Saturday Night Live in Order From Best to Worst by Year
by TheDeadGodfather | created - 01 Mar 2013 | updated - 03 Oct 2021 | PublicBirthdates & More on each cast member plus rating that they deserve.
***** = Beyond Perfection
****1/2 = Excellent
**** = Very Good
***1/2 = Good
*** = Not Bad
**1/2 = Not Funny but Acceptable
** = Awful or Can't Remember
101. Albert Brooks
Actor | Drive
Albert Brooks was born on July 22, 1947 in Beverly Hills, California, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Drive (2011), Broadcast News (1987) and Defending Your Life (1991). He has been married to Kimberly Shlain since March 15, 1997. They have two children.
Albert Lawrence Einstein
July 22, 1947 in Beverly Hills, California
1975-1976 **
102. George Coe
Actor | Transformers: Dark of the Moon
George Coe was born on May 10, 1929 in Jamaica, Queens, New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor and producer, known for Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011), Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) and The Stepford Wives (1975). He was married to Karen Foray, Nancy Baker and Susan Allsopp Massaron. He died...
May 10, 1929 in Jamaica, Queens, New York
1975 **
103. Michael O'Donoghue
Writer | Mr. Mike's Mondo Video
Michael O'Donoghue was born on January 5, 1940 in Sauquoit, New York, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for Mr. Mike's Mondo Video (1979), Saturday Night Live (1975) and Manhattan (1979). He was married to Cheryl Hardwick and Janice Bickel. He died on November 8, 1994 in New York City, New York...
Michael Henry Donohue
January 5, 1940 in Sauquoit, New York - November 8, 1994 (age 54) in New York City (cerebral hemorrhage)
1975 **
104. Don Pardo
Actor | Radio Days
Don Pardo was born on February 22, 1918 in Westfield, Massachusetts, USA. He was an actor, known for Radio Days (1987), Stay Tuned (1992) and 'Weird Al' Yankovic: The Ultimate Video Collection (2003). He was married to Catherine Anne (Kay) Lyons. He died on August 18, 2014 in Tucson, Arizona, USA.
Dominick George Pardo
February 22, 1918 in Westfield, Massachusetts - August 18, 2014 (age 96) in Tucson, Arizona
1975-1981 **
1982-2014 **
Announcer
105. Gary Weis
Actor | Manhattan
Gary Weis is known for Manhattan (1979), Steve Martin: A Wild and Crazy Guy (1978) and Diary of a Young Comic (1979). He has been married to Ellie Wylie since 2010. They have three children.
1975-1977 **
106. Paul Shaffer
Actor | Hercules
Paul Shaffer was born on November 28, 1949 in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. He is an actor and composer, known for Hercules (1997), This Is Spinal Tap (1984) and Blues Brothers 2000 (1998). He has been married to Catherine Maria Vasapoli since August 19, 1990. They have two children.
Paul A. Shaffer
November 28, 1949 in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
1976-1980 **
107. Tom Davis
Writer | Saturday Night Live
Tom Davis was born on August 13, 1952 in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for Saturday Night Live (1975), Trading Places (1983) and Evolution (2001). He was married to Mimi Raleigh. He died on July 19, 2012 in Hudson, New York, USA.
Thomas James Davis
August 13, 1952 in St. Paul, Minnesota - July 19, 2012 (age 59) in Hudson, New York (head and neck cancer)
1977–1980 **
108. Peter Aykroyd
Writer | Nothing But Trouble
Peter Aykroyd was born on November 19, 1955 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. He was a writer and producer, known for Nothing But Trouble (1991), Spies Like Us (1985) and My Stepmother Is an Alien (1988). He died on November 6, 2021 in Spokane, Washington, USA.
Peter Jonathan Aykroyd
in Canada
1979-1980 **
109. James Downey
Writer | Saturday Night Live
James Downey was born on October 6, 1952. He is a writer and producer, known for Saturday Night Live (1975), Billy Madison (1995) and Dirty Work (1998).
James Woodward Downey
October 6, 1952
1979-1980 **
110. Brian Doyle-Murray
Actor | Caddyshack
Brian Doyle-Murray was born on October 31, 1945 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Caddyshack (1980), JFK (1991) and Groundhog Day (1993). He has been married to Christina Stauffer since August 28, 2000.
October 31, 1945 in Chicago, Illinois
1979–1980 **
1981–1982 **
111. Tom Schiller
Writer | Saturday Night Live
Tom Schiller was born on April 12, 1949 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is a writer and actor, known for Saturday Night Live (1975), Nothing Lasts Forever (1984) and Saturday Night Live: 40th Anniversary Special (2015). He is married to Jacque Rochelle Lynn.
