In order of cash (not quality, otherwise only the original cast would be there)
1 Will Ferrell - A buttload of work
2 Eddie Murphy - Actor/Comedian/Singer
3 Martin Short - Stage and Screen Actor/Comedian
4 Adam Sandler - See Will Farrell
5 Mike Myers - 3 films with sequels and Inglorious Basterds
6 Bill Murray -The old fart stars with Cameron, Drew, and Lucy??? Yeooow!
7 Dan Aykroyd
8 Chevy Chase
9 Ben Stiller
10 Billy Crystal
Whhhhhhhhhhhaaaawhaaawhaaaaaa???
Star Wars 4-6, Clear and Present Danger, The Fugitive, Patriot Games???
He said to remove the Star Wars and Indy movies. That still leaves some very successful films though.
I can’t help but feel the need to put an * next to the ones who had careers prior to SNL.
Most everyone that I think of as SNL alumni really got their start there. For a few years they harvested name actors for the cast (Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Michael Hall, Joan Cusack, Randy Quaid) - none of them made a big move based on the show.
The only real exception IMHO is Billy Crystal, he was already a name from Soap, but he made his SNL years very memorable.
Michael McKean was also already an established star (This Is Spinal Tap, Lenny on Laverne & Shirley) before becoming an SNL cast member.
Yep - him too.
I agree that it’s hard to know where to rank Robert Downey Jr. relative to the other alums, but I don’t think that’s because he had a career before SNL. RDJ is different than the other alums on our top list because he wasn’t on SNL for very long (as you seem to imply), and after SNL he’s done more drama than comedy. I suppose it’s debatable whether SNL contributed to his success in the comedic roles he’s done. I think it helped, but SNL wasn’t as formative for his career as it was for someone like Bill Murray or Dan Akroyd.
In 2005, Will Ferrell was the highest paid actor in *all *of Hollywood. He beat Will Smith by five million dollars. Brad Pitt by fifteen. Tom Cruise by nine.
Which only proves that a lot of people have bad taste in movie comedy. 
A didn’t realize a “buttload” was something good, although it is an apt description of Ferrell’s work.
This merits an “Is Animal House overrated?” thread. I will start one.
no
but any comedy is over-rated to those who don’t find it funny.
i’d say the sandler and ferrell films are, but i realize that’s because comedy is subjective, and they’re not my cup of subjectivi-tea.
My point being “Well, take away everything good this person has done, and they sure do suck” is not a valid point. Take away Animal House, Blues Brothers, and SNL, and John Belushi was a nobody. Take away Alien, Terminator, Titanic, and Avatar, and James Cameron is mediocre.