Chris Parnell
Chris Parnell
Biography
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).
Known For
Actor
as Lyle Ayker
as Toby
as Houston / Sir Galahad (voice)
as Overseer Benjamin
as John (voice)
as Ares (voice)
as Agent Slade Wilson (voice)
as Washington (voice)
as Dave Bollinari (voice)
as Jim Conway
as Mike
as therapist (voice)
as Uncle Stu
as Brown
as Ed (voice)
as Alvin Healy / Tenpin (voice)
as Darryl (voice)
as Self - Contestant
as Artie Mogull
as Ron (voice)
as Agent Chett
as Narrator (voice)
as Doomed Gringo #2
as Charlie Green
as The Cat (voice)
as God's Dad
as Walter
as Mayor Tracy
as Stan / Fish Man (voice)
as Wayne Truzack
as Houston (voice)
as Wayne
as Dean Burt Parker
as DJ
as Migs (voice)
as Alan Dickinson
as Houston / Sputnik / Dolphin (voice)
as Dr. Vince Harbert
as Dr. DiLorenzo
as Gerald
as Migs (voice)
as Voice Actor (voice)
as Vice Chairman
as Migs (voice)
as Self
as Self - Panelist
as Walton Rothchild
as Phil
as Daniel
as Bank Manager
as Fly (voice)
as Snoot / Dub (voice)
as Snoot / Evil Egg (voice)
as Snoot (voice)
as Wilbur Liggetts
as Mr. Peabody (voice)
as Additional Voices (voice)
as Bebop Jones
as Dr. Sigmund Freudas
as Junior
as Self
as Dad (voice)
as Jay LaRoche
as Judge Blort Clooney (voice)
as Mitch
as Douglas Riller
as Dean Parker
as Klaus / News Reporter (voice)
as Stan
as HOA Ambassador
as Voice Over (voice)
as Narrator (voice)
as Self
as Garth Holliday
as Announcer #2 (voice)
as Hammer (voice)
as Jerry Smith (voice)
as Harrison Whitby
as Geoffrey Hoytsman
as Thomas Edison
as Jim Bowie
as King Charles II
as Mr. Fly (voice)
as News Anchor
as Bill
as Mr. Gordon
as Additional Voices (voice)
as Host (voice)
as Poseidon
as Stephendorff
as Mr. Thistleton (voice)
as Brian Collins
as Peter West
as Fred Shay
as Warren Fitzgerald (voice)
as Various (archive footage)
as Cole Fusion / Ninja (voice)
as Brian Franks
as Self
as Book Signing
as Caped Cod (voice)
as Announcer / Allibut (voice)
as Chris Henkel
as Jerry Steinwald
as Peter
as Edward Turlington (archive footage)
as Cyril Figgis (voice)
as Siegbert Fuchs (voice)
as Mario
as Walter
as Terrence
as Coach Vanderpool
as Ron Pippin
as William (voice)
as Bruce Terry
as Theo
as Barry Pasternack
as Frank
as Harold Melvin
as Ralph
as Kevin Keith Baker
as Dr. Ronald Silverberg
as Dr. Leo Spaceman
as Dr. Noah Drummer
as Doctor (voice)
as (voice)
as Valet / Borax Employee (voice)
as Francine's Drinking Buddy (voice)
as Book on Tape (voice)
as Kidnapper (voice)
as Dr. Moe Munney (voice)
as James Garfield / Mint Worker (voice)
as Co-Worker (voice)
as James Garfield (voice)
as Train Actor (voice)
as Garth Holliday
as Garth Holliday
as Guy Borne
as Du-ug
as Mr. Ronald Greitzer
as TV Emcee
as Larry
as Himself / Various (archive footage)
as Phil Swanson
as James Brolin (voice)
as Hank
as DJ Curtis Morris
as Joe Paterno (voice)
as Highway Man (voice)
as Priest / Father Raccoon (voice)
as White Guy (voice)
as Target Manager / Veterinarian (voice)
as Smarmy (voice)
as Priest (voice)
as Doug (voice)
as Guy at Pool / Priest (voice)
as Card Store Owner (voice)
as Simpson
as Don
as Toy Store Sales Clerk
as Waiter
as Phil
as Gene
as Howard
as Bob
as Self - Guest
as Surgeon fiancé (voice)
as NBC Executive
as Self - Various Characters
as Self - Cameo (uncredited)
as Talent Scout
as Self
Writer
as Writer