1979-1980 **
112. Alan Zweibel
Writer | It's Garry Shandling's Show.
Alan Zweibel was born on May 20, 1950 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for It's Garry Shandling's Show. (1986), Saturday Night Live (1975) and North (1994). He has been married to Robin Blankman since November 24, 1979. They have three children.
Alan Mark Zweibel
May 20, 1950 in Brooklyn, New York
1979-1980 **
113. Denny Dillon
Actress | Servant
Tony Award-nominated stage, screen, television actress and comedian Denny Dillon was born on May 18, in Cleveland, Ohio. Her professional career began six weeks after moving to NYC in 1973, when she made her Broadway debut as Agnes in the highly anticipated revival of Gypsy starring Angela Lansbury...
Denise Dillon
May 18, 1951 in Cleveland, Ohio
1980–1981 **
114. Gilbert Gottfried
Actor | Aladdin
At the tender age of 15, Gilbert Gottfried began doing stand-up at open mike nights in New York City and, after a few short years, became known around town as "the comedian's comedian". After spending several years mastering the art of stand-up comedy, producers of the legendary NBC late-night ...
February 28, 1955 in Brooklyn, New York
1980-1981 **
115. Yvonne Hudson
Actress | Saturday Night Live
Yvonne Hudson is known for Saturday Night Live (1975) and Motown Returns to the Apollo (1985).
November 26, 1954 in New York City
1980-1981 **
116. Matthew Laurance
Actor | Eddie and the Cruisers
Matthew Laurance was born on March 2, 1950 in Queens, New York, USA. He is an actor, known for Eddie and the Cruisers (1983), St. Elmo's Fire (1985) and The Outer Limits (1995). He has been married to Shannon Leigh Criscillis since May 4, 2003. They have two children.
Matthew Dyckoff
March 2, 1950 in Queens, New York
1980-1981 **
117. Gail Matthius
Actress | Airplane II: The Sequel
Gail Matthius was born on December 8, 1953 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA. She is an actress, known for Airplane II: The Sequel (1982), Bobby's World (1990) and Bump in the Night (1994).
December 8, 1953 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota
1980-1981 **
118. Ann Risley
Actress | Honky Tonk Freeway
Ann Risley was born on September 30, 1949 in Madison, Wisconsin, USA. She is an actress, known for Honky Tonk Freeway (1981), Simon (1980) and Saturday Night Live (1975).
September 30, 1949 in Madison, Wisconsin
1980-1981 **
119. Charles Rocket
Actor | Dumb and Dumber
Charles Rocket was born on August 28, 1949 in Bangor, Maine, USA. He was an actor, known for Dumb and Dumber (1994), Dances with Wolves (1990) and Titan A.E. (2000). He was married to Mary Elizabeth (Beth) Crellin. He died on October 7, 2005 in Canterbury, Connecticut, USA.
Charles Adams Claverie
August 24, 1949 in Bangor, Maine - October 7, 2005 (age 56) in Canterbury, Connecticut (suicide)
1980-1981 **
120. Patrick Weathers
Actor | The Campaign
Patrick Weathers was born on January 22, 1954 in Hattieburg, Mississippi, USA. He is an actor, known for The Campaign (2012), Wall Street (1987) and Pawn Shop Chronicles (2013).
January 22, 1954 in Hattieburg, Mississippi
1980-1981 **
121. Christine Ebersole
Actress | The Wolf of Wall Street
Christine Ebersole was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Marian Esther (Goodley) and Robert Amos Ebersole, a steel company president. She won the 2007 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her work in "Grey Gardens". Previously, she was awarded the Drama Desk Award, the Outer Critics Circle ...
February 21, 1953 in Chicago, Illinois
1981-1982 **
122. Pamela Stephenson
Actress | Superman III
Pamela Stephenson was born on December 4, 1949 in Takapuna, Auckland, New Zealand. She is an actress and writer, known for Superman III (1983), History of the World: Part I (1981) and Not the Nine O'Clock News (1979). She has been married to Billy Connolly since December 20, 1989. They have three ...
Pamela Helen Stephenson
December 4, 1949 in Takapuna, Auckland, New Zealand
1984-1985 **
123. A. Whitney Brown
Writer | Saturday Night Live
A. Whitney Brown was born on July 8, 1952 in Charlotte, Michigan, USA. He is a writer and actor, known for Saturday Night Live (1975), Tales from the Crypt (1989) and Exit 57 (1995). He has been married to Carolyn Wonderland since March 4, 2011. He was previously married to Cynthia Swanson.
