‘Saturday Night Live’: 145 Cast Members Ranked

61. Garrett Morris

Era: 1975-1980

Nobody has explained how Morris landed in the original cast — he was a Juilliard-trained theater guy, no comedian. He had trouble remembering lines, sometimes blanking out mid-sketch. And he had to act out the writers' hateful racist gimmicks. Baseball was berry good to him; comedy not so much.

60. Nora Dunn

Era: 1985-1990

She had two specialties: hosting parody talk shows (particularly as former model Pat Stevens) and teaming up with Jan Hooks as the singing Sweeney Sisters. Their show-tune medleys were the kind of risky, cultish ladies'-night humor that could thrive on SNL in the transitional late 1980s, when Michaels returned and the franchise began its slow resurgence — just because nobody was watching and stakes were low.

59. Kevin Nealon

Era: 1986-1995

He got in way over his head when he took over "Weekend Update" ("I'm Kevin Nealon, and that's news to me"), but otherwise he remained a dependable support player — especially as Tarzan to Lovitz's Tonto and Hartman's Frankenstein on "Succinctly Speaking."

58. Horatio Sanz

Era: 1998-2006

Sanz always had that "contest winner" quality — he looked like any random doofus from the audience who won a prize and got to climb onstage. He'll always be fondly remembered as one of the dorm slobs in "Jarret's Room," showing off his bong to the 2001: A Space Odyssey theme: "Bong, bong, bong . . . BIG bong."

57. Denny Dillon

Era: 1980-1981

The hidden gem of the doomed "Saturday Night Live '80" replacement cast. Dillon had a great recurring bit as middle-aged yenta Pinky Waxman, hosting a talk show with her hubby, Leo (Gilbert Gottfried!). Was Pinky the first Jewish lady to say "Who knew?" on TV? Probably. Otherwise, Dillon got stuck in some of SNL's worst sketches, most infamously the "Leather Weather Report," where she's a dominatrix meteorologist flogging Charles Rocket, who's strapped to a weather map of America.

56. Paul Shaffer

Era: 1975-1980

Before he tickled America's ivories every night with Letterman, he was SNL's swami of showbiz smarm. He was also the first cast member to drop an accidental f-bomb — in a sketch based on a Troggs bootleg — although few caught it.

55. Jay Pharoah

Era: 2010-present

The Jimmy Fallon of 2 Chainz impressions.

54. Lorne Michaels

Era: 1975-1980; 1985-present

Mysteriously, there's no "Best of Lorne Michaels" DVD compilation. But the boss is always a welcome presence whenever he shows up, and there aren't many performers (or bosses) you can say that about over the course of a 40-year run. He wrote himself one of the debut season's defining moments, offering the Beatles a check ("three thousand dollars!") to reunite. He had no idea Lennon and McCartney were watching together at the Dakota.

53. Tracy Morgan

Era: 1996-2003

So much funnier on 30 Rock. In fact, he was so great on 30 Rock, his SNL stint now looks like one long setup.

52. Will Forte

Era: 2002-2010

It was always way too easy to take this laid-back gent for granted, especially after several dozen "MacGruber"s, but his spluttering hysteria in the "Potato Chip" sketch — a NASA recruiter who cherishes all 35 of the chips on his desk — came from a dark and special place.

51. Pamela Stephenson

Era: 1984-1985

A bright spot in a weak season, she came from Auckland via London, serving as a New Wave ambassador with imitations of Billy Idol and Cyndi Lauper. Much of Stephenson's humor involved her breasts; she quit showbiz to become a sex psychologist.

50. Nasim Pedrad

Era: 2009-2014

Always hovering below the radar, but a versatile threat with a knack for portraying creepy kids: "I am all about candy. And if all I have to do to get said candy is hang out in a van, I am now all about vans!"

49. Darrell Hammond

Era: 1995-2009

The longest-running cast member (14 seasons!), entirely because of his workmanlike facility with celeb impersonations. He did a pretty good Bill Clinton – but who didn't? Hammond's best (and most original) bit was his Sean Connery, whose pomposity might have helped inspire Ron Burgundy. ("Damn you and your daily doubles, you brigand!") He's back this season to replace Pardo.

48. Tim Meadows

Era: 1991-2000

Whenever a former cast member came back to host, they'd make a joke about how Meadows was still around. Because he always was — he hung around for 10 seasons. Give the man credit: He waited out some lean years, took every crummy part in every crummy sketch he could get, and finally found his niche as the Ladies' Man: "I got my Courvoisier right here."

