Writers

All cast members on Saturday Night Live are expected to write, as well as perform. Those that don't write end up with fewer parts and face-time and often eventually leave the show. Three groups serve as “farm clubs” for the cast and writing staff: The improvisational comedy troupes The Groundlings and The Second City, Harvard Lampoon and recently the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre.

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.

List of cast members

The following list of cast members includes both featured and repertory players, but omits SNL writers and others who weren't listed as cast members during the show's credits. 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.

Cast members who have left a memorable legacy on the show often have been the subject of a Best of SNL videotape, DVD, or compilation special. Cast members where this applies are marked with a (•) on the list below. In addition, some hosts have had such compilation videos made for their performances even though they were never members of the cast of Saturday Night Live: Steve Martin, Christopher Walken, and Tom Hanks. Cast members who were only featured (never promoted to contract player) are marked with an (F). Also, cast members who were primarily writers as opposed to performers are marked with a (W)

The Original "Not Ready For Primetime Players" (1975)

• George Coe (1975 - 1976) (F) (W)
• Chevy Chase (1975 - 1977)
• Dan Aykroyd (1975 - 1979) (•)
• John Belushi (1975 - 1979) (•)
• Michael O'Donoghue (1975 - 1979) (F) (W)
• Jane Curtin (1975 - 1980)
• Garrett Morris (1975 - 1980)
• Laraine Newman (1975 - 1980)
• Gilda Radner (1975 - 1980) (•)

Started 1976 - 1979

• Bill Murray (1976 - 1980)
• Tom Davis (1977 - 1980) (F) (W)
• Al Franken (1977 - 1980) & (1985 - 1994) (F) (W)
• Don Novello (1978 - 1980) & (1985 - 1986) (F) (W)
• Peter Aykroyd (1979 - 1980) (F)
• Jim Downey (1979 - 1980) (F) (W)
• Paul Shaffer (1979 - 1980) (F)
• Tom Schiller (1979 - 1980) (F) (W)
• Alan Zweibel (1979 - 1980) (F) (W)
• Brian Doyle-Murray (1979 - 1980) & (1981 - 1982) (F) (W)
• Harry Shearer (1979 - 1980) & (1984 - 1985)

Started 1980 - 1984

• Denny Dillon (1980 - 1981)
• Gilbert Gottfried (1980 - 1981)
• Yvonne Hudson (1980 - 1981) (F)
• Matthew Laurance (1980 - 1981) (F)
• Gail Matthius (1980 - 1981)
• Laurie Metcalf (1980 - 1981) (F)
• Emily Prager (1980 - 1981) (F)
• Ann Risley (1980 - 1981)
• Charles Rocket (1980 - 1981)
• Patrick Weathers (1980 - 1981) (F)
• Tony Rosato (1980 - 1982)
• Robin Duke (1980 - 1984)
• Tim Kazurinsky (1980 - 1984)
• Eddie Murphy (1980 - 1984) (•)
• Joe Piscopo (1980 - 1984)
• Christine Ebersole (1981 - 1982)
• Mary Gross (1981 - 1985)
• Brad Hall (1982 - 1984)
• Gary Kroeger (1982 - 1985)
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus (1982 - 1985)
• Jim Belushi (1983 - 1985)
• Billy Crystal (1984 - 1985)
• Christopher Guest (1984 - 1985)
• Rich Hall (1984 - 1985)
• Martin Short (1984 - 1985)
• Pamela Stephenson (1984 - 1985)

Started 1985 - 1989

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

Started 1990 - 1994

• Chris Rock (1990 - 1993) (•)
• Rob Schneider (1990 - 1994)
• Julia Sweeney (1990 - 1994)
• Chris Farley (1990 - 1995) (•)
• Adam Sandler (1990 - 1995) (•)
• David Spade (1990 - 1996) (•)
• Tim Meadows (1990 - 2000) (•)
• Beth Cahill (1991 - 1992) (F)
• Siobhan Fallon (1991 - 1992)
• Robert Smigel (1991 - 1993) (F) (W)
• Melanie Hutsell (1991 - 1994)
• Ellen Cleghorne (1991 - 1995)
• Sarah Silverman (1993 - 1994) (F)
• Michael McKean (1993 - 1995)
• Jay Mohr (1993 - 1995) (F)
• Norm MacDonald (1993 - 1998)
• 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

• David Koechner (1995 - 1996)
• Nancy Walls (1995 - 1996)
• Fred Wolf (1995 - 1997) (F) (W)
• Jim Breuer (1995 - 1998)
• Cheri Oteri (1995 - 2000)
• Colin Quinn (1995 - 2000)
• Will Ferrell (1995 - 2002) (• twice)
• Chris Kattan (1995 - 2003) (•)
• Darrell Hammond (1995 - )
• Ana Gasteyer (1996 - 2002)
• Tracy Morgan (1996 - 2003) (•)
• Jimmy Fallon (1998 - 2004) (•)
• Chris Parnell (1998 - )
• Horatio Sanz (1998 - )
• Rachel Dratch (1999 - )
• Maya Rudolph (1999 - )

Started 2000 - 2004

• Jerry Minor (2000 - 2001) (F)
• Tina Fey (2000 - ) (W)
• Dean Edwards (2001 - 2003) (F)
• Jeff Richards (2001 - 2004)
• Seth Meyers (2001 - )
• Amy Poehler (2001 - )
• Fred Armisen (2002 - )
• Will Forte (2002 - )
• Finesse Mitchell (2003 - ) (F)
• Kenan Thompson (2003 - ) (F)
• Rob Riggle (2004 - ) (F)

Current repertory players

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

Current featured players

• Finesse Mitchell (2003 - ) (F)
• Kenan Thompson (2003 - ) (F)
• Rob Riggle (2004 - ) (F)