Saturday Night Live cast: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

Writers

Cast members on SNL are expected to write; those that don't write often and well end up not getting parts and eventually leaving the show. Three groups serve as “farm clubs” for the cast and writing staff: the improvisational comedy troupes the Groundlings and The Second City, and the Harvard Lampoon. 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.

The following list of cast members includes both featured and repertory players. 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.

The Not Ready For Primetime Players (1975-1978)

• Dan Aykroyd (1975-1979)
• John Belushi (1975-1979)
• Chevy Chase (1975-1977)
• George Coe (1975-1976)
• Jane Curtin (1975-1980)
• Garrett Morris (1975-1980)
• Laraine Newman (1975-1980)
• Michael O'Donoghue (1975-1979)
• Gilda Radner (1975-1980)
• Bill Murray (1976-1980)
• Tom Davis (1977-1980)
• Al Franken (1977-1980)
• Don Novello (1978-1980)

Started 1979-1985

• Peter Aykroyd (1979-1980)
• Jim Downey (1979-1980)
• Brian Doyle-Murray (1979-1982)
• Tom Schiller (1979-1980)
• Paul Shaffer (1979-1980)
• Harry Shearer (1979-1980)
• Alan Zweibel (1979-1980)
• Denny Dillon (1980-1981)
• Robin Duke (1980-1984)
• Gilbert Gottfried (1980-1981)
• Yvonne Hudson (1980-1981)
• Tim Kazurinsky (1980-1984)
• Matthew Lawrence (1980-1981)
• Gail Matthius (1980-1981)
• Laurie Metcalf (1980-1981)
• Eddie Murphy (1980-1984)
• Joe Piscopo (1980-1984)
• Ann Risley (1980-1981)
• Charles Rocket (1980-1981)
• Tony Rosato (1980-1982)
• Patrick Weathers (1980-1981)
• Christine Ebersole (1981-1982)
• Mary Gross (1981-1985)
• Brad Hall (1982-1984)
• Gary Kroeger (1982-1985)
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus (1982-1985)
• James Belushi (1983-1985)
• Billy Crystal (1984-1985)
• Christopher Guest (1984-1985)
• Rich Hall (1984-1985)
• Harry Shearer (1984-1985)
• Martin Short (1984-1985)
• Pamela Stephenson (1984-1985)

Started 1985-1989

• A. Whitney Brown (1985-1991)
• Joan Cusack (1985-1986)
• Robert Downey Jr. (1985-1986)
• Nora Dunn (1985-1990)
• Al Franken (1985-1986)
• Anthony Michael Hall (1985-1986)
• Jon Lovitz (1985-1990)
• Dennis Miller (1985-1991)
• Don Novello (1985-1986)
• Randy Quaid (1985-1986)
• Terry Sweeney (1985-1986)
• Danitra Vance (1985-1986)
• Dan Vitale (1985-1986)
• Damon Wayans (1985-1986)
• Dana Carvey (1986-1993)
• Phil Hartman (1986-1994)
• Jan Hooks (1986-1991)
• Victoria Jackson (1986-1992)
• Kevin Nealon (1986-1995)
• Al Franken (1987-1995)
• Mike Myers (1988-1995)
• Ben Stiller (1988-1989)

Started 1990-1994

• Chris Farley (1990-1995)
• Tim Meadows (1990-2000)
• Chris Rock (1990-1993)
• Adam Sandler (1990-1995)
• Rob Schneider (1990-1994)
• David Spade (1990-1996)
• Julia Sweeney (1990-1994)
• Beth Cahill (1991-1992)
• Ellen Cleghorne (1991-1995)
• Siobhan Fallon (1991-1992)
• Melanie Hutsell (1991-1994)
• Robert Smigel (1991-1993)
• Norm MacDonald (1993-1998)
• Michael McKean (1993-1995)
• Jay Mohr (1993-1995)
• Sarah Silverman (1993-1994)
• Morwenna Banks (1994-1995)
• Chris Elliott (1994-1995)
• Janeane Garofalo (1994-1995)
• Laura Kightlinger (1994-1995)
• Mark McKinney (1994-1997)
• Molly Shannon (1994-2001)

Started 1995-1999

• Jim Breuer (1995-1998)
• Will Ferrell (1995-2002)
• Chris Kattan (1995-2003)
• David Koechner (1995-1996)
• Cheri Oteri (1995-2000)
• Colin Quinn (1995-2000)
• Nancy Walls (1995-1996)
• Fred Wolf (1995-1997)
• Ana Gasteyer (1996-2002)
• Tracy Morgan (1996-2003)
• Jimmy Fallon (1998-2004)

Started 2000-2001

• Jerry Minor (2000-2001)
• Dean Edwards (2001-2003)
• Jeff Richards (2001-2004)

Current Repretory Players

• Rachel Dratch (1999-present)
• Tina Fey (2000-present)
• Will Forte (2002-present)
• Darrell Hammond (1995-present)
• Seth Meyers (2001-present)
• Chris Parnell (1998-present)
• Amy Poehler (2001-present)
• Maya Rudolph (1999-present)
• Horatio Sanz (1998-present)

Current Featured Players

• Fred Armisen (2002-present)
• Finesse Mitchell (2003-present)
• Kenan Thompson (2003-present)