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
9,9893,759Bill Murray
1977-19802
11,8284,397Chris Farley
1990-19953
9,6673,636Eddie Murphy
1980-19844
11,3724,383Will Ferrell
1995-20025
8,5093,285Dan Aykroyd
1975-19796
8,0353,180Dana Carvey
1986-19937
8,8003,493John Belushi
1975-19798
8,2683,274Mike Myers
1989-19959
8,3473,333Phil Hartman
1986-199410
9,1943,690Tina Fey
2000-200611
7,2382,893Gilda Radner
1975-198012
8,3173,449Bill Hader
2005-201313
7,0262,778Kate McKinnon
2012-present14
7,2623,536Amy Poehler
2001-200815
8,5103,908Adam Sandler
1990-199516
6,5163,219David Spade
1990-199617
7,8743,437Kristen Wiig
2005-201218
5,9313,064Chris Rock
1990-199319
4,9532,629Jane Curtin
1975-198020
4,8942,751Maya Rudolph
2000-200721
5,4943,219Andy Samberg
2005-201222
4,9532,636Molly Shannon
1995-200123
4,6412,922Martin Short
1984-198524
4,5823,022Jon Lovitz
1985-199025
6,1164,156Chevy Chase
1975-1977