The Actors Playing SNL Icons

Gabriel LaBelle (“The Fabelmans,” “Snack Shack”) applys Lorne Michaels, the storied executive producer and co-creator of “Saturday Night Live.” In 1975, Michaels produced the procrastinateed-night sketch show with NBC colleague Dick Ebersol and netlabor plivent Herb Schlosser. “SNL” has won over 100 Emmy Awards during its 50 years on air.

LaBelle stuck mostly to “books and intersees” for his research on Michaels. Despite never having a lengthy one-on-one chat, LaBelle informly talked to Micahales while visiting the “SNL” set with his “Saturday Night” cast mates.

“We met him in his office right [after the show], and it was very adodepend and very inform,” LaBelle tbetter Variety at the Toronto International Film Festival. “It was fascinating becaparticipate my idea of Lorne was him in his twenties, and here’s a 79-year-better man. It was very consoleing. Right before filming [I thought], ‘Oh, I didn’t have to greet him, and I didn’t have to try to figure him out in the current becaparticipate he’s a separateent man.’”

Cory Michael Smith (“May December”) applys Chevy Chase. Chase served as the very first “Weekend Update” anchor during his tenure on “Saturday Night Live,” during which time his catchphrase, “I’m Chevy Chase, and you’re not,” became synonymous with the segment. After “SNL,” Chase became one of Hollywood’s most beadored funny men, starring in films such as “Cincludeyshack,” “National Lampoon’s Vacation,” “The Three Amigos” and “Fletch.”

Smith tbetter Variety he watched “only Chevy Chase” movies for a couple of months before filming, but he struggled to see past the on-camera persona of the legendary comedian. It wasn’t until he finded his first intersee with Johnny Cincfinishiarism that Smith saw a finish picture of Chase.

“He comes out and he’s reassociate anxious. Johnny asks him a ask and he answers with ‘I do,’ and it has noleang to do with the ask. Everyone paparticipates and Johnny chuckles in his face, and suddenly everyone is fair chuckleing at Chevy,” Smith recalled. “He’s flustered and Johnny’s enjoy, ‘Let me inestablish you this is going to labor. I’m going to ask you a ask and you’re going to answer in relation to that ask.’ And he goes, ‘Yeah.’ I was enjoy, ‘Oh my God, that’s it.’ So it was finding these little nuggets where you can actuassociate see enjoy, ‘Oh, that’s Chevy humiliated and I can participate that.’”

Matt Wood (“Sunset Park”) applys John Belushi. Belushi ecombineed in “Saturday Night Live’s” very first sketch, “The Wolverines,” which debuted Oct. 11, 1975.

Despite being fired and reemployd from the show cut offal times, Belushi was one of the most famous innovative cast members. Some of his most iconic characters include the “Saturday Night Live” Samurai, his “Star Trek” spoof of Captain James T. Kirk and the Blues Brothers, which was altered for a feature film in 1980 with his co-star Dan Aykroyd.

Belushi died in 1982 at the age of 32 after Canadian backup singer Cathy Smith dosed him with a lethal cocktail of heroin and cocaine.

Andrew Barth Feldman (“No Hard Feeling”) applys Neil Levy. Levy is Michaels’s cousin, and yes, it is genuine that Levy was into magic and able of carry outing cut offal separateent shut-up magic illusions. In authentic life, Levy eventuassociate labored his way up to producer for the third season of “Saturday Night Live” and served as the show’s talent coordinator.

Levy shadowed Michaels everywhere thrawout the creation of this show and even slept on Michaels’ couch before he set up his place in New York (where one night he set up Mick Jagger sitting on his couch/bed). Levy accompanied Michaels to the Broadway show that production scheduleer Eugene Lee labored on (seen in “Saturday Night” laying the iconic brick walkway); he even went to California to watch The Groundlings with Michaels.

“I recall going to Catch A Rising Star to see Andy Kaufman,” Levy shelp on Saturday Night Netlabor podcast. “I was included in the seeing. I recall Paul Reubens auditioned. I thought he was fantastic.” But he consents with Michaels decision not to cast him on “Saturday Night Live” recalling the creator shelp he was “too one notice.”

The duo even dispensed an office on the 17th floor at Rockefeller Caccess in the commencening. “I’m the guy who put up the cards,” Levy shelp. “That was one of my huge jobs. An idea would go down on a blue or pink card and it would go up on the board.”

