Saturday Night Live: The 50 Best Cast Members of All Time, Ranked

Since Saturday Night Live premiered in 1975, the late-night sketch comedy institution has featured 167 comedians in its cast. Those people have created iconic characters and phrases that are part of the fabric of American culture. Some cast members went on to become some of the world's biggest comedy stars. In honor of SNL's 50th anniversary — which is officially Oct. 11, 1975 — we're ranking the 50 greatest cast members. 

This is an unscientific list that takes a few factors into account. Cast members are ranked based on their importance to Saturday Night Live first and foremost, and then their contributions to culture outside of SNL are measured at the appropriate weight. Basically, the more closely someone is associated in the public consciousness with Saturday Night Live, the higher they'll rank. That's why you'll see SNL workhorses ranked above major movie stars. Longevity also counts, as do memorable characters and catchphrases. They must be official cast members, too, which is why you won't see SNL legends such as Steve Martin and Andy Kaufman. And then, of course, there's personal preference. So without further ado... Live from TV Guide, it's the 50 Greatest Saturday Night Live Cast Members of All Time!

Julia Louis-Dreyfus was on SNL for three seasons in the 1980s. She makes this list because she had the longest tenure of someone who didn't make much of an impact on the show but made a huge impact later on, such as Ben Stiller and Robert Downey Jr. It took her some time after she left SNL, but she eventually became the greatest TV comedy actress of all time, and as of early 2025, had the most Emmy wins of any performer (tied with Cloris Leachman) for Seinfeld, The New Adventures of Old Christine, and Veep. 

Colin Jost is now the longest-tenured "Weekend Update" host ever, and is probably the cast member who people have changed their minds about the most. He's grown from a young man with a punchable face to a well-liked, self-deprecating veteran who we look forward to seeing get roasted by Sarah Sherman or forced to tell offensive jokes by Michael Che.

Ego Nwodim has been on SNL for seven seasons, and has become one of the most reliable members of the current cast, especially when she's playing someone confused – or confusing. 

Jimmy Fallon loses points for laughing all the time, but he was a major SNL talent, and his recurring sketches like "The Barry Gibb Talk Show" and "Z105: The Morning Madhouse" made him a breakout star.

Vanessa Bayer's big, sweet smile was perfectly deployed in sketches where she was barely holding it together or seemed innocent but with an undercurrent of darkness. 

When you heard Aidy Bryant  talk in that old-timey voice — you know the one — you knew you were in for a funny sketch.

Bowen Yang isn't the most versatile cast member, but he makes up for it by being consistently hilarious, especially when making "Weekend Update" appearances like the Iceberg that Sunk the Titanic and Moo Deng. 

One of the anchor players of the current cast, Heidi Gardner laughed her way into SNL history with the "Beavis & Butthead" sketch, SNL's biggest viral moment of the past few years.

Cheri Oteri didn't thrive after she left SNL, but she was a dynamo in her five seasons on the show, with characters like the Spartan Cheerleaders, Nadeen, and Adele the office flirt.

No one did snarky like David Spade. Buh-bye! 

He was a man of many voices and impressions on SNL, but Bobby Moynihan will always be known as Drunk Uncle.

Ana Gasteyer was a crack impressionist who is most remembered for her spot-on Martha Stewart impression and the holiday classic "Delicious Dish," aka "Schweddy Balls."  

Martin Short was the rare cast member to already be famous when he joined the cast of SNL – he was on for the "All-Star" 1984-85 season, along with Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest, and Harry Shearer – and the one who made the biggest impact, with Wheel of Fortune-loving weirdo Ed Grimley entering the pantheon of classic SNL characters.

The most underrated "Weekend Update" anchor. Kevin Nealon is also known for being one half of Hans and Franz, who are here to pump you up.

With characters like Mango and Mr. Peepers, Chris Kattan brought an unforgettable strangeness to Studio 8H.

Chris Rock wasn't on the show for very long, and the most memorable things he did were stand-up bits on "Weekend Update," but no other cast member mostly known for stand-up is as closely associated with SNL. 

