'SNL': Ranking Alums' Success

Fun fact: Shearer had not one but two stints as a repertory player on Saturday Night Live, both of them terrifically unhappy. (When Shearer left the show for a second time, then-Executive Producer Dick Ebersol blamed creative differences; upon hearing that excuse, Shearer reportedly quipped, ”Yeah, I was creative and they were different.”) Thankfully, Shearer soon found a better outlet for his talents: The Simpsons, where he’s been voicing iconic characters like Mr. Burns and Ned Flanders for the past 24 years. He may not have the name recognition of some big SNL alumni — but those ridiculously lucrative residuals are pretty eeeexcellent. — Hillary Busis

Unlike most new SNL recruits, SCTV alum Short was already a well-known sketch comedian before he joined the show’s cast in 1984. (In an attempt to save the floundering series, Ebersol intentionally populated SNL with ringers that year.) After winning hearts with characters like Jackie Rogers Jr. and Ed Grimley, Short brought his manic schtick to films including Three Amigos and Father of the Bride, Comedy Central’s critically acclaimed Primetime Glick, and countless roles on screens big and small. Short has also found a third home on the Broadway stage, earning a Tony award for the 1999 revival of Little Me. At this point, he’s more beloved character actor than leading man…but somehow, we sense that’s just fine by Short. — Hillary Busis

Farley used SNL as a launching pad, starting with small parts in films like Wayne’s World and moving on to starring roles in Tommy Boy and Black Sheep. By the time Beverly Hills Ninja hit theaters, Farley was a bona fide comedic star. But despite his success on screen, Farley struggled with his weight and drug abuse — eventually succumbing to an accidental overdose in 1997, just two months after his final guest appearance on SNL. Surely if his life hadn’t been cut short, he’d have moved on to bigger and better things — like the title part in DreamWorks’s Shrek, which Farley had partially recorded before his untimely death. —Shirley Li

Fans were devastated when Poehler — who portrayed everyone from Hillary Clinton to Project Runway winner Christian Siriano on the show — left SNL in 2009. But they must be pleased with the way things have worked out since: Though Poehler hasn’t yet found much big-screen success, she’s won multiple Emmy nominations for her starring role on Parks and Recreation. Poehler’s crack timing and improv skills have also made her a favorite at awards shows, eventually leading to a well-received Golden Globes hosting gig in 2013 alongside fellow SNL alumna Tina Fey. Fingers crossed that the gals turn in a repeat performance next year. —Erin Strecker

On SNL, Hartman was a virtuosic performer equally adept at impressions (Frank Sinatra, Bill Clinton) and indelible original characters (Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer). He also found time to voice classic Simpsons characters like Lionel Hutz and Troy McClure while still a member of the sketch show’s cast. Five years after sharing the Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program with the rest of the SNL team, he seemed set for a decades-long career when he departed the show. Hartman soon booked a steady stream of film and TV roles, eventually landing a regular gig as endearingly arrogant news anchor Bill McNeal on the critically embraced sitcom News Radio. Unfortunately, Hartman’s story ends prematurely: in 1998, his wife murdered him before committing suicide. He was nominated for a posthumous Emmy that same year, a testament to what he could (and should) have achieved given the chance. —Lanford Beard

Chase was SNL‘s first big star, but his decision to leave for Hollywood after one season rubbed some the wrong way. After a few missteps, he found his stride in the 1980s with hit comedies like Caddyshack, four National Lampoon’s Vacation movies, and Fletch; he even co-hosted the Oscars in 1987 and ’88. His luck ran out when his poorly conceived late-night talk-show was notoriously canceled after five weeks, but after two decades as a comic punchline, he returned to relevance with a supporting role on Community — which, for better and worse, proved once again that he’s Chevy Chase and you’re not. —Jeff Labrecque

The modern mockumentary movement owes a lot to Saturday Night Live. Guest co-wrote and co-starred in This Is Spinal Tap prior to joining the show for a special yearlong engagement — then began experimenting with film direction after arriving on SNL‘s set. (His documentary-style ”Synchronized Swimming” sketch plays like a primordial Digital Short.) Years later, Guest would become the nascent mock-doc genre’s standard-bearer, thanks to films like Waiting for Guffman and Best in Show. Oh, and as if that weren’t notable enough: The guy has also been married to Jamie Lee Curtis since his SNL days and came into a British baronage in 1996. If that’s not success, we’re not sure what is. —Hillary Busis

