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  • BIRTH 05/02/1967
  • Country United States
  • SHOWS 52
  • MOVIES 52

Chris Parnell

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​Thomas Christopher "Chris" Parnell (born February 5, 1967) is an American comic actor best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1998–2006 and currently for his recurring role as Dr. Leo Spaceman on NBC's Emmy Award-winning comedy series 30 Rock. Parnell is currently one of the lead voices on the FX animated comedy Archer. In 2010, Parnell starred alongside his former SNL castmate Horatio Sanz in the Comedy Central series Big Lake.

After performing as a company player with The Groundlings for a number of years, Parnell was hired to join the cast of Saturday Night Live as a featured player on September 26, 1998, and was promoted to repertory player the following season. In the summer of 2001, budget cuts and hiring four new cast members required Lorne Michaels to dismiss two cast members; he chose to lay off Parnell and Jerry Minor over Horatio Sanz, Rachel Dratch, and Maya Rudolph.

While on SNL, Parnell appeared in numerous sketches, and commercial parodies, and performed memorable impressions of various celebrities. One of his most popular sketches is Lazy Sunday, a rap video he shot with Andy Samberg about buying cupcakes and going to see The Chronicles of Narnia. He has also performed raps about hosts Jennifer Garner, Britney Spears, Kirsten Dunst and Ashton Kutcher.

In the summer of 2006, Lorne Michaels announced that four cast members would be fired due to budget cuts, but he did not say who. On September 22, 2006 it was announced that three cast members had been fired: Parnell, Horatio Sanz, and Finesse Mitchell. This effectively made him the only SNL performer to have been fired twice by Lorne Michaels, though Parnell did say in a 2008 interview with The Sound of Young America podcast that he was okay with being let go this time, because he was considering leaving after that season anyway, but added that he probably would have stayed one last season if he was asked back. He had been with SNL for eight seasons; at the time only four people (Darrell Hammond, Tim Meadows, Kevin Nealon, and Al Franken) have been cast members longer. He has since made uncredited cameo appearances on the show, most recently in 2008 parodying newscasters Tom Brokaw, Jim Lehrer, and Bob Schieffer.

Parnell and his former SNL castmate Horatio Sanz recently starred together in Big Lake, a 2010 sitcom on Comedy Central from executive producers Will Ferrell and Adam McKay.

He also recently appeared as Dr. Drummer/Santa in the SyFy Holiday Special episode from the television show Eureka, which aired on December 7, 2010 (Season 4 Episode 10).

Chris Parnell

Shows (52)

Fallout
Fallout
Overseer Benjamin
Friends
Friends
Bob
The Simpsons
The Simpsons
Surgeon fiancé (voice)
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Geoffrey Hoytsman
Love, Death & Robots
Love, Death & Robots
The Cat (voice)
Rick and Morty
Rick and Morty
Jerry Smith (voice)
Glee
Glee
Mario
BoJack Horseman
BoJack Horseman
Klaus / News Reporter (voice)
Family Guy
Family Guy
Card Store Owner (voice) / Doug (voice) / Guy at Pool / Priest (voice) / Highway Man (voice) / Joe Paterno (voice) / Priest (voice) / Priest / Father Raccoon (voice) / Smarmy (voice) / Target Manager / Veterinarian (voice) / White Guy (voice)
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Junior
American Dad!
American Dad!
(voice) / Book on Tape (voice) / Co-Worker (voice) / Doctor (voice) / Dr. Moe Munney (voice) / Francine's Drinking Buddy (voice) / Funeral Speaker (voice) / James Garfield (voice) / James Garfield / Mint Worker (voice) / Kidnapper (voice) / Train Actor (voice) / Valet / Borax Employee (voice)
Gravity Falls
Gravity Falls
Additional Voices (voice) / Host (voice)
Seinfeld
Seinfeld
NBC Executive
Miracle Workers (2019)
Miracle Workers (2019)
God's Dad
Archer (2009)
Archer (2009)
Cyril Figgis (voice) / Siegbert Fuchs (voice)
My Adventures with Superman
My Adventures with Superman
Agent Slade Wilson (voice)
30 Rock
30 Rock
Dr. Leo Spaceman
Eureka
Eureka
Dr. Noah Drummer
SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night
SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night
Self
grown-ish
grown-ish
Dean Burt Parker
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Hank
Bob's Burgers
Bob's Burgers
Warren Fitzgerald (voice)
Krapopolis
Krapopolis
Ares (voice)
Close Enough
Close Enough
Ron (voice)
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Self / Self - Cameo (uncredited) / Self - Various Characters
Suburgatory
Suburgatory
Fred Shay
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
HOA Ambassador / Voice Over (voice)
The Goldbergs (2013)
The Goldbergs (2013)
Harrison Whitby
Marvel's M.O.D.O.K.
Marvel's M.O.D.O.K.
Alvin Healy / Tenpin (voice)
Bad Judge
Bad Judge
Douglas Riller
Dawn of the Croods
Dawn of the Croods
Snoot (voice) / Snoot / Dub (voice) / Snoot / Evil Egg (voice)
Elena of Avalor
Elena of Avalor
Migs (voice)
Better Off Ted
Better Off Ted
Walter
Comedy Bang! Bang!
Comedy Bang! Bang!
Stephendorff
Drunk History
Drunk History
Jim Bowie / King Charles II / Thomas Edison
Benched
Benched
Mitch
Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero
Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero
Judge Blort Clooney (voice)
Happy Together
Happy Together
Wayne
The Life & Times of Tim
The Life & Times of Tim
William (voice)
Ed
Ed
DJ Curtis Morris
Garfunkel and Oates
Garfunkel and Oates
Stan
The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show
The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show
Mr. Peabody (voice)
Miss Guided
Miss Guided
Vice Principal Bruce Terry
Big Lake
Big Lake
Chris Henkel
Childrens Hospital
Childrens Hospital
Ron Pippin
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Self
The Spoils Before Dying
The Spoils Before Dying
Bebop Jones
Another Period
Another Period
Dr. Sigmund Freudas
Match Game (2016)
Match Game (2016)
Himself - Panelist
Highston
Highston
Wilbur Liggetts
The $100,000 Pyramid (2016)
The $100,000 Pyramid (2016)
Self
Dogs in Space
Dogs in Space
Ed (voice)