47. Jane Curtin

Era: 1975-1980

Curtin basically invented the role of the "disgruntled SNL player who makes no attempt to hide that she'd rather be anywhere else on the planet right now." There's always a few of those — hell, some seasons it's the entire cast. But for five years on SNL she had a thankless role — the token square surrounded by crazies — and her specialty was making it look really thankless.

46. Kenan Thompson

Era: 2003-present

Twelve seasons and counting. True, he often might have seemed more at home on Nickelodeon, where he originated, but he killed as the "Alex Tre-Black" host of "Black Jeopardy!," with his verdict on Justin Bieber ("He ain't grow") and Robin Thicke ("Had that been me? I'd still be hittin' that").

45. Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Era: 1982-1985

Like Chris Rock, she stood out from the pack even in this early phase — a virtuoso wiggler and eye-roller. In the early Eighties, she was SNL's answer to Martha Quinn. In fact, some of us started watching Seinfeld because it was the Julia Louis-Dreyfus comeback show.

44. Rob Schneider

Era: 1990-1994

"Cheeburger cheeburger," my ass — the all-time great Greek-diner gag is the one where Schneider says, "You like-a da juice, eh? Da juice is good?" He knew how to take one stupid not-even-a-real-joke and beat it until it bleeds. He proved that as the Richmeister, who was hilarious the first hundred or so times.

43. Vanessa Bayer

Era: 2010-present

In a congested cast where faces get lost in the crowd — who can forget the game show "New Cast Member or Arcade Fire?" — Bayer always manages to stand out. Her ex-porn star commercials never get old: "With a watch, you'll never have to stop a stranger on the street to ask him, 'Are you my dad?' "

42. Don Novello

Era: 1978-1980; 1985-1986

Although primarily a writer, he knocked it out of the park as Father Guido Sarducci — the rock critic for the Vatican newspaper, chain-smoking through homilies about the Last Brunch. The ultimate hip priest, Father Guido might have been the inspiration for Pope Francis.

41. Taran Killam

Era: 2010-present

His stock is still rising — the past few seasons would have been dreary without him. His 1860s newspaper critic Jebidiah Atkinson gives scathing reviews to everything from Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address" ("Four snores and seven yawns ago") to A Charlie Brown Christmas: "No one wants to watch neurotic children trudging in the snow to smooth jazz." Amen. Not one of SNL's countless Jesus jokes can hang with Jebidiah's review of the Bible's nativity story. "Let's see — a guy travels across the country with his family to find out the hotel is closed? I liked it more when it was called National Lampoon's Vacation."

40. Molly Shannon

Era: 1995-2001

Docked a dozen or so notches for Mary Katherine Gallagher — the most dreaded recurring character since Julia Sweeney donned the Pat wig. But Shannon stood out in nearly everything else she did. She was a welcome sign of life, keeping the faith through some of SNL's most feeble seasons. Especially as the other half of "Delicious Dish" — there's something so sad in the way she confesses to spicing up her soda water with a little ice. "Actually, I don't know if you've noticed: There are many different kinds of ice." And something so disturbing in her Angelina Jolie impression: "I am so in love with you right now!"

39. Cecily Strong

Era: 2012-present

Bring her back to "Update," OK? Dropping her to keep Colin Jost was a lose-lose move. Her greatest hit: "One time I got banged in the Statue of Liberty's head. I felt like I was hearing all of America's thoughts. And America was thinking, 'More Manual Blondicks, si-vous-please!'"

38. Don Pardo

Era: 1975-1981; 1982-2014

Oh, Don Pardo — you beautiful, velvet-voiced, credits-announcing, "Weird Al" cameo-making, old-school showbiz-evoking bastard. We never saw your face, yet we loved every word you said. R.I.P.

37. Kate McKinnon

Era: 2012-present

The brightest light in recent years. Her cop show with Aidy Bryant, Dyke and Fats, needs a spinoff movie. It takes a sick enthusiasm to bring off her vicious portrayal of starving Russian peasant Olya Povlatsky: "Our only exports are homophobia and snow."

36. Jimmy Fallon

Era: 1998-2004

The Tonight Show is where Fallon was always meant to be — sketch comedy was never his métier, especially since he never shed his rookie habit of snickering on camera. But he killed with his lovingly detailed rock-star impersonations, from "The Barry Gibb Talk Show" to his Guinness-swilling Van Morrison.