Alan Whitney Brown
July 8, 1952 in Charlotte, Michigan
1986-1991 **
124. David Johansen
Soundtrack | Scrooged
New York City born David Johansen sang in Rock & Roll dance bands as a teenager, joining Charles Ludlum's Ridiculous Theater and starting the New York Dolls.
The highly influential Dolls made two iconic Rock & Roll records before disbanding in the mid seventies. At this time he created the David ...
January 9, 1950 in Richmond [now Staten Island], New York
1986-1987 **
Buster Poindexter
Bandleader
125. G.E. Smith
Music_department | The Departed
G.E. Smith was born on January 27, 1952 in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for The Departed (2006), Wayne's World (1992) and Wayne's World 2 (1993). He has been married to Taylor Barton since November 1990. They have one child. He was previously married to Gilda ...
George Edward Smith
January 27, 1952 in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
1986-1990 **
Bandleader
126. Jack Handey
Writer | Saturday Night Live
Jack Handey was born on February 25, 1949 in San Antonio, Texas, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Saturday Night Live (1975), Saturday Night Live: The Best of Toonces and Friends (1992) and Co-ed Fever (1979). He has been married to Marta Handey since 1977.
February 25, 1949 in San Antonio, Texas
1991-1994 **
127. Robert Smigel
Writer | Saturday Night Live
Robert Smigel is an American actor, humorist, comedian, writer and director known for his Saturday Night Live "TV Funhouse" cartoon shorts and as the puppeteer and voice behind Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog.
Smigel's most famous creation, however, would be the foul-mouthed puppet Triumph, the Insult...
Robert M. Smigel
February 7, 1960 in New York City
1991–1993 **
TV Funhouse
128. Jay Mohr
Actor | Go
Jay Mohr, born in Verona, New Jersey, USA, wanted to be a comedian all of his life. He performed stand-up comedy at colleges, comedy clubs, and such television forums as An Evening at the Improv (1981) and Two Drink Minimum (1994). He first gained national attention while a cast member on Saturday ...
Jon Ferguson Mohr
August 23, 1970 in Verona, New Jersey
1993-1995 **
129. Sarah Silverman
Actress | Wreck-It Ralph
Sarah Silverman was most recently the host of the two-time Emmy-nominated weekly topical series, I Love You America, which streamed on Hulu and also received a Writers Guild Awards nomination.
Silverman is currently working on a musical adaptation of her 2010 memoir and New York Times Bestseller ...
Sarah Kate Silverman
December 1, 1970 in Bedford, New Hampshire
1993-1994 **
130. Chris Elliott
Actor | Groundhog Day
Christopher Nash Elliott is an American actor, comedian and writer. He appeared in comedic sketches on Late Night with David Letterman (1982-1988), created and starred in the comedy series Get a Life (1990-1992) on Fox, and wrote and starred in the film Cabin Boy (1994). His writing has won four ...
Christopher Nash Elliott
May 31, 1960 in New York City
1994-1995 **
131. Janeane Garofalo
Actress | Mystery Men
Janeane, the petite woman with the acerbic wit, was born in Newton, New Jersey, in 1964, to Joan, a secretary, and Carmine Garofalo, an Exxon executive. She is of Italian and Irish descent. Janeane had many jobs before breaking into show biz. She worked as a bike messenger, a shoe saleswoman, ...
Jane Anne Garofalo
September 28, 1964 in Newton, New Jersey
1994-1995 **
132. Michael McKean
Actor | This Is Spinal Tap
McKean was born in New York City at Manhattan Women's Hospital, now part of the Mt. Sinai St. Luke's complex on Amsterdam Avenue. He is the son of Ruth Stewart McKean, a librarian, and Gilbert S. McKean, one of the founders of Decca Records, and was raised in Sea Cliff, New York, on Long Island. ...
Michael John McKean
October 17, 1947 in New York City
1994-1995 **
133. Nancy Carell
Actress | The 40 Year Old Virgin
Nancy Carell was born on July 19, 1966 in Cohasset, Massachusetts, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012) and Bridesmaids (2011). She has been married to Steve Carell since August 5, 1995. They have two children.
Nancy Ellen Walls
July 19, 1966 in Cohasset, Massachusetts
1995-1996 **
134. David Koechner
Actor | Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Actor, writer and producer David Michael Koechner was born in Tipton, Missouri, to Margaret Ann (Downey) and Cecil Stephen Koechner, who ran a turkey coop manufacturing business. He is of German, Irish, and English ancestry. An alumnus of Chicago's Second City Theater, Koechner got his first break ...