It's shocking to realize that the phrase "Debbie Downer" didn't exist before Rachel Dratch invented it with her iconic character. For that contribution to culture alone, Dratch would earn a place on this list, but she had other memorable characters, too, like the Luvahs with Will Ferrell and the Boston Teens with Jimmy Fallon. 

Cecily Strong could do it all. She could do characters, impressions, sing, be weird, be the straight woman. She even did "Weekend Update" for a season. She's the longest-tenured female cast member. 

A breakout cast member of the 2000s, Jason Sudeikis was a star performer who was also a great team player, as seen in his recurring dance performance in "What's Up With That?" He's gone on to have one of the best post-SNL careers of anyone who started on the show in the 21st century.

Fred Armisen had a chameleonic quality that enabled him to play all kinds of different characters. That's why he's third on the all-time list of number of sketch appearances, behind only Kenan Thompson and Phil Hartman.

Tracy Morgan's chaotic energy powered hilarious characters like Brian Fellow, Astronaut Jones, and Tracy Jordan, the 30 Rock character based on himself.

The second-longest-tenured cast member after Kenan Thompson, Darrell Hammond was a master impressionist who played Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Donald Trump, and many other political and pop culture figures. And he's still in the SNL mix as the show's announcer – that's him you hear listing off the cast members' names at the beginning of every episode.

A long-tenured and versatile cast member who could make even the craziest sketches feel grounded, Tim Meadows is best known for his character the Ladies Man, who got his own movie in 2000.

Jan Hooks was a virtuoso performer who was one of the breakout stars of '80s SNL. Her performance in the "Brenda the Waitress" sketch sticks with you.

Molly Shannon's beloved, high-energy characters include excitable Catholic school girl Mary Katherine Gallagher ("Superstar!") and 50-year-old woman Sally O'Malley ("I'm 50!"). 

Chris Parnell was known as "the Iceman" because he almost never broke character and laughed during a sketch. He was part of some of the most legendary sketches in SNL history, including "More Cowbell," "Lazy Sunday," and "Dr. Beaman's Office."

An exceptional performer who put the show on her back. Kate McKinnon is, to date, the only cast member to win the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, which she did twice.

The longest-tenured cast member is so reliable that writers sometimes just write "Kenan reacts" into the script because they know it will be funny. Kenan Thompson is the most beloved current cast member.

Norm Macdonald is the cool kids' pick for greatest "Weekend Update" anchor. His impressions like David Letterman and Burt "Turd Ferguson" Reynolds only cement his legendary status.

Will Forte was famous for his commitment to the bit. Whatever the sketch called for, he always gave it 1000%, like he did in the cult favorite "Potato Chip" sketch.

Kristen Wiig was the most dominant player of her era. There was a time in the late 2000s and early 2010s when everything she did, even deeply weird characters like Dooneese and Gilly, turned to gold.

When SNL hit a rough patch in Season 11, Jon Lovitz helped right the ship with his breakout characters like Tommy Flanagan the pathological liar and the Master Thespian. He anchored the cast for the second half of the '80s.

Adam Sandler was infamously fired from SNL in 1995, but it all worked out, as he has had one of the best post-SNL careers of any cast member. On the show, he is remembered for characters like Opera Man and Cajun Man.

Seth Meyers is maybe the hardest-working person on this list, having served as a sketch performer, "Weekend Update" anchor, and head writer during his 13-year tenure. 

If the only thing Andy Samberg ever did on SNL was "Lazy Sunday," he would still go down in history for inventing YouTube. But he has about a dozen Digital Shorts that are among the funniest and most influential sketches SNL has ever produced. 

The year after Chevy Chase left, Bill Murray joined the cast and became the next breakout star. Though he's a significant figure in SNL history and has had one of the best post-SNL careers of anyone, his actual time on the show didn't produce any characters that have stood the test of time like other people on the list, which is why he's ranked relatively low.