Famous for his pre-punchline giggle fits, Fallon is still laughing — all the way to the bank. Initially, Fallon’s future in Hollywood looked bleak; films like Taxi and Fever Pitch failed to hit commercially or critically. But starting in 2009, Fallon found his niche: That’s when he began hosting Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and crafting some of the viral age’s best and most-shared clips. And even though his stab at producing was a bust — remember NBC’s Guys With Kids? — Fallon will truly get the last laugh next winter: He’s currently preparing to take the Tonight Show reins from Jay Leno. (Hopefully Fallon has a smoother transition than that other former SNL writer’s….) —Jennifer Arellano

In this post-Love Guru age, it’s tough to remember how wild America once was for this goofy Canadian. Chances are, though, that you still find yourself quoting Wayne’s World‘s Wayne Campbell, Austin Powers, or Dr. Evil more often than you’d like to admit. And while Myers hasn’t had a live-action hit since 2002’s Goldmember — unless you count his bit part in Inglourious Basterds — a steady supply of Shrek films mean that, monetarily, he’s doing just fine. (The paychecks definitely exceed one meeeeellion dollars.) —Hillary Busis

What Seinfeld curse? Initially, the actress may have struggled to find a lasting role after going from being SNL‘S youngest cast member to playing Elaine Benes on the long-running comedy — but after wrapping up a solid run on CBS’s The New Adventures of Old Christine, Louis-Dreyfus found her way to HBO’s critically acclaimed Veep. She’s since nabbed two consecutive Emmys for her performance as Vice President Selina Meyer, giving her four Outstanding Lead Actress statuettes in total — a number matched only by Lucille Ball. Louis-Dreyfus doubles as the most-nominated comic actress in Emmy history. That’s enough to make anybody feel like dancing. —Shirley Li

Belushi was a comic marvel revered by all his peers, and his performance in 1978’s Animal House — filmed while he was still on the show — helped pave the path to Hollywood for subsequent SNL stars. The Blues Brothers were the first of the series’ characters to be handed their own movie vehicle, and Belushi’s iconic performance as Jake immortalized a career that was tragically cut short when the comic died of a drug overdose in 1982. Even so, his legacy looms large enough to compensate for his abbreviated time in the spotlight; no list of SNL successes would feel complete without Belushi near the top. —Jeff Labrecque

True, Aykroyd often played second fiddle to his SNL brethren on the big screen — to Belushi in The Blues Brothers, to Murphy in Trading Places, to Murray in Ghostbusters, to Chase in Spies Like Us. But he also co-wrote many of his box-office hits — and even as he resurrected the Blues Brothers and the Coneheads for new movies, he also successfully transitioned to drama, becoming the second SNL alum to earn an Oscar acting nomination for his 1989 supporting turn in Driving Miss Daisy. Outside the entertainment industry, Aykroyd is also a successful beverage entrepreneur, raking in untold fortunes as the co-owner of Crystal Head vodka (the Rolling Stones’ official spirit) and the company that distributes Patrón tequila in his native Canada. —Jeff Labrecque

SNL‘s most successful alumna (as well as its first female head writer) has had no shortage of material since her 2006 exit. After writing and co-starring in 2004’s eminently quotable Mean Girls while still at SNL, Fey garnered multiple Emmy and Golden Globe awards for her ripped-from-real-life sitcom 30 Rock, wrote the bestseller Bossypants, nailed a 2013 Golden Globes co-hosting gig with gal pal Amy Poehler, and most recently sold two comedy pilots in a single week. Yeah, Tina’s not going anywhere. —Jennifer Arellano

After bidding farewell to late-night TV, Rock returned to his first love: stand-up comedy. Twenty years and four Emmys later — for his specials Bring the Pain (1996) and Kill the Messenger (2008), as well as his 1997-2000 talk show The Chris Rock Show — he’s established himself as a solo force to be reckoned with. (In 2004, EW even named him the funniest person in America.) Though Rock’s film vehicles (Head of State, I Think I Love My Wife) and award show gigs (namely, the 2005 Oscars) have been met with mixed reviews, he remains unparalleled in the stand-up community. On top of that, Rock’s success as a producer (including the semi-biographical Everybody Hates Chris and the 2009 documentary Good Hair), plus a well-received 2011 run in Broadway’s The Motherf—er With the Hat, prove he’s good for much more than laughs. —Andrew Asare