35. Chris Parnell

Era: 1998-2006

Never a show pony, but a workhorse. Next time you watch the "more cowbell" sketch, keep your eye on Parnell. Without his deadpan ballast, it's just Christopher Walken reading cue cards at four giggly boys. Dude did a lot of that, which is why he went on to greatness on 30 Rock and Archer.

34. Dennis Miller

Era: 1985-1991

The Eighties, man — Elton John married a woman and Dennis Miller was funny. It'll be tough explaining either fact to future generations. But let history record that when the Berlin Wall came down, Miller had the right cheap smirk at the right time, comparing the event to "Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis getting back together. I haven't really enjoyed any of their previous collaborations, and I'm not sure I need to see their new stuff."

33. Ana Gasteyer

Era: 1996-2002

The host of NPR's "Delicious Dish" ("Schweddy Balls") carved out her own distinct niche — "Rob Schneider except taller and funnier and female" doesn't quite cover it — and she could get laughs with a nasty look. Her "Martha Stewart celebrates St. Patrick's Day" sketch is to die for, especially the way Stewart utters the words "You must be Irish, because my penis is Dublin."

32. Tim Kazurinsky

Era: 1981-1984

One of the most under-appreciated players ever, from the much-scorned early-Eighties cast. The Kaz had a virtuoso collection of nervous twitches, especially as sweaty little Dr. Jack Badofsky, the absolute master of terrible puns. It was a treat to hear the audience boo and groan whenever Dr. Jack lectured on diseases like influenza — if you catch it from the Mississippi River, you've got "Huckleberry Finn-fluenza," if "you sneeze your head off, that's Anne Boleyn-fluenza," while "coal miners' daughters are susceptible to Loretta Lynn-fluenza." Or gonorrhea: "If the New York Post finds out you've got it, everyone in the city's gono-rrhead all about it!"

29-31. The Ringers: Martin Short, Billy Crystal and Christopher Guest

Era: 1984-1985

SNL took the Steinbrenner approach of bringing in these three free agents as hired guns — they walked in and took over the team for a year. Crystal finally became a superstar with his Fernando bit and his "I hate when that happens" routine with Guest. Short reprised some of his broader SCTV bits. It wasn't a career peak for any of them, but it kept a weak franchise ticking for one last season, before Michaels ended his five-year absence.

28. Seth Meyers

Era: 2001-2014

The longest-serving "Update" host — and the most tactful at walking a fine line between wiseass and well-mannered. His trademark niceness was never a drawback — it served him well in terms of schmoozing with guest commentators, which Meyers did better than any "Update" guy ever. He unleashed his bitchy side in the "Really?!?" segments with Poehler, whether he was ranting about birth-control laws or the Keebler elves' drug habit.

27. David Spade

Era: 1990-1996

Spade invented the "Hey, Jackson Browne — 1973 called, they want their hair back" joke template. He doesn't get enough credit for that. He puttered in the background for years, waving good night every week with that "maybe next time" sad-puppy look, before he found greatness with his "Hollywood Minute" segment. So bitchy and (the key) so pointless. Best and meanest line: "Aaaaw, Ric Ocasek — why the long face?"

26. Jan Hooks

Era: 1986-1991

One of the virtuosos — Hooks could play 18th-century aristocrats (on "Tales of Ribaldry") or a truck-stop waitress canoodling with Willie Nelson. It was rare in the 1980s to see a Southern woman on TV played by an authentic Southern woman, which is only one of the reasons the world grieved when Hooks died last fall. One fondly remembered moment: her sincere wince of pain during the "good nights" when Christopher Walken announced Atlanta had just lost the 1992 World Series. Sing on, Candy Sweeney.

25. Jason Sudeikis

Era: 2005-2013

The only devil who could rival Lovitz, mostly because Sudeikis turned the devil into such a regular guy. Sudeikis was the cornfed sports dude who seemed affable on the surface, playing lots of husbands and dads. But it didn't take much to unlock his freaky side — the metalhead in Jon Bovi, Mr. A-Hole, the dancer in the red tracksuit or his unhinged Joe Biden.

24. Laraine Newman

Era: 1975-1980

The most underrated member of the original cast. As the California girl of the bunch, not to mention the second-youngest (after Aykroyd), she now seems ahead of her time — from her pioneering Valley Girl (probably the first time "bitchin' bod" was uttered on national TV) to her oft-disturbing vampire-chick goth characters. Her most brilliant moment: playing Manson girl Squeaky Fromme in an ad for potholders made of human hair — Newman stares a hole in the camera as she commands, "You better buy them, you little piggies. I'm not kidding." It was terrifying, and not in a cute way.

