OT- SNL 5 best all-time

[superjohn]

With the 40th Anniversary show for SNL it got me thinking who are the best SNL performers of all-time, some had way more success off the show than others, Chris Rock come to mind. Let's do a top 5 of strictly SNL performers, it's hard enough to narrow it down to 5 so they don't have to be in order. I'll start- Dan Akroyd, Phil Hartman, Chris Farley, Will Ferrell, Eddie Murphy.

 

[Matrim55]

5: Bill Hader
4: Tina Fey
3: Jan Hooks
2: Phil Hartman
1: Eddie Murphy

• Hader was amazing - one of the best at stealing a sketch in which he didn't have a single line
• Fey is the single best Weekend Update (most important part of the show) host & writer. All due respect to Akroyd and Miller
• Always thought Hooks was criminally underrated. The Sweeney Sisters Christmas Medley is the best non-Eddie sketch of the '80s
• Phil Hartman made every sketch he was in 25% better. Every. Single. One.
• Murphy carried the show for 3 years and was the centerpiece of some of the funniest sketches of all-time

Belushi, Farley, Kate McKinnon, Gilda Radner, Mike Meyers, Ferrell and Darrell Hammond all deserves shouts, too. I loved Chevy Chase when I was younger, but I don't think his stuff has aged all that well.

Bill Murray is probably the single most talented cast member, but his SNL stuff was nowhere near as funny as his post-SNL career. Same with Chris Rock and Julia Louis-Dreyfuss.

EDIT: Jan Hooks as Sinead O'Connor and Phil Hartman as Sinatra. So good.

 

[KembaStepback]

Id say Farley, Sandler, Farrell, Murphy, and Steve Martin

 

[Matrim55]

Id say Farley, Sandler, Farrell, Murphy, and Steve Martin

Steve Martin was never a cast member, just a frequent host.

Also, we should all be mentioning Bobby Moynihan. He's a Husky, class of 2000.

 

[superjohn]

I rarely ever watch the show anymore but Moynihan is pretty funny, was shocked when I saw he's been on the show for like 9 seasons. Agree with you on Bill Hader, he's a hilarious guy. Will Forte and Hader are the most recent castmembers that I think can stack up with any of the old school guys. Another all-time guy is Dana Carvey, never liked the church lady but pretty much everything else he did was gold.

 

[jibsey]

Hartman is one who could have done so much more had he not been deep sixed by his nutcase wife. I loved that Neanderthal lawyer.

 

[BearJWS]

Add in Billy Crystal, Jane Curtain, Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, Jimmy Fallon, David Spade (who was always annoying), Seth Meyers more recently.

 

[BearJWS]

Dennis Miller, Jane Hooks (RIP), Cheri Oteri...

 

[CallMeBruce]

Chris Rock was, by and large, a complete dud on SNL. Not his medium.

Belushi is #1 for me, and I don't see anyone ever challenging that. He was a titan. Bill Murray is my favorite comedic actor of all-time, overall, but Belushi was better on SNL. Those two, plus Ferrell, Chase, Myers, Carvey, Hartman, Farley, Aykroyd, Radner, Curtain, and Fey are probably the top-12 for me. I can't make a list shorter than that.

 

[bobbygt]

I think it depends on what cast you grew up watching. I started watching in the early 90s, so that group is my favorite:
Hartman
Farley
Sandler
Myers
Carvey

I love the early members for their non-SNL work, but some of their SNL skits I've seen were just ok.

I also thought Will Ferrel was hilarious.

