1) Phil Hartman (1986-94)  

Who else it could be? Hartman was the show’s sturdiest, warmest, most disciplined and deeply talented cast member of all time. From deftly developed original characters to a myriad of gonzo impressions that captured the essence of whomever he chose to embody, plus a ton of unforgettable one-offs, Hartman failed to hit a wrong note in his entire eight years on the show. It’s fitting that one of his most well known targets was Frank Sinatra, as both had the ability to take a throwaway word or phrase and give it far more meaning – and in Phil’s case, humor – than intended.

Highlight Reel: The Sinatra Group, Clinton at McDonalds, Reagan Mastermind, Don’t Pray So Much, Discover, Johnny O’Connor, Colon Blow, Mr. Belvedere Fan Club, Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer, The Rain People, Perot & Stockdale, Anal-Retentive Chef, Acting Workshop, Drill Sergeant, Peeping Tom, Subway Performer, Succinctly Speaking, Monologue (3/23/1996), Robot Repair, Anne Boleyn

2) Will Ferrell (1995-2002)  

No one knew how to work the mechanics of SNL better than Ferrell. He endeared himself to audiences almost instantly with a series of recurring characters that tipped into over-saturation but never crossed the point of irritation the way Mango or Mary Katharine Gallagher eventually did. Once he got those early crowdpleasers out of the way, Ferrell had enough of the audience’s trust to unleash his freak flag and commit to some of SNL’s most dastardly sketch premises and one-off characters ever. Only a pro could like Ferrell could find the funny as well as an odd like-ability in characters such as the evil, crass Mr. Tarkanian or his clueless takes on Neil Diamond, Robert Goulet, and George W. Bush.

Highlight Reel: Wake Up and Smile, Evil Boss, Robert Goulet’s It’s a Rap, Behind the Music: Blue Oyster Cult, Delco Cat Toys, 2000 Presidential Debate, The Devil Tries to Write a Love Song, Celebrity Jeopardy, Get Off the Shed, Space: The Infinite Frontier, Culps Drug Awareness Medley, Wade Blasingame, Janet Reno’s Dance Party, Patriotic Shorts, Roxbury Guys w / Jim Carrey, Dissing Your Dog, Inside the Actor’s Studio w / Charles Nelson Reilly, John Rocker on Weekend Update, Neil Diamond: Storytellers

3) Eddie Murphy (1980-84)  

The show’s biggest singular name, Murphy accomplished in four years what most don’t accomplish in ten. Not even old enough to drink when hired, Eddie’s energy and comedic instincts were that of someone who had been in the game forever. He not only saved the show, he enhanced it, forever leaving a mark on its direction that is still felt today.

Highlight Reel: James Brown’s Celebrity Hot Tub Party, Mr, Robinson’s Neighborhood, Buckwheat Sings, Merry Christmas Dammit!, White Like Me, Ronald Reagan’s Lost Son, Prose and Cons, Solomon & Pudge, Ebony & Ivory, Velvet Jones Infomercial, Doolittle Lounge, Christmas News Report, The Buckwheat Has Been Shot Saga, Black History Minute, The Lost Beatle, Milestones

4) Jan Hooks (1986-91)  

Forever the show’s most tragically underrated cast member; not even her untimely passing in 2014 sparked the renewed interest in her work that it deserves. She is often remembered as Phil Hartman’s sparring partner, but Hooks could command the room all on her own with her verve, tenacity and technical brilliance. She is SNL’s reigning queen; the gushing, overly mawkish praise Lorne continues to heap on Kristen Wiig should belong to Jan.

Highlight Reel: Sexual Tensions Diner, Church Chat w/ Tammy Faye Baker, Nancy & Barbara, The Sweeney Sisters & Paul Simon, Love is a Dream, The Sinead O’Connor Awards, One Night Stand, Attitudes, Sex Tonight, Tammy Wynette Sings the Classics, Happy Couple, Front Porch, Quiz Masters, Waikiki Hockey, Compulsion, Eternity

5) Dan Aykroyd (1975-79)  

I have to have an original NRFPT-er in the top 5, and Aykroyd is the one whose body of work has held up to modern scrutiny best and is likely to continue to do so. Similar to Eddie Murphy, Aykroyd’s youthfulness was contradictory to the nuance and smarts he brought to every role he played. He set the template for Hartman and Hader and holds his own against them and to this day.

