funniest actors that appeared on saturday night...
TRANSCRIPT
Funniest actors
that appeared on
Saturday Night
Live
Funniest actors that
appeared on Saturday
Night Live
Published at Petitcodiac Regional School
June 2016
Contents
Introduction: The show goes on
#5 – Bill Murray
#4 – Will Ferrell
#3 – Adam Sandler
#2 – Eddie Murphy
#1 – Mike Myers
I Thought…
What do you think?
. . .
Television shows, a topic which a lot of us are well aware of,
have been around for a little while. They make their money
off of commercials that pay the television company to show
them on their channel. After that, you the consumer go
ahead and buy the product that is being advertised. Since
that system is working so well, it looks as if there is no end
in sight.
Today, we will be talking about one particular show,
Saturday Night Live. Saturday Night Live first premiered on
television in 1975 and is still going strong. What makes it
different from other shows is the cast. You see, Saturday
Night Live doesn’t really have a plot that is set in stone.
What it does have is a bunch of actors who perform live
funny skits. Over the years, the show has had a huge variety
of cast members who often end up with giant acting
careers.
You, as the reader, are especially lucky. Because on this very
day, I will be answering the question of a generation…
Who are the funniest actors that appeared on Saturday Night Live
Bill Murray
Full name: William James Murray Birth date: September 21st, 1950 Birth place: Evanston, Illonios, United States
Bill Murray, an actor you can rely on when you want a
guaranteed good movie. His sarcastic humor is both
funny and child friendly. He is also the oldest actor on
my list and is popular for movies like “Ghostbusters”
and “Groundhog Day”.
5
Topic
Bill Murray was arrested on his 20th birthday for attempting to smuggle ten pounds of cannabis on an airport.
Quick Fact
In the beginning
Bill Murray Grew up with three sisters
and five brothers, three of which who
are also actors. As a teenager, Bill
worked as a golf caddy to help pay of
his education. He then decided to take
a pre-medical course at Regis
University in Denver which he later
dropped out of.
On SNL
Bill Murray was on Saturday Night Live
from 1977 and stayed for little while
until 1980. During his brief time on the
show, Bill was in a relationship with
former cast member Gilda Radner.
Movies
Being around for a long time, Bill Murray
as starred in some good films along the
way. As mentioned before, some of his
most popular films are “Ghostbusters”
and “Groundhog day”. My personal
favourite is “What about Bob”. Bill also
does voice acting playing the voice of
the famous feline Garfield and Baloo in
2016’s new “Jungle book”.
# 4 3 2 1
Bill is one of the co-
founders of the “Murray
Bros Caddyshack”, a
restaurant located in
Florida formed by him and
his five brothers.
Will Ferrell
Full name: John William Ferrell Birth date: July 16th, 1967 Birth place: Irvine, Calefornia, United States
Will Ferrell, arguably the funniest actor in the eyes
of many. I am really glad to have included him on
my list as he is a very popular actor nowadays. He
has been quite the comedian his whole life as he
was the “class clown” growing up. He has been in so
many hilarious films but some personal favourites
are definitely “Anchor Man” and “Step Brother”.
Keep reading to find out more.
4
Topic
Will Ferrell received a star on the Hollywood
walk of fame in March 26th, 2015.
Take Note
In the beginning
Will Ferrell parents divorced when he
was only 8, but that didn’t stop him
from being a bright, funny individual.
Growing up as the class clown he
thought of grade 3 as a “pivot year”
because he had found out that he
could make his classmates laugh by
pretending to trip and bash his head.
He continued these shenanigans all
the way to college in Irvine where he
was known for pranks and streaking.
On Snl
Before becoming the famous actor he
is now, Will Ferrell was originally a
member of the comedy improve group
“The Groundlings”, which wasn’t very
successful. Luckily for Will, Saturday
Night Live was also struggling at this
time due to lack of actors. Desperate to
find more cast members, they invited
some of “The Groundlings” members
[including Will] to join their show. And
they were glad they did. Will Ferrell
joined SNL in 1995 and was a huge hit
until finally leaving in 2002.
Movies
While Will Ferrell was in a lot of
movies here are some which were
exceptionally great. “Anchorman”,
“Daddy’s Home”, “Step Brothers”,
“Elf”, and “The Other Guys”. He also
played the voice of the blue villain
Megamind.
# 5 3 2 1
In 2007, Will Ferrell and his good friend Adam McKay
started “Funny Or Die”, a website where you can go on
and post or rate funny clips or pictures. It was so
popular, it was converted into a card game.
Adam Sandler
Full name: Adam Richard Sandler Birth date: September 9th, 1966 Birth place: Brooklyn, New York, United States
Adam Sandler, some people may call him immature
and say he needs to grow up, but he’s a hilarious
actor nonetheless. He started his career young with
some classics like “Billy Madison” and “Happy
Gilmore” and is still starring in great films like
“Pixels” and “Blended”. What makes him different
from the other actors on my list is that he also
produces his on movies. And that is why he
deserves the number three spot on my list.
