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Saturday Night Live cast


Contents
1 Writers
2 List of cast members

2.1 The Original "Not Ready For Primetime Players" (1975)
2.2 Started 1976 - 1979
2.3 Started 1980 - 1984
2.4 Started 1985 - 1989
2.5 Started 1990 - 1994
2.6 Started 1995 - 1999
2.7 Started 2000 - 2004
2.8 Current repertory players
2.9 Current featured players

Writers

All cast members on Saturday Night Live are expected to write, as well as perform. Those that don't write end up with fewer parts and face-time and often eventually leave the show. Three groups serve as “farm clubs” for the cast and writing staff: The improvisational comedy troupes The Groundlings and The Second City, Harvard Lampoon and recently the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre.

Each of the three brings a different perspective: [1]

  • performers from the Groundlings often end up creating the vivid recurring characters which are one hallmark of the show;
  • writer-performers from Second City are known for “aesthetic perfectionism”; they tinker obsessively with the wording and inflections of a punch line or the behavioral details of a character;
  • writers from the Lampoon emphasize the conceptual premise of a sketch, taking a boyhood fantasy to an extreme, for example.

List of cast members

The following list of cast members includes both featured and repertory players, but omits SNL writers and others who weren't listed as cast members during the show's credits. The dates given are the dates of the season in which they first appeared as a player and the season when they left. For example, Bill Murray first appeared on the show in 1977. However, the season began in 1976. Therefore, the date given on the listing will specify 1976.

Cast members who have left a memorable legacy on the show often have been the subject of a Best of SNL videotape, DVD, or compilation special. Cast members where this applies are marked with a (•) on the list below. In addition, some hosts have had such compilation videos made for their performances even though they were never members of the cast of Saturday Night Live: Steve Martin, Christopher Walken, and Tom Hanks. Cast members who were only featured (never promoted to contract player) are marked with an (F). Also, cast members who were primarily writers as opposed to performers are marked with a (W)

The Original "Not Ready For Primetime Players" (1975)

Started 1976 - 1979

  • Bill Murray (1976 - 1980)
  • Tom Davis (1977 - 1980) (F) (W)
  • Al Franken (1977 - 1980) & (1985 - 1994) (F) (W)
  • Don Novello (1978 - 1980) & (1985 - 1986) (F) (W)
  • Peter Aykroyd (1979 - 1980) (F)
  • Jim Downey (1979 - 1980) (F) (W)
  • Paul Shaffer (1979 - 1980) (F)
  • Tom Schiller (1979 - 1980) (F) (W)
  • Alan Zweibel (1979 - 1980) (F) (W)
  • Brian Doyle-Murray (1979 - 1980) & (1981 - 1982) (F) (W)
  • Harry Shearer (1979 - 1980) & (1984 - 1985)

Started 1980 - 1984

Started 1985 - 1989

Started 1990 - 1994

Started 1995 - 1999

Started 2000 - 2004

Current repertory players

Current featured players

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