The following is a list of Saturday Night Live cast members, past and present. The cast members of Saturday Night Live were originally referred to as the "Not Ready For Prime Time Players."
Contents
List of all cast members
As of October 2016, the show has featured 145 cast members. The list below includes both repertory and featured players, 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 collection. Many of the cast members were writers as well.
Timeline of cast members
Lighter colors denote "featured players" versus repertory cast members.
Notable tenures
The following is a list of the cast members with the longest tenures, who have spent at least eight seasons on the show.
The following is a list of the former cast members who have had the shortest tenures, spending less than a full 20-episode season on the show.
Youngest cast members
The following is a list of the youngest people to join the show.
Oldest cast members
The following is a list of the oldest people to join the show.
After 14 seasons, Darrell Hammond left as the show's oldest active cast member, ending his tenure at 53 years old during his final season in 2009.
Both cast and hosts
As of May 2016, there are 34 SNL hosts who, at one point in their careers, were either a repertory or featured member of the SNL cast. The following performers have hosted SNL either before, during, or after their tenure as a member of the SNL cast.
President of the United States impressionists
Portraying the incumbent President of the United States is considered "about as high [...] an honor that can be bestowed upon a cast member." The following is a list of people who have portrayed the sitting President.
Darrell Hammond had the longest tenure portraying a U.S. president, with Bill Clinton from 1995–2001, and George W. Bush during 2003. Hammond also portrayed Richard Nixon in season 34, episode 12.
Michael McKean portrayed Bill Clinton during a brief period after Phil Hartman's departure. There was also a sketch featuring Chris Farley, David Spade, Chris Elliott, Adam Sandler, and Tim Meadows auditioning for the role of Clinton. There was also a gag in a 2001 sketch with Tracy Morgan filling in for Will Ferrell as George W. Bush.
Another noteworthy presidential portrayal was that of Dan Aykroyd as former president Richard Nixon from 1975–79.
Jim Carrey, while never having been an SNL cast member, portrayed Ronald Reagan in Funny or Die's Presidential Reunion of SNL Presidents (which reunited Chase as Ford, Aykroyd as Carter, Carvey as George H. W. Bush, Hammond as Clinton, Ferrell as George W. Bush, and Armisen as Obama), because two of the actors who previously portrayed Reagan had died since and the other three had declined to appear in the reunion. Carrey did, however, audition to be a cast member for the 1980–81 season; he hosted the show in May 1996, January 2011, and October 2014.
Pregnancies
Two cast members have been pregnant while working as cast members. In most cases, the pregnancies were not written into the script.
"SNL Curse"
Although SNL is best known as the launchpad for many successful careers, nine former cast members have died before the age of 60. This has given rise to a superstition known as the "Saturday Night Live Curse".