Chevy Chase was SNL's first breakout star and one of its defining voices. The fact that Gerald Ford, "I'm Chevy Chase, and you're not," and "Word Association" with Richard Pryor were all in the first season is incredible. 

Maya Rudolph is a charismatic performer whose memorable impressions include mononymous women like Beyoncé, Oprah, and, of course, Kamala. But it's her ability as a singer that truly makes her different from any other SNL cast member before or since. There have been great singers on the show before and since, but none who made their vocal abilities as integral to the show as her.

An OG cast member whose inimitable point of view helped define SNL's sensibility, Dan Aykroyd created some of SNL's most beloved early characters, like the Blues Brothers and the Coneheads. But perhaps his most lasting contribution is his role in developing the commercial parody, one of SNL's most enduring sketch formats, with sketches like "Super Bass-O-Matic '76." 

A peerless physical comedian with a unique ability to flip back and forth between sweetness and rage, Chris Farley was arguably the funniest performer in some of SNL's most stacked casts in the early '90s. Matt Foley and "Chippendale's Audition" are immortal.

Tina Fey wasn't really a sketch performer, but her impact as the show's first female head writer, her "Weekend Update" stint, her election-influencing Sarah Palin impression, and her work on the best creative work inspired by Saturday Night Live (30 Rock) cements her as one of the most important people in SNL history.

An extraordinary impressionist and sketch performer who's responsible for some of the most memorable catchphrases in SNL history ("Choppin' broccoli!" and "Well, isn't that special," to name just two). Perhaps more than any other president, Dana Carvey's George H.W. Bush impression ("not gonna do it!") is what we think of when we try to remember the real person.

Joining SNL in 1986 and staying until 1994, a very long tenure in those days, Phil Hartman was beloved by his co-stars for his versatility (he played over 70 characters during his time on the show, including Bill Clinton and Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer) and his positive attitude, earning the nickname "Glue" for his ability to hold the cast together.

Amy Poehler's greatness on SNL was preordained; as the recent documentary SNL50 reveals, she didn't even have to do a traditional audition. She was incredibly versatile, and her range included everything from playing rambunctious children like Kaitlyn ("Rick, Rick, Rick!") to hosting "Weekend Update." 

John Belushi's wild energy and hilarious character work created the template for a certain type of madman SNL cast member. Sketches like "Samurai Hotel" and "Olympia Diner" helped define what SNL was. He was gone too soon, but his legacy endures.

Bill Hader is perhaps the most talented sketch performer in SNL history. His impressions are specific, his characters are fully realized, and his interests are unique. No one else could or would have done Vincent Price — or Stefon, of course.

Gilda Radner was the secret weapon of the original SNL cast, and the show wouldn't have worked without her sweetness providing a counterpoint to the male cast members' cynicism. Everyone from Amy Poehler to Mike Myers cite her as an influence, and Roseanne Roseannadanna set the gold standard for all "Weekend Update" characters that followed.

No one had more or better recurring characters than Mike Myers, including "Wayne's World,"  Dieter, Linda Richman, and Phillip the Hyper Hypo, to name literally just a few. Myers' movie career owes the most to SNL of any alum, as Wayne's World remains the most commercially and creatively successful movie ever based on an SNL sketch, and Austin Powers' Dr. Evil is essentially a Lorne Michaels impression.

Will Ferrell revitalized SNL after a slump and became one of the greatest stars it ever produced, both on the show and after it. His time on SNL is best remembered for high-energy sketches like "More Cowbell" and the "Spartan Cheerleaders," but he was exceptionally versatile, doing political material (his iconic George W. Bush) and even playing the straight man in "Celebrity Jeopardy."

If 19-year-old Eddie Murphy hadn't become the show's first post-original cast breakout star and demonstrated SNL's ability to reinvent itself and stay relevant, it wouldn't still be on the air today. A case could be made that no one has ever been as funny and as cool as Murphy was in the early '80s, and his unforgettable (and still funny) SNL characters like Buckwheat and Mr. Robinson are a big part of why.

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