Please chime in with your own picks or tell me where I've gone wrong.
Four rules:
-Rob
Downey Jr is eliminated unless you count Tropic Thunder and Al Franken
and Dennis Miller who did more politics than comedy are eliminated
-Anyone
who's only been gone from SNL 3 or 4 years doesn't count yet (Taran
Killam) but also the ppl who died young like Belushi, Farley and
Hartman. A lot of those 3 legends would be conjecture
-Not just acting, but producing, hosting, directing, stand-up, podcasting, etc
-What's being judged is after you left SNL
In parenthesis is the last year they were in the cast
1.
Will Ferrell (2002)-Ferrell stood out for his intensity and machismo out of the gate on SNL but he has shown a wide range that has translated well to a wide variety of movies including dramedies like Stranger than Fiction and Elf; and he has been very
successful at the box office. He also has his own production company as the co-founder of Funny or Die and has found a directorial partner in Adam McKay.
2. Adam Sandler (1995)-Love him or hate him, he is a
tremendously dependable force at the box office, and has creative control with
Happy Madison productions, in addition to projects with James L Brooks,
Judd Apatow, Safdie Brothers, Paul T Anderson that have allowed him to
shine
3. Bill Murray (1980)-He's been in many iconic films, and has been a commercial success for
a long time, his brand of comedy has aged well as has his perosnality,
has a highly respected status in the era stretching from Lost in
Translation to Broken Blossoms to Life Aquatic,
4. Eddie Murphy
(1984)-His heyday was mostly in the 80s, but he has a great and
groundbreaking following in films and stand-up. Comebacks in Dreamgirls
and his latest stand-up special in his SNL hosting, his 2019 stand-up
specials and Dolemite is My Name show there's a large iconic status to
him
5. Tina Fey (2006)-Her status is more on the writing end than the performing
end for her 3 mega-successful TV shows that led to an updating of comedy
and her film Mean Girls. She also has had a sizable presence as a
movie lead
6. Ben Stiller (1989)-His movies might be on the safe side
and less game-changing than say Christopher Guest or Mike Meyers, he's
been successful as a film maker, writer, and actor and has created many
films worthy of sequels and been part of cult films like Mystery Men,
Zoolander, and more. Night at the Museum and Meet the Parents both led to sequels.
7. Chris Rock (1993)-It can be fairly easily argued
that he is the most successful stand-up performer to emerge from the show.
Even if you count Top 5 as a successful personal statement (though not
commercially successful), he never translated it into moviedom
8.
Mike Myers (1995)-If you sound the RIP to his film career
around 2008 with Love Guru, that's still a 14 year run of being at or
near the top with film franchises Wayne's World and Austin Powers as
well as Cat in the Hat, Shrek, etc
9. Julia Louis-Dreyfus (1985)-Two
mega-successful sitcoms bookended by the semi-successful (and Emmy
winning) New Adventures of Old Christine
10. Martin Short (1985)-One of the most daring and iconic comedians in all varieties
11.
Sara Silverman (1994)-She's hosting talk shows, her voice acting career
is stellar, she's acted, she's had her eponymous sitcom, but she's also
a big brand as a stand-up
12. Kristen Wiig (2012)-Her acting
filmography has been both prolific and impressive. She's worked
alongside Anette Benning, Cate Blanchett, Dianne Keaton, Matt Damon, and
Robert DeNiro and has done plenty of indie films like The Skeleton
Twins and Girl Most Likely in addition to bigger works like Secret Life
of Walter Mitty, Downsizing, Wonder Woman and the Martian.
13. Amy
Poehler (2008)-As an actor, she created an iconic figure in Parks and
Recreation's Leslie Knope and has been moderately successful in some of
her movies like Sisters and The House, but there's so much more
including her work for the UCB theater (Founding the NYC branch was
pre-SNL) which fostered so much talent, and how she produced Broad City,
Russian Doll and Duncanville.
14. Billy Crystal (1985)-Though his
Borscht belt humor isn't for everyone, he's been able to make his
passion projects like City Slickers, Mr Saturday Night, and Analyze This
with creative control. He's also hosted the Oscars probably more than
anyone. He's less prolific from 2002 onwards.
15. Christopher Guest
(1985)-Though he's a little less well-known as an actor outside of
Princess Bride, but he took This is Spinal Tap and created an entire
brand of comedy with four more mockumentary movies. He also does the
occasional acting gig like Night at the Museum and Mrs Henderson Presents.
16. Seth Meyers (2014)-In my opinion he's become the voice of a
generation since Jon Stewart stepped down and Stephen Colbert became a
regular talk show. He's also produced Documentary Now and AP Bio as well
as his own animated show The Awesomes (admittedly middling)
17.
Chevy Chase (1976)-The show's first alumnus, he was active in a number
of hits in the 70s and 80s. Other than Community, of which he didn't do
particularly well on, he's faded quite a bit.
