32 SNL Stars And Other Comic Legends Who Got Their Start In The Groundlings

How does a person go about becoming a comedy legend? Well, one good way to begin your journey is studying the art with the Los Angeles-based improv and sketch comedy troupe, The Groundlings, which has proven to be a breeding ground for many of the funniest people you have ever heard of, including quite a few Saturday Night Live cast members. Take a look at some of the most esteemed Groundlings alumni who went on to rule at Studio 8H or elsewhere.

Maya Rudolph

In an op-ed for Oprah.com, Maya Rudolph described The Groundlings as her “graduate school,” where she “ate, slept, and drank improv and sketch comedy” for four years, and even learned how to use her singing voice for comedic purposes. That skill would come in handy for her impersonations of musicians like Beyoncé and, arguably, the actor’s single funniest SNL sketch in which she takes far too long (and explores various vocal ranges) to sing the National Anthem at the World Series.

Paul Reubens

The world would have never been blessed with the iconic Pee-wee Herman if not for the Groundlings, which is where the late Paul Reubens first developed the fun-loving man-child in the 1970s. The character was actually a collaborative effort with future SNL star and fellow member Phil Hartman, who also worked with Reubens and others on the screenplay for 1985’s Pee-wee’s Big Adventure.

Will Forte

Will Forte told Diablo magazine that, after feeling miserable at his job as a financial broker, he changed his career path by joining The Groundlings in the early 1990s. Around a decade later, he was invited to be on SNL, where he specialized in some really weird sketches like “Spelling Bee” and “Potato Chip.”

Melissa McCarthy

While never a cast member, Melissa McCarthy went on to become known as one of the best SNL hosts in the show’s history. The Academy Award nominee earned her sketch comedy chops while a part of the Groundlings, which is also where she developed the character she played in 2016’s The Boss.

Phil Hartman

In the same year SNL started, the late, great Phil Hartman was preparing for his own tenure on the series at The Groundlings. It was more than a decade later, in 1986, when he would finally become part of the cast, working the magic he learned taking classes with the troupe.

Lisa Kudrow

Years before playing Phoebe Buffay in the Friends cast made her a star, Lisa Kudrow was part of The Groundlings, studying improv under teacher Cynthia Szigeti. She was also part of a short-lived troupe called Unexpected Company with Conan O’Brien and was the only female member of the Transformer Comedy Troupe for a while.

Ana Gasteyer

During her six years on SNL, Ana Gasteyer mastered multiple characters — such as Bobbie Mohan-Culp — and spot-on celebrity portrayals, from Martha Stewart to Celine Dion. The Happiest Season cast member developed her impeccable sense of humor while performing with The Groundlings.

Tim Matheson

Two-time Emmy nominee Tim Matheson is not thought of as a comedic actor these days but, lest we forget, one of his earlier major roles was Otter in National Lampoon’s Animal House. Before then, he was learning how to be a comedic actor by studying improv under The Groundlings.

Kristen Wiig

Many of Kristen Wiig’s funniest quotes originated from her time at Saturday Night Live. However, she spoke most of those lines while portraying characters that really date back to her time with The Groundlings, such as Target Lady and harsh movie critic, Aunt Linda.

Craig T. Nelson

Despite plenty of roles that are not much to laugh at — such as Steve Freeling in Poltergeist or Jack Mannion on The District — Craig T. Nelson can also put down “Emmy-winning sitcom star” on his resume for playing Hayden Fox on Coach. His comedic chops do make more sense when you learn that the Incredibles star actually would break into the business performing stand-up and became a Groundlings members in the troupe’s early days.

Will Ferrell

Improvisational comedy would become a staple of Will Ferrell’s post-SNL career, as many of the funniest lines from his most famous movies — including Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby — are largely ad-libbed. The actor would develop this skill while performing with The Groundlings, which he joined in 1994 — only a year before being invited to audition for SNL producer Lorne Michaels.

Cassandra Peterson

You may know Cassandra Peterson better as Elvira, a character whom the actor would portray when presenting midnight movies on TV or in her own cult favorite movies. Peterson’s creation of the “mistress of the dark” originates from her time with The Groundlings, where she developed a “Valley Girl-esque” character who would later evolve into the “horror host” we all know and love.

Jon Lovitz

Most of the SNL characters that Jon Lovitz is most famous for — such as the self-obsessed Master Thespian and pathological liar Tommy Flanagan — actually never originated at Studio 8H. The actor and comedian first developed them when he was part of the Groundlings, which is also where he met his friend and collaborator, Phil Hartman.

Kathy Griffin

After seeing a live performance of The Groundlings, a then-19-year-old Kathy Griffin knew exactly what she wanted to do with her life. She went on to join the troupe in the early 1990s before pursuing stand-up and becoming a more prominent figure with appearances in movies like Pulp Fiction and her Emmy-winning reality show, Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List.

Laraine Newman

Being a part of the Not-Ready-For-Primetime Players in SNL’s infancy and portraying characters like Connie Conehead made Laraine Newman a comedy icon, but her prior background before hitting Studio 8H is particularly astonishing. After studying miming under Marcel Marceau in Paris in 1970, she became a founding member of The Groundlings when she moved to Los Angeles.

Jennifer Coolidge

Jennifer Coolidge’s road to becoming a renowned comedy icon has been a long one, having made her screen acting debut on Seinfeld in the early 1990s before playing “Stifler’s Mom” in the American Pie movies and winning two Emmy Awards for her role in HBO’s The White Lotus cast. At one point, she had the chance to perfect her skills as part of The Groundlings, whom she performed with for nearly a decade.