23. Fred Armisen

Era: 2002-2013

Should you dock Armisen points for being even more brilliant on Portlandia? Nah. Only Armisen could thrive so long on SNL in so many different kinds of roles while retaining his own punk-drummer weirdness. Who else could play both Lou Reed and Liberace?

22. Andy Samberg

Era: 2005-2012

"Lazy Sunday" basically invented YouTube — most people in 2005 found out the site existed by frantically clicking around trying to rewatch Samberg and Chris Parnell mack on cupcakes. (Ironic, given how SNL is stricter than Prince when it comes to policing YouTube.) Despite Samberg's boyish energy, he had real staying power — let's just say the list of stars who were funny on SNL and then went on to star in funny sitcoms is a very short list, and Samberg is near the top.

21. Chris Rock

Era: 1990-1993

Rock always had a hard time getting on the air — there was a classic In Living Color sketch about Rock getting thrown out by NBC security who refuse to believe he's a cast member. But make no mistake: Even back then, Rock was hungrier and faster than anyone else. Whenever he got a sketch (barely once a month, usually in the final 15 minutes), he blew the rest of the episode away, with his militant Nat X ("What's the matter, Whitney — you can't get a black bodyguard?") or his B-boy Onski from "I'm Chillin'." Nobody in the history of the show inspired more Monday-morning "Who the hell was that guy?" conversations. If he never worked a day after SNL, we'd all still know his name.

20. Al Franken

Era: 1975-1980; 1985-1995

What a country — the punk who wrote the "Roman Vomitorium" sketch is now a senator from Minnesota. (Alas, not alongside the late, great Sen. John Blutarsky.) Franken had two totally distinct runs on SNL. In the Seventies, he and partner Tom Davis were the gangly goofballs who resembled the kids in the audience, the ones Belushi dismissed as "the angel-dust crowd." Then he surprised everyone by coming back in the Nineties as self-help guru Stuart Smalley, one of SNL's most beloved and original recurring characters, at a time when 12-step-speak was still very much in the closet.

Greatest hit: Stuart Smalley meets Michael Jordan (he calls him Michael J., to protect his anonymity) and tells him, "Denial ain't just a river in Egypt."

19. Jon Lovitz

Era: 1985-1990

During the final credits of the horrific 1985-1986 season, Michaels watches as Yankees manager Billy Martin sets fire to the dressing room. The only cast member Michaels pulls from the room is Lovitz. Good move. Lovitz didn't have the widest range, but he didn't need one – he knew exactly what he was good at: playing slimeballs, from his Master Thespian to his "yeah, that's the ticket" liar to the bewigged perv from "Tales of Ribaldry." Lovitz had the creepiest eyebrows in SNL history. Acting!

Greatest hit: Mephistopheles goes on The People's Court so he can command the viewers at home to worship him.

18. Maya Rudolph

Era: 2000-2007

Rudolph was always dauntingly versatile, yet loose and cool. She was the only comedian worthy of doing Beyoncé, back in the Destiny's Child days — Britannica from Gemini's Twin was a cartoon diva, but also a real-thing diva. Rudolph did finely shaded characters but could also aim for the cheap seats with her over-the-top Donatella Versace tantrums. Cue the rampage music.

Greatest hit: Her Donatella children's specials remain the stuff of nightmares. What could be more terrifying than Donatella singing kiddie songs? ("Imagine all the happy children when they hear me and John Galliano sing that tired-ass teapot song!")

17. Adam Sandler

Era: 1990-1995

The ultimate "love him or hate him" guy. Sorry — Operaman alone would make him rank high on this list. Sandler was the first to get a Boston-Irish accent right on national TV ("Get into the faaah left lane, then take the Mass Pike west and you'll see a wicked-huge Radio Shack"), which made him a local hero, even if it set off a very unfortunate comedy trend. Weirdly forgotten historical footnote: Everybody assumed Sandler was gay, because his first memorable bit was about coming out to his family on Thanksgiving. That made him seem edgier than he turned out to be.

Greatest hit: "The Chanukah Song," a major cultural event. Seriously, nobody had any idea Shatner was Jewish.

16. Rachel Dratch

Era: 1999-2006

If you tuned in to SNL on May 1st, 2004, you saw Dratch as Harry Potter, quaking under the spell of Lindsay Lohan's cleavage — then, a few minutes later, as Debbie Downer at Disney World. One of the best nights any SNL player has ever had. Dratch had no ego — just the will to try anything. Her Sheldon on "Wake Up Wakefield!" was an agonizing portrayal of adolescent overtrying, and only Dratch could make it so soulfully funny.

