News on Relevant Science: 10 Saturday Night Live Cast Members You Forgot

Some cast members of Saturday Night Live move on to bigger and better things, becoming household names for the movies they appear in and the laughs they bring. For them, SNL was an integral part of their success and a stepping stone to bigger and better things. Other veteran cast members haven't fared so well. Many have slipped into obscurity, failing to find fame after the laughs ended. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there are some stars that are so well known for other things, we don't even realize they got their start on Saturday Night Live. Here are 10 people you forgot were part of Saturday Night Live's cast of players, whether they deserve to be forgotten or not.

Colin Quinn

Rather than performing outrageous characters like some of the most well-known SNL veterans, Colin Quinn was mostly himself in every sketch. An Irish-Catholic, rough-around-the-edges New Yorker, he was best at portraying people that were a caricature of himself, whether it was Joe Blow or Lenny the Lion, a Bronx Zoo lion with a rough life. Quinn joined the SNL cast in 1995 and later manned the Weekend Update desk until he left in 2000. He's since appeared in a few movies and in his own shows on Broadway and off, but his lack of memorable characters has left him among the ranks of forgotten SNL actors.
Victoria Jackson

Once known for her bimbo characters on the sketch show, Victoria Jackson has recently bumped up the efforts to be remembered by becoming an outspoken member of the Tea Party. As a member of the cast from 1986 to 1992, she used her high, whining voice as part of her comedy, portraying characters that failed to stick in the minds of audiences. Among them, she played the owner of Toonces the Driving Cat, a singer at a night club, and multiple celebrities. Now she's a character on her own, providing commentary against President Barack Obama, who she says is a communist, and rallying against the gay agenda of Glee. SNL producers probably wish she would remain forgotten so their name wouldn't be associated with her politics.
Charles Rocket

Charles Rocket had the misfortune of coming on SNL during one of its most turbulent seasons. After producer Lorne Michaels and the original cast had left the show, Rocket, along with some other mostly unlucky souls, were hired to fill their shoes. Rocket took over Weekend Update and appeared in more skits than most other cast members that season. His fate was sealed, though, when he improvised a line during the closing of a show and accidentally dropped the F-bomb. He and the producer, along with a couple of cast members, were let go after the incident. He appeared in a few movies, most notably Dumb and Dumber, but sadly committed suicide in 2005.
Pamela Stephenson

This Australian member of the SNL crew has gone a completely different direction since she ended her time with the show in 1985. On the comedy hour, she impersonated several '80s icons and provided commentary on Weekend Update. Now, though, she provides commentary on other people's issues. She's a licensed clinical psychologist, specializing in human sexuality. Stephenson has also written a handful of books under her married name, Pamela Connolly, with topics ranging from her husband's biography to her adventures at sea.
Chris Parnell

You might think of him as Dr. Leo Spaceman from 30 Rock but we sometimes forget that Chris Parnell was first a funnyman on SNL. He was often overshadowed by the bigger names he appeared with, like Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, but his antics really helped make those seasons some of the best in recent memory. Even though he was fired twice by Lorne Michaels, Parnell became well known for his raps, including the ever-popular "Lazy Sunday" with Andy Samberg. Since getting the ax the second time, he's provided his voice and comedic stylings to various TV shows, including one he starred in with another ex-SNL member, Horatio Sanz.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Julia Louis-Dreyfus is one of those actresses we haven't forgotten about, but we don't often connect her to her Saturday Night Live days. At the young age of 21, she joined the group of comedians and stayed on for three seasons. It was on the SNL set that she met Larry David, who was a writer for the show at the time. This connection led to her later super-stardom as Elaine Benes on Seinfeld, which David co-wrote. She has said that her time on SNL was stressful because she wasn't really sure how to behave in the show business world, especially in such a male-driven industry. She seems to have done alright for herself, though, and is now more famous than many of her costars from the sketch show.
Tim Kazurinsky

This now-unknown comedian actually took the spot of Paul Reubens, aka Pee Wee Herman, on SNL; Reubens was given the boot before even starting because Tim Kazurinsky came along. Kazurinsky often took on roles of the scrawny nerd, even when appearing as himself on Weekend Update. Some of his other characters include an Irish priest, Eddie Murphy's landlord, and an enthusiastic censor. You'd be more likely to recognize him, though, as Carl Sweetchuck from Police Academy — a far cry from the fame many other SNL veterans find.
Joan Cusack

For how well known she is, Joan Cusack is seriously underrated. Most people seem to forget she was in most of the movies or shows she appeared in, and SNL is no exception. Cusack was on the show from 1985 to 1986, playing characters like a socially awkward girl and celebrities like Brooke Shields. That didn't help her break out of her brother's shadow or earn any huge roles, though, and she's mostly been a guest star or held supporting parts. She had a short-lived sitcom for a season, and even that seemed to point out how easily she's forgotten — it was called What About Joan?
Robert Downey Jr.

Most of us probably don't think of Robert Downey Jr. as a comedian. To us, he's Iron Man, Sherlock Holmes, or that guy who used to do drugs. But his brilliant role in Tropic Thunder made us all wonder, "Why hasn't this guy done comedy before?" Well, he did. He was a cast member on SNL for a season in the mid-'80s before getting fired and moving on to the big screen. By 1992, he became the first SNL veteran to be nominated for a Best Actor Oscar, which he earned for his work as Charlie Chaplin in Chaplin.
Melanie Hutsell

Melanie Hutsell was on SNL from 1991 to 1994, appearing in skits with huge names in comedy like Chris Farley, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, and David Spade. It's no wonder she was pushed to the back of our minds with the serious star power she was up against. She also didn't have many memorable characters, her most recognizable being her impersonation of Jan Brady from The Brady Bunch. After SNL she took a break from the acting world, but is now staging a comeback, starting with a small role in the recent hit comedy, Bridesmaids.