A list of the best Saturday Night Live cast members from the show's 40 seasons. The sketch comedy show has long been a favorite of viewers, and SNL remains one of the best vehicles of all time for up-and-coming comedic talent. Stand-up comedians, impressionists, and actor graduates of improv comedy groups like Second City and Upright Citizens Brigade make up the bulk of SNL cast lists. In turn, the show has developed and produced some of the greatest funnymen (and women) in entertainment. So who are the best SNL cast members of all time?
In the early years, the SNL casts were touted as the "Not Ready for Prime-Time Players," part of a late night cast with material too risque for general audiences. As the show and the cast members matured, stars broke out to become some of the most successful film and TV actors in the business. Famous SNL alumni include established stars ranging from John Belushi to Chris Rock to Amy Poehler.
This is a list of the funnest SNL cast members ranked by the wisdom of the crowd. Anyone can contribute to this list, which makes these rankings an accurate, real-time reflection of the crowd's collective opinion. Vote for your favorites to move them to the top of the list, or press re-rank to create your own list of the funniest people in Saturday Night Live history.
Who are the most famous people to graduate from Saturday Night Live? This list answers that question along with who are the best SNL cast members of all time.1
9,5883,615Eddie Murphy
1980-19842
11,7224,371Chris Farley
1990-1995- 39,8913,733
Bill Murray
1977-1980 - 411,2814,360
Will Ferrell
1995-2002 - 58,4303,268
Dan Aykroyd
1975-1979 - 68,7443,462
John Belushi
1975-1979 - 77,9663,147
Dana Carvey
1986-1993 - 88,2883,289
Phil Hartman
1986-1994 - 98,1883,244
Mike Myers
1989-1995 - 107,1942,867
Gilda Radner
1975-1980 - 119,0853,662
Tina Fey
2000-2006 - 128,2463,425
Bill Hader
2005-2013 - 137,1853,509
Amy Poehler
2001-2008 - 146,9712,786
Kate McKinnon
2012-present - 158,4573,860
Adam Sandler
1990-1995 - 166,4603,187
David Spade
1990-1996 - 177,8093,402
Kristen Wiig
2005-2012 - 185,8753,040
Chris Rock
1990-1993 - 194,9232,602
Jane Curtin
1975-1980 - 204,8622,732
Maya Rudolph
2000-2007 - 215,4393,202
Andy Samberg
2005-2012 - 224,9092,618
Molly Shannon
1995-2001 - 234,6042,882
Martin Short
1984-1985 - 244,5522,985
Jon Lovitz
1985-1990 - 256,0464,116
Chevy Chase
1975-1977