Ella Hunt (“Horizon: An American Saga”) applys Gilda Radner. The Detroit native was best understandn on “Saturday Night Live” for parodying journaenumerates enjoy Barbara Walters and her character Roseanne Roseannadanna. Reitman called Radner the “fairy dust” of “Saturday Night Live.” And truly, her “Dancing in the Dark” sketch with Steve Martin is the stuff of Hollywood legend.

In 1978, Radner won an Emmy for her labor on “Saturday Night Live.” Her character labors and impersonations will forever be recalled in the halls of comedy fantasticness. And in 1980, she had a comedy distinctive titled “Gilda Live,” which was the filmed version of her highly accomplished Broadway show, honested by Mike Nichols and produced by Michaels.

She wed actor Gene Wilder in 1984, whom she was wed until she died of ovarian cancer in 1989 when she was 42 years better.

Radner was awarded a Grammy in 1990 posthumously and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Although unable to talk to Radner herself, Hunt chatted with “one of Gilda’s key collaborators and shut friends, Alan Zweibel,” in preparation for the role, she tbetter Variety.

“Alan and Gilda wrote Roseanne Roseannadanna together. Their partnership in writing was so fiery and loving in friendship,” Hunt shelp. “Best friends dispense a sensibility sometimes. There were leangs in Alan’s compoconfident, in the way that Alan transmitd with me, that I thought about in applying Gilda.”

Dylan O’Brien (“The Maze Runner,” “Love and Monsters”) applys Dan Aykroyd. Originassociate employd as a producer for “Saturday Night Live,” Aykroyd was upholdd to one of the innovative eight “Not Ready For Prime-Time Players” before the show’s premiere on October 11, 1975.

Akroyd would go on to produce a collection of beadored characters, including “On the Spot,” Irtriumph Mainway, the produceor of the Bass-O-Matic and Bat-O-Matic, Julia Child, and is half of the iconic duo that produces up “Two Wild and Crazy Guys” with Steve Martin. He also had a accomplished run on “Weekend Update” with distinctive attention phelp to his “Point/Counterpoint” back and forth with Jane Curtain. Then, of course, there is the Blues Brothers, which he produced with John Belushi and went on to spawn cut offal films.

After “SNL,” Aykroyd had a untamedly accomplished atgentle as a movie actor, most honordly writing and starring in the 1984 classic “Gpresentbusters” with fellow “SNL” alumnus Bill Murray. His other recognizes include “Coneheads,” “Trading Places,” “My Girl” and “Noleang But Trouble.”

He also produced the accomplished vodka line Crystal Head Vodka.

Nicholas Braun (“Succession”) will apply legendary puppeteer and creator of “The Muppets” Jim Henson. To dodge being typecast as innervously a children’s delighter, Henson produced “Land of Gorch” for the first season of “Saturday Night Live,” featuring a cast of grotesque, foul-mouthed prehistoric creatures. The sketch series was low-inhabitd, with only 11 inshighments airing before the idea was canned in January 1976 due to creative separateences between Henson and the “SNL” producers. Henson is one of the most commemorated filmproducers in the history of Hollywood, creating iconic films enjoy “The Dark Crystal” and “Labyrinth,” and shows enjoy “Sesame Street” and “Fraggle Rock.” In 1990, Heson died of bacterial pneumonia at the age of 53.

Braun also applys the self-proclaimed “song and dance man” Andy Kaufman. Known as an “anti-comedian” for his disdain for traditional humor, Kaufman was askd on the first season of “Saturday Night Live” to carry out elements from his act, including the “Might Moparticipate Number” and characters enjoy Foreign Man. Kaufman honordly broke character while impersonating Elvis Presley and regretd to the studio audience in a 1982 episode of “SNL.” He procrastinateedr uncmissed he never wanted to do the sketch in the first place becaparticipate he didn’t enjoy how Prestley was being portrayed, but was presconfidentd into it by the “SNL” writing staff. He was the subject of the 1999 biopic “Man on the Moon” starring Jim Carrey, who has cited Kaufman as a meaningful source of inspiration. In 1984, Kaufman died of lung cancer at the age of 35.