Ferrell — who appeared in films such as Zoolander and A Night at the Roxbury during his tenure at SNL — found his movie career taking off soon after the release of Old School in 2003. Starring roles in films he co-wrote, including Anchorman and Talladega Nights — as well as the new Christmas classic Elf — followed. In the mid-aughts, Ferrell also tried his hand at drama, winning critical praise for his performance in Stranger than Fiction. And, while more recent films have met with less success (Land of the Lost, anybody?), Ferrell also branched out in 2007 by co-founding the comedy website Funny or Die — a reliable font of viral videos that regularly nabs appearances from big names like Ryan Gosling and Jerry Seinfeld. Creating classic film roles is good; creating your own comedy empire is better. —Erin Strecker

Like Short, Guest, and Shearer, Crystal was fairly famous prior to joining the show’s cast: He had already starred on Soap, helmed a short-lived NBC variety hour, and even hosted Saturday Night Live itself. Still, Crystal wasn’t a household name until his brief run on the sketch show. And after that run ended, roles in films like When Harry Met Sally? and City Slickers turned him into a bona fide movie star. But though he’s found success on the big screen and in various avenues including theater, voice acting, and even professional baseball, Crystal will always be remembered best as a consummate Academy Awards host. With nine stints under his belt, he’s emceed the show more times than anyone but Bob Hope. —Hillary Busis

Undoubtedly SNL‘s most successful one-and-done cast member, Downey’s been through his share of highs (an Oscar nomination for Chaplin) and near-career-ruining lows (stints in rehab for drug abuse). But thanks to a little movie called Iron Man — perhaps you’ve heard of it? — the actor pulled off a soaring comeback, assembling three more big screen appearances as genius/billionaire/playboy/philanthropist-turned-Avenger Tony Stark. He’s also played Sherlock Holmes in the Guy Ritchie-directed franchise and won an Oscar nomination for his supporting turn in Tropic Thunder. Safe to say Downey’s back on the A-List…not to mention $50 million richer thanks to The Avengers. And, oh yeah: He can fly. —Shirley Li

Say what you will about the quality of his movies, but numbers don’t lie. When adjusted for inflation, Sandler’s films have earned over $3 billion at the box office. That’s right: billion. (Box Office Mojo places him among the top 30 earners in Hollywood.) Most of those flicks are the products of Sandler’s own Happy Madison Productions, the laugh factory also responsible for hits like Paul Blart: Mall Cop. Maybe critics savage his every new release; maybe he hasn’t made a solid dramatic film since 2002’s Punch-Drunk Love. But how long can you cry when you’re wiping away your tears with $100 bills? —Hillary Busis

Perhaps no SNL alum has balanced commercial and critical success like Murray, who used the show as a springboard for staring roles in Caddyshack, Stripes, and Ghostbusters — a trio of 1980s comedies that solidified the irreverent comic persona he’d established in Meatballs. But, even then, Murray demonstrated a willingness to be daring in movies like Tootsie and The Razor’s Edge. After 20 years of classic Murray roles, typified by 1993’s Groundhog Day, a new generation of filmmakers adopted him as their muse in heralded films like Rushmore and Lost in Translation, which won him a Golden Globe. Over the past decade or so, Murray has also become famous for his off-screen quirks: doing dishes at a random house party in Scotland, tending bar at an Austin watering hole, and crashing a kickball game in Brooklyn. As a comedic force, he has few equals; as a living legend, he has none. —Jeff Labrecque

Murphy was a movie star and a TV star simultaneously, thanks to 48 HRS. and Trading Places. But his first post-SNL movie, 1984’s Beverly Hills Cop, truly rocketed him into the Hollywood elite. Murphy’s 1987 stand-up movie Raw is still the biggest live-concert film of all time, and after huge hits (Coming to America) and misses (Vampire in Brooklyn) he settled into lucrative family comedies like The Nutty Professor and Shrek. Then, just when everyone thought he couldn’t surprise us anymore, he earned an Oscar nomination (and a Golden Globe award) for his role in Dreamgirls. Sure, he’s had some flops since then (Meet Dave, Imagine That, A Thousand Words), but even the Norbit Effect can’t sink Murphy’s sterling legacy. —Jeff Labrecque