The original cast (L to R): Laraine Newman, John Belushi, Jane Curtin, Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd, Garrett Morris, and Chevy Chase As of September 2021, the late-night live variety series Saturday Night Live (SNL) has featured 159 cast members. The ensemble was originally referred Not Ready for Prime Time Players
Saturday Night Live cast members
As of September 2018, the late-night live variety series Saturday Night Live has featured 151 cast members. The ensemble was originally referred to as the "Not Ready For Prime Time Players."
Why is it called'not ready for prime time players'?
May 08, 2020 · Who were the original Not Ready for Prime Time Players? Bill Murray, one of Howard Cosell's Prime Time Players, joined as a replacement for Chase. The cast remained …
Who was the replacement for Chase on'prime time'?
Apr 06, 2022 · Playing the roles of the “Not Ready for Prime Time Players” and their show’s creator are South Florida actors Dayana Corton (Gilda Radner), Ryan Crout (John Belushi), Chris Ferrer …
Who was the first former cast member to come back?
Jun 11, 2021 · Although the original "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" were famously young and unknown, there was one veteran performer amongst the bunch: 46-year-old George Coe, who …
Who was the only person to be promoted to repertory status?
Who are the original Not Ready for Prime Time Players?
When did the original cast leave SNL?
The 1978-79 season would be the last for popular cast members Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, who would leave to work on their film The Blues Brothers (based on their Saturday Night Live characters).
When did Aykroyd leave SNL?
Dan and John left SNL together in 1979 after drugs had overtaken most of the cast and crew, which had been known informally as the Great SNL Exodus.
When did Bill Murray join the SNL cast?
Did Lorne Michaels leave Saturday Night Live?
How old was Pete Davidson when he started on SNL?
Who is the longest cast member on SNL?
Joining in 2003 and still with the show to this day, nobody comes close to Kenan Thompson's record as longest-running SNL cast member. He started off as a Nickelodeon star, making a name for himself on children's comedy shows like All That and Kenan & Kel in the '90s.Oct 18, 2021
Who is the most famous SNL?
- 8 Dan Aykroyd.
- 7 Mike Meyers.
- 6 Chris Rock.
- 5 Will Ferrell.
- 4 Bill Murray.
- 3 Robert Downey Jr.
- 2 Eddie Murphy.
- 1 Adam Sandler.
Who was the youngest SNL cast member?
At age 17, Hall was hired to perform on SNL. Hall was the youngest cast member, but he also remains the youngest cast member to date in the history of “Saturday Night Live.”
Where is Cheri Oteri now?
Did Burt Reynolds ever host SNL?
Who was the first musical guest on Saturday Night Live?
How many SNL cast members died?
Although SNL is best known as the launchpad for many successful careers, seven former cast members have died before the age of 60. This has given rise to a superstition known as the " Saturday Night Live Curse".
Why was SNL cancelled?
However, SNL was canceled due to a 1988 Writers Guild of America strike. Radner's health worsened the following year. Moments before the season 14 finale, news broke of Radner's death.
Who played the president in the longest time?
Darrell Hammond had the longest tenure portraying a U.S. president, portraying Bill Clinton from 1995–2001 and George W. Bush during 2003. He, Joe Piscopo, and Phil Hartman are the only cast members to have portrayed two sitting presidents. George H. W. Bush grew fond of Dana Carvey's impersonation of him.
Who is Laurie Metcalf?
Laurie Metcalf. 1. She was hired as part of Ebersol's temporary season six cast following the termination of Jean Doumanian, and appeared on-camera in a Weekend Update piece. When the show was put on hiatus for retooling, she was not chosen to return to the show for season seven .
Who played Donald Trump on SNL?
He was portrayed by Phil Hartman (1988–1990), Darrell Hammond (1999–2011, 2015–2016), Jason Sudeikis (2012) and Taran Killam (2015). Alec Baldwin started impersonating Trump as a guest during the 42nd season of SNL in late 2016, when Trump was the Republican nominee during the 2016 United States presidential elections. Baldwin continued with the guest impersonations of Trump after the elections when Trump was president-elect, as well as after Trump was sworn in as president. Baldwin continued to impersonate Trump throughout Trump's presidency .
Who was the first host of SNL?
Several former SNL cast members have returned to host the show. The first former cast member to come back and host the show was Chevy Chase in February 1978. While the majority of cast members who also hosted the show were first cast members and then hosted after leaving the show, there have been two cast members who have hosted the show prior to joining the cast: Billy Crystal (he hosted the show twice during the ninth season prior to joining the cast in the tenth season) and Michael McKean (he hosted the show in the tenth season and joined the cast in the nineteenth season ). McKean is also the only eventual cast member who first appeared as a musical guest (with Spinal Tap, May 1984).
How old was George Coe in Not Ready for Prime Time?
Although the original "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" were famously young and unknown, there was one veteran performer amongst the bunch: 46-year-old George Coe, who was only credited for the premiere episode but appeared sporadically throughout the first season.
Who was the first person to die on Saturday Night Live?
One of the original "Not Ready for Prime Time Players," John Belushi was also the first "Saturday Night Live" alum to die. It's a sad distinction to hold for a trailblazing talent who broke new ground in sketch comedy.
When did Saturday Night Live start?
Since its premiere in 1975 , "Saturday Night Live" has been a launching pad for major comedy talent, from the original "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" to the most recent ensemble. It's also, unfortunately, been a curse for certain former cast members.
What was the name of the movie that Belushi played in?