18. Fred Armisen
(2013)-Highly prolific as a guest star and makes tons of movie
appearances. He has co-created three TV shows to date-Los Espookeys,
Documentary Now, Portlandia-and had recurring guest roles in Looney
Tunes and Difficult People
19. David Spade (1996)-Isn't really a
movie headliner (his big hits were alongside Chris Farley or Adam
Snadler) but has been successful as a stand-up, TV host, and most
importantly, he has had supporting roles in Just Shoot Me, 8 Simple
Rules and Rules of Engagement that made those shows infinitely better.
20.
Andy Samberg (2012)-His brand of humor has done well for this era as he
has headlined Brooklyn Nine Nine, headlined projects with Lonely Island
(a comedy music career if you will), and ventured into more serious
stuff like Celeste and Jesse Forever and a mental patient in Brigsby
Bear (Kyle Mooney's project was comic but Samberg's role was serious)
21.
Bill Hader (2013)-Been extremely active as an actor in many projects,
having prominent roles in Inside Out and the Skeleton Twins and popping
up everywhere else. Barry has been extremely successful.
22. Maya
Rudolph (2008)-As strong an actress as Poehler and Wiig, she's mostly
just been acting rather than doing more but she's shown a wide range.
23. Laurie Metcalf (1981)-She only lasted one episode on the cast of the show though it was meant to be more before the writer's strike of 1981 took hole. She has an Oscar nomination, a prolific actress with two Tonys and she has won Emmys for Roseanne
24.
Dan Aykroyd (1979)-He's been a durable supporting player more than
anything else but he's done well for himself by those means.
25. Joan
Cusack (1986)-She's earned two Oscar nominations, iconic in supporting
roles like School of Rock, and been in some rather off-the-beaten path
comedies like Friends with Money, Perks of Being a Wallflower, High
Fidelity, Mars Needs Moms, etc
26. Jimmy Fallon (2004)-I'm not a fan
but he does have the Tonight Show and will be the gateway to pop culture
for the foreseeable future
27. Rob Riggle (2005)-He's been a daily
show correspondent, a reliable guest actor, and has a brand. He's known
for his manic energy
28. Damon Wayans (1986)-In Living Color was humongous and he's been steadily on two sitcoms. Plus he headlined a Spike Lee movie
29.
Molly Shannon (2001)-It's not entirely her fault. She didn't have the
network of Fey-Poehler-Dratch-Rudolph-Wiig alongside her when she
graduated that would have given her better female parts. She's done
quite well and even had her own NBC sitcom for a season (Kath and Kim).
30. Jason Sudeikis
(2013)-He's been the lead or co-lead of movies (We're the Millers,
Colossal, Horrible Bosses) and is a reliable masculine lead (think Sam
Malone in Cheers) for many parts
Please chime in with your own picks or tell me where I've gone wrong.
Four rules:
-Rob Downey Jr is eliminated unless you count Tropic Thunder and Al Franken and Dennis Miller who did more politics than comedy are eliminated
-Anyone who's only been gone from SNL 3 or 4 years doesn't count yet (Taran Killam) but also the ppl who died young like Belushi, Farley and Hartman. A lot of those 3 legends would be conjecture
-Not just acting, but producing, hosting, directing, stand-up, podcasting, etc
-What's being judged is after you left SNL
In parenthesis is the last year they were in the cast
1. Will Ferrell (2002)-Ferrell stood out for his intensity and machismo out of the gate on SNL but he has shown a wide range that has translated well to a wide variety of movies including dramedies like Stranger than Fiction and Elf; and he has been very successful at the box office. He also has his own production company as the co-founder of Funny or Die and has found a directorial partner in Adam McKay.
2. Adam Sandler (1995)-Love him or hate him, he is a tremendously dependable force at the box office, and has creative control with Happy Madison productions, in addition to projects with James L Brooks, Judd Apatow, Safdie Brothers, Paul T Anderson that have allowed him to shine
3. Bill Murray (1980)-He's been in many iconic films, and has been a commercial success for a long time, his brand of comedy has aged well as has his perosnality, has a highly respected status in the era stretching from Lost in Translation to Broken Blossoms to Life Aquatic,
4. Eddie Murphy (1984)-His heyday was mostly in the 80s, but he has a great and groundbreaking following in films and stand-up. Comebacks in Dreamgirls and his latest stand-up special in his SNL hosting, his 2019 stand-up specials and Dolemite is My Name show there's a large iconic status to him
5. Tina Fey (2006)-Her status is more on the writing end than the performing end for her 3 mega-successful TV shows that led to an updating of comedy and her film Mean Girls. She also has had a sizable presence as a movie lead
6. Ben Stiller (1989)-His movies might be on the safe side and less game-changing than say Christopher Guest or Mike Meyers, he's been successful as a film maker, writer, and actor and has created many films worthy of sequels and been part of cult films like Mystery Men, Zoolander, and more. Night at the Museum and Meet the Parents both led to sequels.
