Phil Hartman was a national treasure and we lost him way too soon. He’s the greatest.
In that case I’ll stick with Aykroyd. There is certainly competition but I think he was actually the most versatile of member of the original cast. He didn’t create the same kind of standout characters as Belushi or standout personality as Gilda Radner, but “Jane, you ignorant slut!”, Elliot Mainway, the Bass-o-Matic, “Saaave the liver!”, not to mention Elwood Blue and many impersonations create an incredible portfolio.
ETA: Phil Hartman was incredible, his untimely death was an enormous loss.
You can’t forget Fred Garvin.
I’m leaning toward Eddie Murphy. During his time on the show, he stood out as the star, in a way that no other cast member before or since has done, and it’s quite possible that the show would have died if he had not come along when he did.
There are some other cast members that I would at least consider, including Dan Aykroyd, Dana Carvey, Phil Hartman, Amy Poehler, and Kate McKinnon. But not Kevin Nealon. I do like him and think he’s underrated as a cast member, but no way is he the single greatest ever.
Kenan Thompson is the single greatest by some measures: he has arguably made a greater total contribution to the show than any other cast member.
If not the greatest, certainly the most underrated. There’s no way that original ensemble could have thrived without a generous and unselfish straight man, and she was the only one able or willing to fill that role.
I came in to say Kenan Thompson. In addition to being incredibly funny, he has this amazing ability to reflect back and amplify the audience’s reactions during a scene, to make someone else’s lines even more funny. What a gift.
Yeah, I’ve got to go with Phil Hartman, too. But Belushi became a star for the best possible reason: you couldn’t take your eyes off him when he was onscreen.
See that is odd to me. I see him as background, basically a spear-carrier. To me, he doesn’t do anything funny in it’s own right, nothing creative at all. He supports; he keeps it energetic and light and positive, hits his mark and delivers his lines.
Ackroyd. Period.
I keep going back and forth between Eddie Murphy and Phil Hartman. I think I have to give the edge to Murphy, who stood head and shoulders above an otherwise mediocre cast. Hartman was great, but he had a lot of competition in his cast. (I don’t know, maybe that gives the edge to Hartman…)
I voted for Belushi, but honestly- with John, Gilda, and Dan it’s VERY hard to designate a favorite.
Ackroyd, hands down. Belushi is a very close second.
Save the liver!
I totally agree, his whole a lot career has basically been making goofy reaction faces.
Another old fart here who’d vote for ANY of the original Not Ready For Prime Time Players, especially when SNL really hit its stride around the third season (1977). Personally I’d put John Belushi first, Gilda Radner a close second. Truly the golden years of SNL.
I’d have to go with Kate MacKinnon for sheer range.
I was a huge fan of the Phil Hartman, Mike Myers years, but honestly I think the cast has never been better than it was in about 2017. The only reason I didn’t pick Cecily Strong as my all time best is MacKinnon is better. In that same cast you also had Vanessa Bayer, Beck Bennett, Aidy Bryant, Sasheer Zamata, Kenan Thompson, Leslie Jones, Michael Che and Colin Jost on Update… damn, that’s a murderer’s row.
Bill Hader was phenomenal too.
Bill Murray, in my opinion.
Greatest while on the show, I think I’d have to go with Phil Hartmann. I could probably talk myself into some others but taken in total, it’s Phil RIP.
Eddie Murphy in his short time there may have reached the highest heights of comedy. They’ve had a bunch of other awesome utility players, but at the end of the day, when I think of peak SNL I think of Phil.
Edit: Ackroyd might be the closest guy to Phil from both a longevity, flexibility and impact.
Bill Hader was a hell of an impressionist, could give wacky folks a great straight-man role to play off, and had enough sheer damn zaniness of his own to carry a routine — you know, when he wasn’t stealing scenes on game-show-host duty or whatever.
See, I think Cecily Strong has been criminally overshadowed by Kate McKinnon.
I have no idea how much of a role Strong plays in writing the sketches in which she appears, but she is, hands down, the best actress of the bunch.
Amen.