Famous Chicago comedians who graduated from stages in Chicago and performed on Saturday Night Live.
Although Fred Armisen didn't appear as a cast member on any Chicago stages, he was part of the Chicago based band Trenchmouth. He was also a background drummer with Blue Man Group. Armisen was a cast member on "Saturday Night Live" from 2002 until 2013. — Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images, Nov. 28, 2012
According to The Second City, Dan Aykroyd performed on Chicago's main stage in 1973. He appeared in the very first season of "Saturday Night Live" in 1975 and was a cast member until the fourth season in 1979 according to NBC. Aykroyd has made occasional guest appearances since then. — Second City
Vanessa Bayer's (left) roots in Chicago include her performances at The Second City, Annoyance Theatre, and ImprovOlympic. She was part of the all Jewish cast of the musical "Jewsical: The Musical," produced by The Second City. Bayer began performing on "SNL" in 2010 and is a current cast member. — Dana Edelson /NBC Universal, In, Jan. 16, 2011
John Belushi appeared in the first season of "Saturday Night Live" in 1975 and continued through 1979 according to NBC's website. He performed with The Second City comedy troupe in 1971. — Chicago Tribune
Actor Beck Bennett, known for the AT&T "It's Not Complicated" ads, is a New Trier High School graduate and will be a featured player on Season 39 of "Saturday Night Live." — Handout, Jan. 30, 2013
Paul Brittain was born in Naperville and is Bob Newhart's nephew. He attended University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and trained at iO in Chicago. He was a cast member on "Saturday Night Live" from 2010-2012. — Handout
Aidy Bryant attended and graduated from Columbia College of Chicago. She also performed at iO, The Second City, and Annoyance Theatre. She joined "Saturday Night Live" as a featured player in 2012. — Carolyn Van Houten/Chicago Tribune, June 14, 2013
Joan Cusack was born in Evanston. She was a cast member on "Saturday Night Live" from 1985-1986 where she played a socially inept girl 'Salena'. — Alex Garcia/Chicago Tribune, June 17, 2008
Brian Doyle Murray, middle left, was born in Chicago. He is the older brother of Bill Murray and joined The Second City in the early 70's. He would later join "Saturday Night Live" as a featured player from 1979-1982. — Second City
Rachel Dratch studied at The Second City and ImprovOlympic after she graduated from Dartmouth College in 1988. She would later become a "Saturday Night Live" cast member from 1999 to 2006. — Getty Images, Jan. 29, 2013
Nora Dunn was born in Chicago, where she attended The School of the Art Institute of Chicago from 1970-1972. She joined "Saturday Night Live" in 1985 and performed there until 1990. — Tina Smothers photography, Nov. 18, 2012
Chris Farley performed on Chicago's Second City's Mainstage in 1989. The wild comic appeared on "Saturday Night Live" from 1990-1995. — Handout
Tina Fey performed at Chicago's Second City Mainstage in 1996. Fey joined "Saturday Night Live" in 1997 as a writer, later becoming head writer and a performer. Fey's last season was in 2006, but she still makes the occasional appearance. She will be hosting the first new episode of the show's 39th season. — Second City
Mary Gross, center, was born in Chicago and was the sister of Michael Gross, who was in the 1980's sitcom "Family Ties." She performed at The Second City in 1979 and was a "Saturday Night Live" cast member from 1981-1985. She was one of the very first to co-anchor SNL's "The Weekend Update." — Second City
Tim Kazurinsky joined The Second City Mainstage in 1978. He performed on "Saturday Night Live" from 1981-1984. — Terrence Antonio James/ Chicago Tribune
David Koechner performed at The Second City in 1994. Prior to that, Koechner was instructed under the wing of Del Close at ImprovOlympic. He joined "Saturday Night Live" in 1995, and only performed there for a year. — Harry Caray's Restaurant Group, May 24, 2012
Julia Louis-Dreyfus attended Northwestern University in 1979. She broke into comedy as a performer in The Practical Theatre Company in Chicago. She was a "Saturday Night Live" cast member from 1982 until 1985. — Getty Image, Jan. 2, 2013
Tim Meadows appeared on The Second City's Mainstage in 1989. He joined the "Saturday Night Live" cast in 1991 and stayed with the show until 2000. — Second City, Sept. 17, 2013
Laurie Metcalf began her professional career at Steppenwolf, of which she was a charter member.
Metcalf became a member of the "Saturday Night Live" cast in 1980. She made only one appearance before the 1981 writers' strike shut down production for the season. — Carl Gustie/Chicago Tribune
Seth Meyers was born in Evanston and graduated from Northwestern University. He's worked with improv sketch group Mee-Ow, ImprovOlympic, as well as "Boom Chicago." Meyers joined "Saturday Night Live" in 2001. — Getty Images, March 31, 2011
Bill Murray debuts at The Second City Chicago in 1973. Murray would later join "Saturday Night Live" in 1976, according to NBC. — Second City
Mike Myers performed on Chicago's Second City's Mainstage in 1986. Myers was seen on "Saturday Night Live" from 1988 until 1995. — Second City
Mike O'Brien is a comedian and filmmaker. He was also a writer for "SNL" before joining the cast. He has worked as an instructor and performer at The Second City Chicago and iO. — Paul Zimmerman / Getty Images
Amy Poehler studied at The Second City Chicago in 1993 and performed at ImprovOlympic. She joined "Saturday Night Live's" cast in 2001 where she stayed until 2009. She has since made numerous guest appearances on the show. — Michael Buckner/Getty Images
Gilda Radner plays "Baba Wawa" in the "Not for Ladies Only" skit on "Saturday Night Live" in 1976. According to The Second City, Radner performed on the Chicago Mainstage in 1973. — NBC-TV , May 7, 1976
Tim Robinson has performed at Chicago's The Second City and ImprovOlympics. He joined the "Saturday Night Live" cast as a performer in 2012. Robinson recently became a writer for the show, while performing. This is the first time in "Saturday Night Live's" history that a performer became a writer, it's usually the other way around. — Michael Brosilow
Horatio performed at The Second City where he was a member of their Chicago e.t.c. theater in 1996. He was "Saturday Night Live" cast member from 1998-2006. — Second City
Cecily Strong was born in Springfield, Il. and was raised in Oak Park. She studied at The Second City Conservatory and iO Chicago. It was recently announced that she will co-anchor with Chicago native, Seth Meyers on "Saturday Night Live's" "Weekend Update." — Carolyn Van Houten, Chicago Tribune, June 12, 2013
Jason Sudeikis, front-right, studied at ImprovOlympics and Annoyance Theatre in Chicago. Sudeikis became a writer in 2003 for "Saturday Night Live" and became a featured player in 2005. Sudeikis announced that he was leaving the show in July, 2013. — Heather Stone/Chicago Tribune
