SNL Cast Members With the Most Successful Movie Careers

Jim Belushi, who is also a musician occasionally performing with his Sacred Heart Blues Band, is best known for the comedy “Red Heat” with Arnold Schwarzenegger. The versatile actor, who is the younger brother of another former SNL cast member John Belushi, has 47 movie acting credits. He often plays co-lead in various film genres, including action and drama.

John Belushi was one of the original cast members of SNL, putting his stamp on the show with characters that were unpredictable and combustible. After appearing in the movie “Goin’ South” in 1978 with Jack Nicholson, he broke through to movie stardom in his role as the underachieving, fun-loving frat boy Bluto in the hit film “National Lampoon’s Animal House.” Following that triumph, he and fellow SNL regular Dan Aykroyd did the joint film projects “1941” and “The Blues Brothers.” Belushi’s career ended at age 33, when he overdosed on a combination of cocaine and heroin in 1982.

Janeane Garofalo’s best known acting roles in movies are the voice of Colette in “Ratatouille” and playing the leading role in “The Truth About Cats & Dogs” along with Uma Thurman. Garofalo has only two leading acting roles but 159 acting credits overall playing various characters on TV shows and mini-series that range from comedy to drama and animation.

Dana Carvey gained fame on SNL for his prissy church lady character as well as his impressions of President George W. Bush and presidential candidate H. Ross Perot. As for his motion picture career, Carvey’s greatest success was reprising his party-dude role with fellow cast member Mike Myers in the two Wayne’s World films that were box office hits. Carvey has also appeared in the Adam Sandler films “Little Nicky,” “Jack and Jill,” and “Sandy Wexler.”

Rob Schneider is a successful stand-up comic with an equally successful career in comedy feature films. The Primetime Emmy-nominated actor’s more popular movies include “Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo,” “The Hot Chick,” which he co-wrote, and “Grown Ups.” Schneider often works with another SNL alum, Adam Sandler.