3
Topic
Adam Sandler is currently in a four movie contract with Netflix, The first two movies were
“The Ridiculous Six” and “The Do-Over”.
Quick Fact
In the beginning
Adam Sandler is of Russian
dependence and grew up with his
parents and Brother Scott. He
attended high school in Manchester.
His comedy career all began due to
encouragement from his brother who
urged him on to the stage of a
comedy club. He never turned back
ever since.
On SNL
Adam Sandler was recommended to
Saturday Night Live by fellow comedian
Dennis Miller after witnessing one of
Adam’s comedy acts. Adam Sandler
was first hired as a writer for the show
in 1990, and the following year was
featured on the SNL playing guitar. In
1995, Adam Sandler was fired from
Saturday Night Live.
Movies
Again, this actor has a lot of
outstanding films, but here are a few.
“The Water boy”, “Ridiculous six”,
“Billy Madison” and “Happy Gilmore”.
# 5 4 2 1
As stated previously, Adam Sandler has his own production
company, “Happy Madison Productions”. He formed said
company in 1999 and it produced the majority of his films
since. The company also produces lots of movies starring
actors like Rob Schneider, David Spade and Kevin James.
Eddie Murphy
Full name: Edward Regan Murphy Birth date: April 3rd, 1961 Birth place: New York City, United States
Eddie Murphy is a natural born comedian, and he’s
not afraid to let anybody know. He demonstrates
this in his movies whether he’s playing a witty cop
from Beverly Hills or a very talkative donkey. But is
that enough to give him my number two spot, see
for yourself.
2
Topic
Did you know that Eddie Murphy is the 5th top
paid actor in the United States?
In the beginning
Eddie Murphy’s father, Charles
Edward Murphy died at a young age
and his mother became very ill.
Because of this, Eddie and his brother
were forced to spend a year in foster
care where he developed his sense of
humor.
On SNL
In 1980, Eddie Murphy joined the cast
of Saturday Night Live. In 1984, he
retired from the show, but he played
many characters along the way such as
Gumpy and Mr. Robinson.
Movies
Some of Eddie Murphy’s best movies
are the “Beverly Hills Cop” trilogy, “A
Thousand Words” and as the voice of
Donkey in DreamWorks “Shrek”.
# 5 4 3 1
Like many comedic actors, Eddie
Murphy is also a stand-up
comedian.
Mike Myers
Full name: Micheal John Myers Birth date: May 25th, 1963 Birth place: Scarbourogh, Ontario, Canada
Mike Myers is definitely the funniest actor from
Saturday Night Live. You might know him from the
Austin Powers trilogy, as the partying rocker Wayne
Campbell or even the voice of a Scottish ogre. Mike
has been acting since the age of 2 when he did his
first commercial but it wasn’t until the 90’s when
his career really took off. If you are interested to
find out more about this legend of the comedy
genre and want to know why he made my number
one spot, keep reading…
1
1
Topic
Mike Myers wrote the entire script for the Austin Powers series and by the end of it all, he
played four different characters in the films. Now that’s talent.
Quick Fact
Did you know that Mike Myers holds citizenship to both Britain and the United States?
In the beginning
Although Mike Myers was born in
Canada, both of his parents were
English born. Mike Myers has had
some experience with acting as he
was in commercials since such a
young age. At ten years old, Mike was
in a commercial for British Colombia
Hydro with actress Gilda Radner
playing his mother. A few months
later, Gilda was on a show called
Saturday Night Live. Mike pledged
that one day, he’d be on that very
show.
On SNL
Mike Myers stuck true to his and in
1989, he first appeared on Saturday
Night Live. Mike played several
different characters during his time on
the show, but his undoubtedly most
famous one was the partying rocker
Wayne Campbell who had his own
show filmed in his basement called
“Wayne’s world”. This was so popular
that it had its own film that shared the
same name released in 1991.
Unfortunately, all good things must
come to an end. And in 1995, Mike
Myers retired from Saturday Night Live.
Movies
While Mike Myers didn’t play in a lot
of movies, he sure did have his share
of good ones. The Austin Powers
trilogy and both of the Wayne’s world
films are great examples. He is also
the voice of everyone’s favourite ogre,
Shrek.
# 5 4 3 2
Here are the criteria I used in ranking the funniest actors from Saturday Night Live The actor:
Played some of the most memorable and likable comedic roles. Made an impact on comedy. Experimented. Was just as funny off screen.
I thought…
1. Do you agree with my ranking? If you don’t, try ranking them yourself. Justify your ranking with data. You may use my criteria or you may use your own. 2. Here are other actors I considered: Ben Stiller, Rob Schneider and Chris Rock. Find out more about them. Should they have made my list? Are there others that should be considered?
What do you think?