Greatest hit: Debbie Downer was unstoppable, kind of like feline AIDS. Which is the number-one killer of domestic cats!

15. Chris Farley

Era: 1990-1995

Reach for a bottle of Schmitts Gay and pour some on the floor for this guy. Farley made his act look like impulsive slapstick, but all you have to do is look at all the failed Farley imitators to see how intricate it was. For all his Chippendales antics, he had an easily overlooked finesse, especially when he was playing uptight mansplainers — like the strangely poignant "Medieval Scalders" sketch, where he mentors his son Macaulay Culkin: "You'd be surprised how many different things you can heat up and pour
on people."

Greatest hit: "Matt Foley, Motivational Speaker" — "You're gonna be doing a lot of doobie rolling when you're living in a van down by the river!"

14. Kristen Wiig

Era: 2005-2012

One of a kind. You could argue she ran too many characters into the ground — Gilly again? — but she had a knack for high-strung basket cases, from her flirting expert Rebecca Larue ("I'm just really hearing you") to "Cougar Den" host Toni Ward. When Lana Del Rey showed up, she seemed like a real-life Kristen Wiig character. Wiig got the most sentimental send-off of any cast member ever, complete with Mick Jagger singing "She's a Rainbow," and she earned it.

Greatest hit: Mindy Grayson, a washed-out theater queen who still dreams of her Broadway glory in smash failures like And Sarah Made a Sound ("the story of a mute girl who desperately wanted to say the word 'jazz' ") and Sassy Slacks of 1963.

13. Bill Hader

Era: 2005-2013

The unquestioned MVP by his last few seasons — a master shape-shifter who put real humanity into his characters. His weaselly newscaster Herb Welch or club kid Stefon would have fallen flat without Hader's affectionate touch. He was the most crucial utility player since Hartman — a glue guy who never needed to be the center of attention, just serving any kind of role.

Greatest hit: Stefon raves about New York's hottest clubs ("Built from the bucket list of a dying pervert, this Battery Park bitch parade is now managed by overweight game-show host Fat Sajak") and promotes a fundraiser for Doctors Without Boners.

12. Will Ferrell

Era: 1995-2002

Ferrell's SNL strategy was basically the opposite of Chevy Chase's: Stick around for years, make your mark as a team player, make everyone around you funnier, and (this is the really weird part) get a hundred times funnier after you leave. Indeed, the hardest thing about appreciating Ferrell's SNL tenure is that none of us knew the glories of Anchorman and Talladega Nights were yet to come. Great Odin's raven!

Greatest hit: Banging the cowbell to "(Don't Fear) The Reaper," his beard and belly jiggling to the music.

11. Dana Carvey

Era: 1986-1993

Carvey was the greatest impersonations guy in SNL history — his impressions were usually darker and more compelling characters than the originals. His Ross Perot was way more than a parody of a politician — Carvey turned the character into an American archetype worthy of Randy Newman, sneering "Here's the deal, see" in the voice of every boss or principal you ever despised. When people try to imitate Johnny Carson or George H.W. Bush (or Lorne Michaels), they're usually just doing Carvey's impression.

Greatest hit: Perot behind the wheel, taking Phil Hartman's Admiral Stockdale for a final joyride. "That was world-class."

10. Chevy Chase

Era: 1975-1977

Strange as it sounds, Chase might be the most under-rated SNL player. True, he stuck around for only one full season, but so did Farrah on Charlie's Angels — it took him only one season to define the franchise. Of all the original cast members, Chase was the one guy who got how TV worked — the others were theater types. So if you check out the first episode, which is 80 percent unwatchable, Chase is the only one who knows how to stare right into the camera without flinching. He looks like a coldhearted bastard surrounded by a bunch of needy kids. But without that deadpan arrogance, the whole SNL style of humor would fall flat. (By the 12th episode, his castmates are doing jokes about how much they all hate him.) He was famous for his stumbling Gerald Ford impersonation, but he was even sharper and more merciless as Ronald Reagan, the only killer Reagan SNL ever had. Alternate-history question: If Chase had stayed on SNL, would he have sunk Reagan the way he sank Ford?

Greatest hit: Chase reports an item about the Peanuts bird Woodstock. He's getting replaced by "a bird named Altamont, who will beat the other birds to death with a pool cue." The audience gasps. They're horrified. Chase loves it. And this is 1975. The whole Saturday Night Live story in 10 seconds.