Belushi briefly reached movie stardom as well, thanks to major roles in "National Lampoon's Animal House" and "The Blues Brothers," an expansion on the musical sketch he performed with Aykroyd. Sadly, his struggles with drug addiction got the best of him.
Who was Tom Davis on SNL?
Tom Davis spent the better part of four decades as a writer at "SNL," starting with the first season in 1975 and continuing on an on-again, off-again basis until 2003. During that time, he won three Emmys and helped develop some of the show's best sketches, including " Nick the Lounge Singer " with Bill Murray, " The Continental " with Christopher Walken, " Theodorick of York, Medieval Barber " with Steve Martin, and " The Coneheads " with Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin.
How did Farley die?
And just like his idol, the young comic died of a drug overdose at the age of 33, after several attempts at getting sober. Farley burst onto the scene like a comedic hurricane.
Who were the bad boys on SNL?
His wild man antics led to him becoming known as one of the " Bad Boys of 'SNL,' " which included fellow cast members Adam Sandler, David Spade, and Chris Rock.
Overview
As of September 2021 , the late-night live variety series Saturday Night Live (SNL) has featured 159 cast members. The ensemble was originally referred to as the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players."
Complete list
The list below includes both repertory and featured players past and present, but omits SNL writers and others who were not listed as cast members during the show's credits. The dates given are those of the years they were part of the cast. The chart also shows whether the cast member has served as a guest host, appeared as the anchorperson of the "Weekend Update" segment (by any of its titles), or has been the subject of their own "Best of" home video collectio…
Tenures
Two people have been publicly announced as having been hired to the cast, but never performed as cast members:
• Catherine O'Hara, hired in 1981 but quit before ever appearing on air. She has subsequently hosted the show twice.
• Shane Gillis was announced as a cast member in 2019, but the offer was withdrawn due to controversies surrounding his past use of racial slurs.
President of the United States impressionists
Portraying the sitting President of the United States is considered "about as high [...] an honor that can be bestowed upon a cast member."
Darrell Hammond had the longest tenure portraying a U.S. president, portraying Bill Clinton from 1995–2001 and George W. Bush during 2003. He, Joe Piscopo, and Phil Hartman are the only cast members to have portrayed two sitting presidents.
Returning to host
Several former SNL cast members have returned to host the show. The first former cast member to come back and host the show was Chevy Chase in February 1978. While the majority of cast members who also hosted the show were first cast members and then hosted after leaving the show, there have been two cast members who have hosted the show prior to joining the cast: Billy Crystal (he hosted the show twice during the ninth season prior to joining the cast in the tenth sea…
See also
• Saturday Night Live Band
• List of Saturday Night Live guests
• List of Saturday Night Live writers
External links
• A visual history from The New York Times
• A 2015 ranking from Rolling Stone
Overview
Saturday Night Live is an American sketch comedy series created and produced by Lorne Michaels for most of the show's run. The show has aired on NBC since 1975.
Saturday Night Live was not an immediate hit, but the show soon developed its own identity with help from the "Not Ready For Prime Time Players". After an unstable first season, more and more sketch comedy got on the air, and SNL became something of a New Yorkinstitution. The first fou…
Cast shake-up (1979–1980)
The 1979–80 season would see the hiring of many writers as featured players, usually temporarily. Harry Shearer was the only one promoted to repertory status. Paul Shaffer was a major part of the show's band and had a role in several sketches (mainly a Don Kirshner impression) before 1979. Tom Schiller was a longtime filmmaker for Saturday Night Live (off and on in 1976–94). Jim Downey had been a writer and bit player since the 1976–77 seasonand would continue to write f…
Background
In 1974, NBC Tonight Show host Johnny Carson requested that weekend "Best of Carson" reruns of his show (known as The Weekend Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson) come to an end. This way, Carson could take two weeknights off and feed affiliates the specials on those nights. As Carson's show was extremely popular, NBC heard his request as an ultimatum, fearing he might use the issue to move to another network. To fill the gap, NBC brought in Dick Ebersolto develop …
Debut (1975–1976)
The 1975–76 season began on October 11, 1975, with host George Carlin. The show was originally called NBC's Saturday Night, and would not be called Saturday Night Live until near the end of the 1976–77 season. The show was also intended to have just six episodes, and to be hosted by a permanent guest host instead of a rotating celebrity host (Albert Brooks was apparently picked as a permanent host). The show was originally much more of a typical variety showthan it would lat…
Finding footing (1976–1977)
By the 1976–77 season, Saturday Night Live had grown into something of a television phenomenon. Like Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In several years earlier, it was, in many ways, a show that appealed to a younger audience, which made it appealing to advertisers. Recurring characters and catchphrases from the show soon entered the popular vernacular.
In March 1977, the show was renamed from NBC's Saturday Night to Saturday Night Live.
Wide success (1977–1978)
The 1977–78 season was the final season of Saturday Night Live in which the cast was referred to as the Not Ready for Prime Time Players. Two notable "featured players" were hired during this season: writer Al Franken and his comedic partner Tom Davis.
Opening Montage
• Dan Aykroyd
Period of stability (1978–1979)
The 1978-79 season would be the last for popular cast members Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, who would leave to work on their film The Blues Brothers (based on their Saturday Night Live characters). Belushi and Michael O'Donoghue (who also departed at the end of the season) both made cameos in the 100th episode of the show.
Weekend, which aired once-a-month in the SNL time slot (and had been airing since 1974), was …