 

[NorwalkHusky]

I'm young so this might be a little bit skewed

5) Fallon
4) Poehler
3) Samburg
2) Hader
1) Ferrell

 

[imno1]

An amazing amount of talent throughout the years.
Gilda Radner has to be considered in the top 5. She was really ground breaking and opened a lot of doors for female comics

My top 5
John Belushi
Eddie Murphy
Chris Farley
Gilda Radner
Will Farrell

My Bench
Hartman
Hader
Sandler
Carvey
Murray

 

[Dogdeacon]

Can't cut it down to just five, the 7 that made me laugh the hardest most consistently and I'm probably leaving out someone:

Adam Sandler
Will Ferrell
Chris Farley
Phil Hartman
Eddie Murphy
Bill Murray
Jon Lovitz-rip

 

[UMass]

Eddie Murphy
Adam Sandler
Dana Carvey
Gilda Radner
Jimmy Fallon

 

[huskyniner]

I don't really have a top 5, but I know that Will Ferrell would be #1 on my list. He has two "Best Of" volumes and every skit is memorable.

Definitely one of my favorites:

 

[Excalibur]

1) Hartman
2) Farrell
3) Murphy
4) Radner
5) Belushi


big gap


Everyone else . . .

 

[Dogdeacon]

How about characters? That leaves judgment on the comedian out. Again characters that made me laugh the most:
Original
Hanukah Harry-Lovitz
Roseanne Rossannadanna- Gilda
UnFrozen Caveman Lawyer-Hartman
Matt Foley-Farley
Debbie Downer-Dratch

Impressions
George W. Bush- Ferrell
Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood - Murphy
Gumby- Murphy
Sinatra- Piscopo
Sean Connery on Jeopardy- Hammond
The Devil-Lovitz
Barry Gibb- Fallon

 

[Cheeky]

SNL - great thread.
An amazing amount of talent who had to work in high pressure comedy. Really some amazing people.

I put them in 4 tiers -

Dennis Miller

About 15-20 really talented people (all who have been mentioned above)

About 20 more talented people who made me laugh.

The rest (talented, but just didn't do it for me).

Comedy is a very personal thing, to be sure, and it's easy to see why any one of 30 SNL stars could be favorites.

"I'll take Whore Ads for 1,000 Alex." "It's "Who Reads," Mr. Connery."

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Chris Rock was, by and large, a complete dud on SNL. Not his medium.

Belushi is #1 for me, and I don't see anyone ever challenging that. He was a titan. Bill Murray is my favorite comedic actor of all-time, overall, but Belushi was better on SNL. Those two, plus Ferrell, Chase, Myers, Carvey, Hartman, Farley, Aykroyd, Radner, Curtain, and Fey are probably the top-12 for me. I can't make a list shorter than that.

Same here. There is a pretty substantial gap between Belushi and #2 for me. His imitation of Joe Cocker when he performed on SNL had me in tears the first time I watched it.

 

[Bezzz]

I lived in NYC from '76 to '86. One late night dinner at the Odeon found Belushi and his posse at the table next to us. He was definitely in an altered state of consciousness. Bugged-eyed and quiet. Bill Murray would pop into the bar at One University Place and crack us all up. Once shopped for towels on sale in Bloomingdales standing next to Gilda Radner. She was a cutie.

 

[tentoes4rings]

Id say Farley, Sandler, Farrell, Murphy, and Steve Martin

Hard to argue with that list, that's like an SNL Mount Rushmore. Martin Short HAS to be in the conversation though as well, even if his stint was very brief.

 

[tentoes4rings]

Absolutely puzzled why nobody has even mentioned Martin Short. Bill Phuckin Hader over Martin Short?

Ed Grimley and Lawrence the synchronized swimmer were two of the best characters the show ever produced.

 

[tentoes4rings]

I don't really have a top 5, but I know that Will Ferrell would be #1 on my list. He has two "Best Of" volumes and every skit is memorable.

Definitely one of my favorites:

Does anyone remember the Garth Brooks-Gwyneth Paltrow Smurf skit? One of the funniest things I've ever seen but so filthy that it seemingly disappeared right after the show aired. Can't find it anywhere online anymore unfortunately.

 

[businesslawyer]

Go on line and look at the Rolling Stones ranking of all 141 cast members.

Dennis Miller? Rolling Stone's comment on his ranking is that two things from the 80s are impossible to believe in retrospect: Elton John married a woman and Dennis Miller was funny.

 

[NEforceUConn]

i missed the 40th show is it online anywhere?