacino, Alan Alda, Vincent Price, Peter O’Toole
Bill Hader basically took over from Will Ferrell and then kicked it up a notch. His voice impressions are bang on. His characters often have a level of snark to them that I love, I’m thinking of the abusive Herb Welch and his string of game show hosts. Hader is also willing to let others shine in sketches and plays great utility characters like dads and assistants. His standout though is Stefon, which would make me laugh so hard, I often had tears in my eyes. He made every sketch better.

1. PHIL HARTMAN
SEASONS: 8 (S12-S19)
CHARACTERS: Bill Clinton, Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer, Jesus, Frankenstein, Ronald Reagan, Donald Trump, Frank Sinatra, Phil Donahue, Barbara Bush, Peter Graves
Phil Hartman is forever remembered as the ‘glue’ of SNL. He was the greatest utility player that brought extra to every scene he was in. Whether a game show host, dad, CEO, political figure, religious scammer or celebrity, Phil Hartman could do it all. He was beloved by cast and crew and had no ego about his role on the show. He made everyone around him better as a performer. You knew that if you saw Phil Hartman in a sketch (and he was in most of them – 1018 to be exact), you were in for a treat. He is one of the most respected cast members of SNL and he is dearly missed.