# Most successful SNL alum? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 18, 2011, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-snl-alum/593247 "2011-08-18T23:38:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-snl-alum/593247/21 "2011-08-19T16:58:09Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > I see that the OP mentioned financially successful, but Eddie Murphy, Robert Downey, Jr, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, and Billy Crystal have all been nominated for Oscars. Robert Downey,Jr played a character that won an oscar! ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-snl-alum/593247/22 "2011-08-19T17:03:14Z")
> [@MadTheSwine](#): > > Robert Downey,Jr played a character that won an oscar! Yeah, but even that Oscar was one of those ‘sorry we screwed you’ pity Oscars. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-snl-alum/593247/23 "2011-08-19T17:07:13Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > Wow, I had a total brain fart on Adam Sandler. That dude prints money on the slimmest of talent. I had no idea that they’d make that kind of jack, though. I’m actually surprised he’s only worth $300 million. He owns his own production company ([Happy Madison](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Madison)) that’s been pumping out cheap (but profitable) comedy flicks for the last 10 years. From the list on Wikipedia I calculate a combined worldwide gross of about **$3.17 billion**. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-snl-alum/593247/24 "2011-08-19T17:16:03Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > I’m actually surprised he’s only worth $300 million. He owns his own production company ([Happy Madison](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Madison)) that’s been pumping out cheap (but profitable) comedy flicks for the last 10 years. Plus the RULES OF ENGAGEMENT tv show, just now renewed for a sixth season. ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-snl-alum/593247/25 "2011-08-19T18:17:26Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > I’m sure she has significant personal wealth of her own, but considering that the next-most-successful alum is Adam Sandler, who has had a ton of wildly successful films (well, financially successful, anyway), and he “only” has $300m, I doubt that even a small fraction of that $3 billion number is from her own personal earnings. I mean, a third would be $1 billion. :eek: I don’t think you make that kind of scratch from TV acting, not even from a show like Seinfeld. That’s… why I said “maybe not even a third”. 🙂 But by the final season of _Seinfeld_, she was making $600,000 an episode. No, that’s not a billion, even over the course of a season, but all I’m saying is we have to give her _some_ credit, that’s all. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-snl-alum/593247/26 "2011-08-19T23:23:38Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > I’m actually surprised he’s only worth $300 million. He owns his own production company ([Happy Madison](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Madison)) that’s been pumping out cheap (but profitable) comedy flicks for the last 10 years. From the list on Wikipedia I calculate a combined worldwide gross of about **$3.17 billion**. I don’t doubt that he’s worth a ton; since he comes across as a schmuck in most of his films I figure that’s how he gets laid. I’d just forgotten that he was once on Saturday Night Live. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2011, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-snl-alum/593247/27 "2011-08-20T03:38:09Z")
I might suggest either Franken or Tina Fey are the most successful. i am not going by money made. Movies marked to preteens are not art nor will they have lasting value. Sandler is terrible. Akroyd has acted in some good movies and he is not churning out kid stuff. Murray has lately tackled some good roles. The rest are making formulaic crap for kids. ---
**Author:** ![C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecd19e/32.png) [@C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C.Montgomery_Burns)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2011, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-snl-alum/593247/28 "2011-08-20T15:44:24Z")
By now, I’d say Eddie Murphy. At one point I’d have said Bill Murray, but his day in the sun seems to have passed compared to 15-20 years ago. Eddie Murphy had a successful standup career and a successful movie career up until about 10 years ago (Dreamgirls not withstanding, his movies have tanked recently). ---
**Author:** ![hopesperson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e95f7d/32.png) [@hopesperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hopesperson)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2011, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-snl-alum/593247/29 "2011-08-20T17:53:26Z")
I would say Steve Martin has done pretty well, both artistically and financially. ---
**Author:** ![AndyLee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@AndyLee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndyLee)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2011, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-snl-alum/593247/30 "2011-08-20T18:15:32Z")
What about Jane Curtain? She’s been in two successful TV series since she left SNL? Also how can you really compare financially. The older cast members like Curtain, have had a much longer time to earn more. But the newer cast members get paid more for being on a TV show or movie than they did 35 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2011, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-snl-alum/593247/31 "2011-08-20T18:46:14Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > Few more: > > Chris Rock: $70 mil > Mike Myers: $175 mil > Billy Crystal: $35 mil > > OK, and I found a site that says Julia Louis-Dreyfus is worth $3 billion, but that doesn’t count, because actually it’s her dad that’s worth that much. She might well inherit some of that when he kicks, but for now it’s still his. 😛 Found a site saying Damon Wayans is worth $35mil, just as much as Billy Crystal. (before anyone corrects me, he was on SNL before In Living Color and famously got kicked off the show for going off script in a sketch) ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2011, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-snl-alum/593247/32 "2011-08-20T20:42:33Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Plus the RULES OF ENGAGEMENT tv show, just now renewed for a sixth season. This is the fact in this thread that has surprised me most! ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-snl-alum/593247/33 "2011-08-21T03:44:02Z")
In terms of, not money, but artistic respect, I’d say there’s no contest. Its Bill Murray first and basically nobody second. Without checking I can’t think of any other that’s been nominated for an Oscar. Plus he’s just hands down the best actor, the only \*real \*actor, to ever come out of there. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-snl-alum/593247/34 "2011-08-21T04:16:23Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > In terms of, not money, but artistic respect, I’d say there’s no contest. Its Bill Murray first and basically nobody second. Without checking I can’t think of any other that’s been nominated for an Oscar. Superdude already pointed out that plenty of 'em have done it (including, repeatedly, Robert Downey Jr). ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-snl-alum/593247/35 "2011-08-21T13:47:31Z")
eddie does not know how to invest his money, huh? ONLY 75 mil and he’s been banking it since the early 80’s. ---
**Author:** ![Surbey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@Surbey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surbey)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-snl-alum/593247/36 "2011-08-21T15:21:47Z")
Murray ---
**Author:** ![fjs1fs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9e8a1a/32.png) [@fjs1fs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fjs1fs)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-snl-alum/593247/37 "2011-08-22T18:57:27Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > In terms of, not money, but artistic respect, I’d say there’s no contest. Its Bill Murray first and basically nobody second. Without checking I can’t think of any other that’s been nominated for an Oscar. Plus he’s just hands down the best actor, the only \*real \*actor, to ever come out of there. Bill Murray, Artistic? Best Actor? LOL! ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-snl-alum/593247/38 "2011-08-22T19:49:12Z")
Not one of the richest, I’m sure since she has always been in supporting/character acting roles, but one of the more consistent long term film careers has been Joan Cusack. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-snl-alum/593247/39 "2011-08-22T19:50:06Z")
If Oscar nominations matter, Dan Aykroyd got one as Best Supporting Actor for \*\*\*Driving Miss \*\*\*_ **Daisy** _, as did Eddie Murphy for _ **Dreamgirls** _. Even Joan Cusack (yes, she was a cast member in the horrible 1985 season) got one for _ **Working Girl.** _ ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-snl-alum/593247/40 "2011-08-22T22:08:58Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > If Oscar nominations matter, Dan Aykroyd got one as Best Supporting Actor for \*\*\*Driving Miss \*\*\*_ **Daisy** _, as did Eddie Murphy for _ **Dreamgirls** _. Even Joan Cusack (yes, she was a cast member in the horrible 1985 season) got one for _ **Working Girl.** _ And for [In & Out](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119360/). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-snl-alum/593247.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-snl-alum/593247.md?page=3)