7. Chris Rock (1993)-It can be fairly easily argued that he is the most successful stand-up performer to emerge from the show. Even if you count Top 5 as a successful personal statement (though not commercially successful), he never translated it into moviedom
8. Mike Myers (1995)-If you sound the RIP to his film career around 2008 with Love Guru, that's still a 14 year run of being at or near the top with film franchises Wayne's World and Austin Powers as well as Cat in the Hat, Shrek, etc
9. Julia Louis-Dreyfus (1985)-Two mega-successful sitcoms bookended by the semi-successful (and Emmy winning) New Adventures of Old Christine
10. Martin Short (1985)-One of the most daring and iconic comedians in all varieties
11. Sara Silverman (1994)-She's hosting talk shows, her voice acting career is stellar, she's acted, she's had her eponymous sitcom, but she's also a big brand as a stand-up
12. Kristen Wiig (2012)-Her acting filmography has been both prolific and impressive. She's worked alongside Anette Benning, Cate Blanchett, Dianne Keaton, Matt Damon, and Robert DeNiro and has done plenty of indie films like The Skeleton Twins and Girl Most Likely in addition to bigger works like Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Downsizing, Wonder Woman and the Martian.
13. Amy Poehler (2008)-As an actor, she created an iconic figure in Parks and Recreation's Leslie Knope and has been moderately successful in some of her movies like Sisters and The House, but there's so much more including her work for the UCB theater (Founding the NYC branch was pre-SNL) which fostered so much talent, and how she produced Broad City, Russian Doll and Duncanville.
14. Billy Crystal (1985)-Though his Borscht belt humor isn't for everyone, he's been able to make his passion projects like City Slickers, Mr Saturday Night, and Analyze This with creative control. He's also hosted the Oscars probably more than anyone. He's less prolific from 2002 onwards.
15. Christopher Guest (1985)-Though he's a little less well-known as an actor outside of Princess Bride, but he took This is Spinal Tap and created an entire brand of comedy with four more mockumentary movies. He also does the occasional acting gig like Night at the Museum and Mrs Henderson Presents.
16. Seth Meyers (2014)-In my opinion he's become the voice of a generation since Jon Stewart stepped down and Stephen Colbert became a regular talk show. He's also produced Documentary Now and AP Bio as well as his own animated show The Awesomes (admittedly middling)
17. Chevy Chase (1976)-The show's first alumnus, he was active in a number of hits in the 70s and 80s. Other than Community, of which he didn't do particularly well on, he's faded quite a bit.
18. Fred Armisen (2013)-Highly prolific as a guest star and makes tons of movie appearances. He has co-created three TV shows to date-Los Espookeys, Documentary Now, Portlandia-and had recurring guest roles in Looney Tunes and Difficult People
19. David Spade (1996)-Isn't really a movie headliner (his big hits were alongside Chris Farley or Adam Snadler) but has been successful as a stand-up, TV host, and most importantly, he has had supporting roles in Just Shoot Me, 8 Simple Rules and Rules of Engagement that made those shows infinitely better.
20. Andy Samberg (2012)-His brand of humor has done well for this era as he has headlined Brooklyn Nine Nine, headlined projects with Lonely Island (a comedy music career if you will), and ventured into more serious stuff like Celeste and Jesse Forever and a mental patient in Brigsby Bear (Kyle Mooney's project was comic but Samberg's role was serious)
21. Bill Hader (2013)-Been extremely active as an actor in many projects, having prominent roles in Inside Out and the Skeleton Twins and popping up everywhere else. Barry has been extremely successful.
22. Maya Rudolph (2008)-As strong an actress as Poehler and Wiig, she's mostly just been acting rather than doing more but she's shown a wide range.
23. Laurie Metcalf (1981)-She only lasted one episode on the cast of the show though it was meant to be more before the writer's strike of 1981 took hole. She has an Oscar nomination, a prolific actress with two Tonys and she has won Emmys for Roseanne
24. Dan Aykroyd (1979)-He's been a durable supporting player more than anything else but he's done well for himself by those means.
25. Joan Cusack (1986)-She's earned two Oscar nominations, iconic in supporting roles like School of Rock, and been in some rather off-the-beaten path comedies like Friends with Money, Perks of Being a Wallflower, High Fidelity, Mars Needs Moms, etc
26. Jimmy Fallon (2004)-I'm not a fan but he does have the Tonight Show and will be the gateway to pop culture for the foreseeable future
27. Rob Riggle (2005)-He's been a daily show correspondent, a reliable guest actor, and has a brand. He's known for his manic energy
28. Damon Wayans (1986)-In Living Color was humongous and he's been steadily on two sitcoms. Plus he headlined a Spike Lee movie
29. Molly Shannon (2001)-It's not entirely her fault. She didn't have the network of Fey-Poehler-Dratch-Rudolph-Wiig alongside her when she graduated that would have given her better female parts. She's done quite well and even had her own NBC sitcom for a season (Kath and Kim).
30. Jason Sudeikis (2013)-He's been the lead or co-lead of movies (We're the Millers, Colossal, Horrible Bosses) and is a reliable masculine lead (think Sam Malone in Cheers) for many parts