Highlight Reel: AM/FM DJ, Fred Garvin: Male Prostitute, Ask President Carter, Bass-O-Matic, Mel’s Char House, Coneheads on Family Feud, Consumer Probe, Nerds & the Norge, Tomorrow w / Mick Jagger, The French Chef, Festrunk Brothers, The Pepsi Syndrome, Blues Brothers perform Rubber Biscuit, Nixon’s Final Days

6) Dana Carvey (1986-83)  

Forget the obsequious goon he is today, Carvey brought an instantaneous spark to the show that burned bright throughout his seven-year run. He was the show’s smartest impressionist, finding the funny in squares like George Bush and Tom Brokaw by lampooning their most inauspicious gestures and latching onto a comedic hook like a shark on prey. He didn’t quite have the subtle utilitarian qualities of Hartman or Hooks, but Carvey was a force unto his own whose status as an all-time great remains firm in spite of his largely embarrassing post-show career.

Highlight Reel: Brokaw Pre-Tapes, Church Chat, The 1992 Presidential Debate, George F. Will’s Sports Machine, It’s a Wonderful Life: Alternate Ending, Wayne’s World, Massive Head Wound Harry, Il Cantore Restaurant, Waikiki Hockey, Quiz Masters, Derek Stevens’ Audition, Pepper Boy

7) Bill Hader (2005-13) 

Like Aykroyd and Hartman before him, Hader seemed to be designed in a lab for the sole purpose of being on Saturday Night Live. He was perfectly in his element in Hartman-esque anchor roles such as commercial pitchmen or game show hosts, but also had an off-kilter streak that recalled Aykroyd’s darker roles. His recurring characters – Greg the Alien, Anthony Peter Coleman, Stefon – are some of the show’s most uniquely crafted and exciting, largely thanks to the subtly changing characterization choices Hader brought to each installment. Points off for a latter-day breaking habit and having to muddle through some unbearable recurrent pieces (Vogelchecks, Californians), but Hader otherwise has the show’s widest ranging palette of skills of anyone hired post-Hartman’s departure.

Highlight Reel: Game Time with Randy & Greg, Puppetry Class, I Drink Your Milkshake, You’re a Rat Bastard, Charlie Brown, Don’t You Go Runnin’ Roun’ to Re Ro, Vinny Vedecci w / Shia LaBeouf, Stefon’s Farewell, Alan, What’s That Name, Herb Welch, Vincent Price’s Halloween Special, Girlfriends’ Game Night, Back to the Future Screen Tests, What’s Wrong with Tanya?

8) Gilda Radner (1975-80)  

To this day, Gilda remains the show’s most lovable performer; watching a Gilda Radner sketch makes everything seem right in the world. Long before Tina Fey helped drive the final nail in the coffin of the ‘women aren’t funny’ movement, Gilda was drawing huge laughs on a regular basis with her warm, inviting, and endearingly goofy presence. She was fearless, going as far to injure a rib in a Judy Miller Show sketch, and she was the first performer to bring pathos and vulnerability to the show, a trait later expounded upon by the likes of Chris Farley and Molly Shannon.

Highlight Reel: The Judy Miller Show, La Dolce Gilda, Dancing in the Dark, The Nerds, Jewess Jeans, Rock Against Yeast, Nerd Prom, Emily Litella on Violence on Television, Laundromat, Roseanne Rosaennadanna on Smoking, Baba Wawa at Large, Olga Korbut, A Message from the Right to Extreme Stupidity League

9) Chris Farley (1990-95)  

There’s temptation to excise Farley from the highest echelon due to a disappointing and often embarrassing final year and a half, but the shadow of his influence continues to be far too vast to ever discount him for such ultimately minor indulgences. Farley took Belushi’s physical bluster and married it with a Radner-esque sincerity that continues to inspire new talents to this day. He deserved to be remembered as more than just ‘the fat guy who falls down’: few if any were able to milk bigger laughs out of their more minor moments, and his dynamics and timing in his prime were second to none.

Highlight Reel: Matt Foley: Motivational Speaker, Chippendales, Schillervisions: Folger’s Columbia’s Coffee Crystals, Gap Girls at Tater Junction, Mr. Belvedere Fan Club, The Chris Farley Show w / Paul McCartney, Lunch Lady Land, Japanese Game Show

10) Will Forte (2002-10) 

The sleeper of the list, Forte’s status as an all-timer only becomes truly apparent when looked at in context. The post-Will Ferrell years were some of the show’s most listless, lacking a true leader who could help the rest of the cast rise above the era’s worst writing. Forte may not have ever been that leader, but he was an oasis in a desert of increasing blandness, a quality that seeped into the sturdier years of the early Wiig / Hader / Sudeikis / Samberg epoch. His absurdist  mentality brought real danger and unpredictability to a show whose beats could increasingly be called from a mile away; what he lacked in star power he made up for in unparalleled commitment and bravery.

Highlight Reel: Dancing Coach, Closet Organizer, Potato Chip Thief, MacGruber, Boyfriend in a Box, Jeff Montgomery on Halloween, Time Traveling Falconer, Fly High Duluth, Spelling Bee, Poland Spring Salesmen, Fartface, any Tim Calhoun commentary, Mother’s Day Song, Zell Miller on Hardball