The Most Successful 'Saturday Night Live' Alumni

This list of the most successful Saturday Night Live alumni in the show’s history, has been ranked by SNL fans. In the 45+ seasons SNL has been on the air, there have been hundreds of cast members, each comedian bringing laughter into the homes of millions for multiple generations. Every few years cast members leave to pursue their acting, stand-up comedy, producing, and writing careers, making way for new cast members to become the new faces of sketch comedy. Many of the alumni of Saturday Night Live went on to be some of the most famous actors in movies, television, and theater.

Many comedic actors who are most known for their movies that make hundreds of millions of dollars got their start on SNL, such as Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell, and Eddie Murphy. Other former SNL cast mates went on to create and/or star in some of the most successful television shows, such as Tina Fey’s 30 Rock and Amy Poehler’s Parks and Recreation. Jimmy Fallon ended up a late night host.

Which SNL cast members went on to have amazingly successful careers? Whose career simply faded away? Which are the most successful SNL alumni? Of the SNL full cast, there has been a wide range of success. This least features the Saturday Night Live alumni with the most success under their belts, many of which who have (and some who have not) returned to host the show that launched their careers.