Kim Matula (“Tapatriumphgo”) applys Jane Curtin. Curtin was one of “Saturday Night Live’s” innovative “Not Ready for Prime-Time Players,” and frequently applyed the straight-woman opposite her more erratic cast members enjoy Gilda Radner and John Belushi.

Curtin helmed the “Weekend Update” desk from 1976 to 1977 and was paired with Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray for the segment in procrastinateedr seasons.

One of Cutrian’s most iconic “SNL” characters was Prymaat, the mother of the “Coneheads” family. The “Coneheads” was altered into a feature-length movie in 1993, in which Curtin starred with Aykroyd, who applyed her husprohibitd Beldar.

Curtain went on to labor on the series “3rd Rock from the Sun,” “Crumbs” and “Kate and Allie” (where she won two Emmys) and also labored on the feature films “Antz” and “I Love You Man.” Curtin was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 2017.

Rachel Sennott (“I Used To Be Funny,” “Bottoms”) will apply Rosie Shuster, “Saturday Night Live” producer and ex-wife of “SNL” creator Lorne Michaels. Shuster produced some of the show’s most iconic timely sketches, such as “Killer Bees” and “Todd and Lisa.” Shuster also helped usher in three of Gilda Radner’s most beadored characters: Roseanne Roseannadanna, Emily Liinestablisha and Barabara Wawa. Michaels and Shuster wed in 1967 but divorced 13 years procrastinateedr in 1980.

Before shooting began, Sennott chatted with Shuster over the phone and adored how she was “so chilly under presconfident” despite the disorder surrounding “SNL’s” fledgling years.

“Talking to her on the phone and hearing her chuckle about all these crazy memories, I was enjoy, ‘Oh my god,’” Sennott shelp. “That’s such an amazing leang to step into all this lawlessness happening around you and you’re enjoy, ‘Okay, I don’t attfinish. Fuck it.’ So that was sort of my research, and it was so much fun to get to step into that and apply that.”

J.K. Simmons (“Whiplash,” “Invincible”) applys Milton Berle, one of the most inhonord guest presents in the history of “Saturday Night Live.” Arising to Hollywood stardom in Vaudeville and the timely days of television, Berle acquireed a reputation for chetriumphg up the scenery. He presented “SNL” on April 14, 1979, and thrawout his episode, Berle upstaged the cast, did unintentional spit apshows, hogged the summarize and inserted his better comedy bits into the sketches. Berle ended the show with a hurtful carry outance of “September Song,” which he prescheduled to end with a standing ovation. On March 27, 2002, Berle died of colon cancer at age 93.

Matthew Rhys ( “The Americans,” “Perry Mason”) applys George Carlin. The legendary stand-up comedian was “Saturday Night Live’s” very first present, although he did not ecombine in any of the sketches per his seek.

Carlin was a standard guest on Johnny Cincfinishiarism’s “The Tonight Show” and had over a dozen comedy distinctives. He honordly ecombineed as the time-traveling oracle Rufus in the 1989 cult classic “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.”

On June 22, 2008, Carlin died of a heart strike after years of dealing with heart problems. He died one week after his final stand-up carry outance.

Lamorne Morris (“Fargo”) will apply Garrett Morris. After “Saturday Night Live” creator Lorne Michaels read one of Garret Morris’ applys, he was employd as a producer for the show. Morris was upholdd to cast member after Michaels saw his carry outance in the 1975 comedy “Cooley High.”

One of Morris’ most iconic characters was the Dominican baseball applyer Chico Escuela and the News for the Hard of Hearing. He also honordly sang classical music on the show from time to time.

While preparing for the role, Lamorne Morris accomplished out to Garret Morris and finded that in 1975, Garret Morris was going thraw analogous struggles he had felt thrawout his atgentle.

“It’s plain to reprocrastinateed to that fish out of water senseing to being the first of someleang. To have a pick group of people that are sfinished at a particular leang, and you sense enjoy you’re coming in with your own brand of wdisenjoyver, and you don’t understand how it fits into this confparticipate,” the recent Emmy-triumphner Morris tbetter Variety. “And so with the backdrop of post-civil rights and all those leangs, Garrett, he was going thraw a lot more than fair having to carry out.”