Chris Parnell

Before his memorable, eight-year tenure on SNL, Chris Parnell made his breakthrough into the business in the early ‘90s performing improv with The Groundlings for a number of years. These days, the actor is best recognized for his voice, which is also the voice of Cyril on Archer and Jerry on Rick and Morty.

Pat Morita

It may come as a surprise to some that, before his Academy Award-nominated role as Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid movies made him an icon, Pat Morita got his start as a stand-up comedian. The L.A. native was even part of The Groundlings in the 1970s, around the time he landed his recurring role as Arnold on Happy Days.

Chris Kattan

Following in the footsteps of his father, Kip King, Chris Kattan became part of The Groundlings, which is how he met Will Ferrell and, with him, created the characters who came to be known as “the Butabi brothers” during their time there. Later, they both wound up at SNL where they introduced the dim-witting club-goers to the mainstream, earned their own SNL movie (A Night at the Roxbury), and the rest is history.

Phil LaMarr

Phil LaMarr is best known for his brief role in Pulp Fiction, his extensive voice acting career, and for becoming an original cast member on the hit sketch comedy series, Mad TV, where he played characters like Jaq the UBS Guy. Early on, however, the actor was actually part of a few different comedy troupes, including The Groundlings and Second City.

Cheri Oteri

One of the most talented members of the SNL cast during the mid-to-late ‘90s was Cheri Oteri, who is probably best known as Spartan cheerleader, Arianna. She was given the opportunity to join the sketch comedy series while she was part of The Groundlings, with whom she is still known to perform on occasion.

Mikey Day

Performing improv with The Groundlings led Mikey Day to become an original regular cast member on Nick Cannon’s improv comedy show, Wild ’n Out, on MTV in 2005. By 2013 — having acted and written in several other projects — he became a valued member of the SNL cast and its writing staff, for which he, Bobby Moynihan, and Seidell created the sketch that introduced the world to David S. Pumpkins, as played by Tom Hanks.

Heidi Gardner

Missouri native Heidi Gardner was working as a hairstylist in L.A. when she attended a performance by The Groundlings and became inspired to pursue acting. After working her way up in the ranks at the troupe and landing voice acting gigs, she was hired on SNL in 2017 and quickly became known as one of the show’s most dynamic performers.

Michael McDonald

The MVP at Mad TV has to be Michael McDonald (not to be confused with the musician), whose early days in comedy included performing improv with The Groundlings. In fact — as he recalled on Comedy Central’s This Is Not Happening — Academy Award winner Faye Dunaway saw him at one of his shows with the troupe and enlisted his help in honing her comedy skills.

Julia Sweeney

Julia Sweeney’s most iconic contribution to Saturday Night Live is her role as a person of indeterminant gender known only as Pat. She would first invent the character — who later inspired a movie called It’s Pat in 1994 — while performing with the Groundlings, along with other famous characters of her own — including Mea Culpa.

Jim Rash

Jim Rash is one of the most accomplished comedy talents of his time, having stolen the show from his fellow Community cast members as Dean Craig Pelton and earned an Academy Award alongside his longtime writing partner Nat Faxon, for penning the screenplay for Alexander Payne’s 2011 adaptation of The Descendants. Rash actually first met Faxon while both of them were performing with The Groundlings in the early 2000s.

Taran Killam

Even before Taran Killam joined The Groundlings, he was already well-versed in show business — having made his acting debut in The Naked Gun 33-1/3: The Final Insult, becoming a major presence on Nickelodeon’s The Amanda Show and even joining Mad TV for 2001-2002 season. In fact, it was not until two years after he was hired on SNL in 2010 that he officially retired from The Groundlings’ main company.

Wendi McLendon-Covey

Nearly a decade after joining The Groundlings in 2002, Wendi McLendon-Covey collaborated with fellow troupe veterans of Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, and Melissa McCarthy as part of the Bridesmaids cast in 2011. Just a couple of years later, the comedian would begin to earn raves for her leading role in the hit ABC sitcom, The Goldbergs.

Michaela Watkins

Despite earning acclaim for her unique characters — most notably tech whiz Angie Tempura —  and hilarious celebrity impersonations of Barbara Walters, Hoda Kotb, and more, Michaela Watkins ended up lasting only one year at SNL before she was let go in 2009. At least her career since has proven to be very successful — let alone the fact that she can say she was a regular performer with The Groundlings for several years.

Jillian Bell

While she never made it on Saturday Night Live as a cast member, Jillian Bell did write for the show during its 35th Season, before going on to appear in Bridesmaids and star in the likes of Workaholics, 22 Jump Street, and Brittany Runs a Marathon. Years before those career milestones, the actor joined The Groundlings soon after moving to Los Angeles.

Edie McClurg

Multi-generational audiences should recognize Edie McClurg from the Ferris Bueller’s Day Off cast as Ed Rooney’s assistant, Grace, who referred to Matthew Broderick’s title character as a “righteous dude.” Said famous line was actually an ad-lib, which should come as no surprise to anyone who knows her history with The Groundlings, which she performed with in the 1970s.

Tim Bagley

Tim Bagley is a comedian known best for his many notable recurring roles on series like Will & Grace and Monk. He first broke into the industry in the late 1980s as a performer for The Groundlings, whom he continues to perform with from time to time.

Whether or not you end up on SNL or even do something greater, The Groundlings is a great place for aspiring comedic actors to get started.