David Michael Koechner
August 24, 1962 in Tipton, Missouri
1995-1996 **
135. Colin Quinn
Actor | Trainwreck
Colin Quinn was born on June 6, 1959 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He is a writer and actor, known for Trainwreck (2015), A Night at the Roxbury (1998) and Cop Show (2014). He has been married to Jen Sochko since June 9, 2019.
June 6, 1959 in Brooklyn, New York
1995–2000 **
136. Jerry Minor
Actor | Drillbit Taylor
Jerry Minor was born on October 4, 1969 in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Drillbit Taylor (2008), Saturday Night Live (1975) and Melvin Goes to Dinner (2003).
October 4, 1969 in Memphis, Tennessee
2000–2001 **
137. Jeff Richards
Actor | Saturday Night Live
Jeff Richards attended Las Lomas High School. One of his first jobs was at a Walnut Creek plumbing company. He left California to attend the University of North Carolina. After leaving the school, Richards traveled across the country as a stand-up comedian. Once he performed at a 13 year-olds ...
Jeffrey Hanson Richards
October 21, 1974 in Walnut Creek, California
2001-2004 **
138. Rob Riggle
Actor | The Daily Show
Comedian, actor and United States Marine Corps Reserve Lieutenant Colonel Robert Allen Riggle, Jr. was born April 21, 1970 in Louisville, Kentucky, to Sandra (Shrout) and Robert Allen Riggle, who worked in insurance. Riggle has amassed notable television credits and has also earned roles in many ...
Robert Allen Riggle Jr
April 21, 1970 in Louisville, Kentucky
2004-2005 **
139. Paul Brittain
Actor | Saturday Night Live
Originally from Chicago, where he got his start in improv and sketch comedy, Paul Brittain is an actor, writer, and comedian living in Los Angeles. He was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2010 - 2012 where he performed such characters and impressions as "Sex" Ed Vincent, Lord Cecil ...
February 16, 1977 in Naperville, Illinois
2010–2012 **
140. Tim Robinson
Actor | I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson
Tim Robinson is known for I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson (2019), Saturday Night Live (1975) and Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers (2022). He is married to Heather Robinson.
May 23, 1981 in Detroit, Michigan
2012-2013 **
141. Beck Bennett
Actor | Sing
Never work with animals or children. It's the stern warning oft-repeated in Hollywood. Breakout actor Beck Bennett, however, would kindly disagree--with the second part, at least.
Bennett stars in the immensely popular "It's Not Complicated" campaign for AT&T, a series of ads in which he plays the ...
October 1, 1984 in Wilmette, Illinois
2013- **
142. John Milhiser
Actor | Saturday Night Live
John Milhiser was born on November 29, 1981 in Belle Mead, New Jersey, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Saturday Night Live (1975), Ghostbusters: Answer the Call (2016) and Love (2016).
November 29, 1981 in Belle Mead, New Jersey
2013-2014 **
143. Kyle Mooney
Actor | Zoolander 2
Kyle Mooney was born on September 4, 1984 in San Diego, California, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Zoolander 2 (2016), Brigsby Bear (2017) and Y2K (2024).
Kyle James Kozub Mooney
September 4, 1984 in San Diego, California
2013- **
144. Michael Patrick O'Brien
Actor | Booksmart
Michael Patrick O'Brien is known for Booksmart (2019), Saturday Night Live (1975) and A.P. Bio (2018).
June 22, 1976
2013-2014 **
145. Brooks Wheelan
Actor | Hawaii Five-0
Brooks Wheelan was born on August 21, 1986 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Hawaii Five-0 (2010), Random Tropical Paradise (2017) and Saturday Night Live (1975).
Brooks Patrick Wheelan
August 21, 1986 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
2013-2014 **
146. Michael Che
Writer | Saturday Night Live
Michael Che was born on May 19, 1983 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. He is a writer and actor, known for Saturday Night Live (1975), War (2007) and Top Five (2014).
May 19, 1983 in New York City
2014- **
147. Colin Jost
Writer | Saturday Night Live
Colin Jost was born on June 29, 1982 in Staten Island, New York City, New York, USA. He is a writer and actor, known for Saturday Night Live (1975), Tom and Jerry (2021) and How to Be Single (2016). He has been married to Scarlett Johansson since October 2020. They have one child.
Colin Kelly Jost
June 29, 1982 in Staten Island, New York
2014- **
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