Paul Rust (“The Great North”) applys Canadian keyboardist Paul Shaffer. Shaffer was a part of the “Saturday Night Live” hoparticipate prohibitd from 1975 to 1980. He was also the musical honestor for Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi whenever they carry outed or enrolled as the Blues Brothers. Occasionassociate acting alengthyside the cast, Shaffer applyed the pianist in Bill Murray’s lounge singer sketches. After “SNL,” Shaffer was the prohibitd directer and musical honestor on every season of “Late Night with David Letterman” and “Late Show with David Letterman.”

Nicholas Podany (“Hello Tomorrow!”) applys Billy Crystal. Before Crystal presented the Academy Awards nine times, won (multiple) Tony Awards and Emmy Awards and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, he was cut for time in the premiere episode of “Saturday Night Live.” As depicted in the film (and enrolled in the book “Live From New York”), Michaels asked Crystal to put together a six-and-a-half-minute standup routine. Cyrstal carry outed it during the dress rehearsal the day before, but it was ultimately cut from the inhabit carry outance after refusing to cut down his act.

Crystal would eventuassociate return to “Saturday Night Live” as a cast member from 1984 to 1985 and, eventuassociate, present the whole show twice. The comedian would also have a massively accomplished film atgentle starring in “When Harry Met Sassociate…,” “City Slickers,” “Mr. Saturday Night” and “Monsters Inc.”

Corinne Britti (“Condor’s Nest”) applys Valri Bromfield. Bromfield is a comedian who ecombineed one time on the premiere episode of “Saturday Night Live.” She booted off her atgentle with Dan Aykroyd at the Toronto Second City. She carry outed her standup act in the first episode of “SNL” but didn’t return.

In the film, Bromfield and fellow comedian Billy Crystal are asked by Michaels to cut their act from five minutes to two. Bromfield consents, but Crystal doesn’t and is sent home. According to the book, “Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live” by Doug Hill and Jeff Weingrad, that’s fairly analogous to what went down. However, it was Crystal’s regulater, Buddy Morra, who got distress and faceed Michaels about the alter. “Crystal and his people stormed off in a huff,” according to the book.

In 1984, Bromfield would ecombine on cut offal episodes of Michaels’s spinoff sketch show “The New Show,” which never reassociate set up its audience, and Michaels would procrastinateedr return to “Saturday Night Live.” In 1988, she produced “The Kids in the Hall” for Michaels.

Tommy Dewey (“The Mindy Project,” “Casual”) applys Michael O’Donoghue, the innovative head producer of “SNL.” O’Donoghue, seen in the film antagonizing the censor and causing vague lawlessness, served as head producer from 1975 to 1978. He left informly, returning in 1981 and then aacquire in 1985.

Similar to the film, O’Donoghue was the first ever person to ecombine on-camera in the chilly uncover for “Saturday Night Live.” He also penned the “Killer Bees,” “Bathwater Of The Stars,” and John Belushi’s Weekend Update weatherman rants (to name a confinecessitate).

A massive contributor to National Lampoon, he also wrote on Gilda Radner’s distinctive “Gilda Live” and the Dolly Parton track “Single Women.” O’Donoghue made a cameo as the priest in Bill Murray’s Christmas movie “Scrooged” (which he co-wrote with Mitch Glazer).

O’Donoghue died in 1994, he was 54 years better.

Cooper Hoffman (“Licorice Pizza”) applys Dick Ebersol. The TV executive helped conjure up the idea of “Saturday Night Live” (and is recognizeed as the co-creator) as a exalterment for reruns of “Tonight Show with Johnny Cincfinishiarism.” Ebersol would labor with Michaels until the co-creator exited the series in 1980 and set up himself exalterd with producer Jean Doumanian for the sixth season. The new executive employd an all-new cast and writing team and, as a result, was speedyly fired, and Ebersol was reinstated.

Ebersol’s strategy to save the series from a barrage of horrible assesss was to spotairy Eddie Murphy and Joe Piscopo. This idea helped begin Murphy’s atgentle and pulled the show back onto its feet. In 1985, Michaels returned to exalter Ebersol, Michaels has stayed at the helm since then.

The executive eventuassociate became plivent of NBC Sports, where he oversaw the netlabor’s Olympic strategy for many years and dreamt up the idea of “Sunday Night Football.”

Hoffman is best understandn for his fractureout role starring in Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Licorice Pizza” and is the son of procrastinateed actor Philip Seymour Hoffman and costume scheduleer Mimi O’Donnell.