Movies (52)

Our Little Secret
Our Little Secret
Veterinarian
Hotel Transylvania
Hotel Transylvania
Mr. Fly (voice)
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation
Stan / Fish Man (voice)
21 Jump Street
21 Jump Street
Mr. Gordon
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Garth Holliday
Senior Year
Senior Year
Jim Conway
Sisters
Sisters
Phil
Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween
Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween
Walter
Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again
Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again
Washington (voice)
Home Sweet Home Alone
Home Sweet Home Alone
Uncle Stu
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
Garth Holliday
Battle of the Sexes
Battle of the Sexes
DJ
Barely Legal
Barely Legal
Mr. Ronald Greitzer
Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers
Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers
Dave Bollinari (voice)
The Ridiculous 6
The Ridiculous 6
Bank Manager
The Laundromat
The Laundromat
Doomed Gringo #2
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
Theo
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the…
Junior
The Five-Year Engagement
The Five-Year Engagement
Bill
Finding ʻOhana
Finding ʻOhana
Brown
Hot Rod
Hot Rod
Barry Pasternack
Labor Pains
Labor Pains
Jerry Steinwald
Life of the Party
Life of the Party
Mr. Truzack (Wayne)
Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice
Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice
Mr. Thistleton (voice)
Escape from Planet Earth
Escape from Planet Earth
Hammer (voice)
Slice
Slice
Mayor Tracy
Down with Love
Down with Love
TV Emcee
Paper Man
Paper Man
Peter
Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie
Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie
Garth Holliday
I Am Woman
I Am Woman
Artie Mogull
Elena and the Secret of Avalor
Elena and the Secret of Avalor
Migs (voice)
I'm Reed Fish
I'm Reed Fish
Ralph
Michael Bolton's Big, Sexy Valentine's Day Special
Michael Bolton's Big, Sexy Valentine's Day…
Dr. Vince Harbert
The Grand
The Grand
Harold Melvin
Break Point
Break Point
Jay LaRoche
Millennial Hunter
Millennial Hunter
John (voice)
Farm Sluts
Farm Sluts
Larry
Kung Fu Magoo
Kung Fu Magoo
Cole Fusion / Ninja (voice)
Electric City
Electric City
Voice Actor (voice)
Answer This!
Answer This!
Brian Collins
Harold
Harold
Coach Vanderpool
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Amy Poehler
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Amy Poehler
Edward Turlington (archive footage)
Jeff Dunham: Unhinged in Hollywood
Jeff Dunham: Unhinged in Hollywood
Self
The Last Laugh
The Last Laugh
Charlie Green
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Will Ferrell
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Will Ferrell
Self / Various (archive footage)
The Ladies Man
The Ladies Man
Phil Swanson
The Better Half
The Better Half
Daniel
Bad Seeds
Bad Seeds
Irving
Hollywood & Wine
Hollywood & Wine
Peter West
Ira & Abby
Ira & Abby
Dr. Ronald Silverberg
The Maya Rudolph Show
The Maya Rudolph Show
Self
The Dogfather
The Dogfather
Brian Franks