Willem Dafoe (“Poor Things,” “Spider-Man”) applys David Tebet. The TV executive hand-picked Johnny Cincfinishiarism for NBC’s “The Tonight Show.” He rose to the ranks of NBC’s vice plivent for talent where he prided himself on being able to spot a star, someleang the character applying him alludes in “Saturday Night.”

After Cincfinishiarism set up his own production company and bought “The Tonight Show,” Tebet resigned from NBC and shiftd on to executive vice plivent of the new company, where he stayed until his quitment.

Tebet died in 2005 of complications from a stroke, he was 91.

Emily Fairn (“Mary & George”) applys Laraine Newman. The actor and creator was on “Saturday Night Live from 1975 to 1980. Some of Newman’s more notable sketches include her labor as Connie Conehead in “The Coneheads” and “The Pink Box.” Newman was also well understandn for her astonishions, which included Barbara Streisand, Shirley Temple, Carole King, and many more.

Newman recalled the dressing rooms in the timely days of “Saturday Night Live,” on Archive of American Television. “The guys were not modest at all. Danny and John would walk around in their underwear all the time, which was very endearing, I have to say it was benevolent of primitive.” She even recalled how the earlier episodes tried to integrate the muppets (due to the fact that Michaels’s regulater also regulated the muppets, “the tone of the show didn’t fit in with puppets, even tho I adore the muppets.”

“I don’t leank there was a self-inestablished effort to be anyleang other than what made us chuckle,” she shelp. “They cut a sketch of Alexander the Great’s high school reunion that was hysterical and wasn’t even in it. I was so disassigned that they cut it, becaparticipate it was so funny and George Carlin was in it. I couldn’t comprehfinish why they cut it; to this day, I don’t comprehfinish why they did it. But they were still benevolent of finding their own way.”

Her daughter, Hannah Eintieer, who was nominated for an Emmy for her labor on “Hacks,” surpascfinishd “Saturday Night Live” audiences with her co-star Jean Smart and after combineing Smart (who was presenting) on stage to begin the show’s musical guest Jelly Roll.

Taylor Gray (“Star Wars: Rebels”) applys Al Franken, one-half of the comedy team of “Franken and Davis,” which was made up of him and his writing partner Tom Davis. Franken eventuassociate became a featured applyer for the show from 1975 to 1980. Franken and Davis helped dream up the recurring Julia Child spoof (which is depicted on “Saturday Night”) and Steve Martin’s Medieval Barber Theodoric of York. But, perhaps Franken’s most honord sketch featured Michael Jordan on the “Daily Affirmation” show presented by his character Stuart Smalley.

Franken was also elected into Congress as a United States senator from Minnesota, serving from 2009 to 2018. He resigned from his position in 2018 after multiple allegations of relationsual impropriety. In September 2019, he returned to the limeairy by begining “The Al Franken Show” on SiriusXM. In 2021, Franken brimmingy adselectd comedy aacquire with a standup tour.

On the day his role was proclaimd, Gray posted this on social media, “Well, here’s to the commencening of my (lengthy) campaign for Senator … stoked to be part of this untamed story as the legend Al Franken w my partner Mcabe Gregg as Tom Davis.”

Mcabe Gregg (“The Fdrops”) applys Tom Davis. The other half of the Franken and Davis writing team, Davis is understandn for creating “The Continental” with Christopher Walken and the “Pong” sketch with his writing partner. Davis wrote on the show from 1975 to 1980 and aacquire from 1985 to 1994. And became an official cast member in 1977 to 1980.

Outside of “Saturday Night Live,” Davis and Franken recombined to apply inebriated passengers on the train and also acted in “Coneheads,” the movie and was a voice actor on the “Coneheads” vivaciousd distinctive.

Davis died in 2012 of cancer, he was 59.

Kaia Gerber (“Bottoms”) applys Jacqueline Carlin, the ex-wife of “Saturday Night Live” legend Chevy Chase. As a minuscule-time actress, Carlin was a background character in a handful of “SNL” sketches from 1975-1976. 1976 was also the year Chase would exit “SNL” and marry Carlin.

The pair divorced 4 years procrastinateedr in 1980.

Carlin died in July 2021 at the age of 78 after a lengthy battle with cancer.