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Martin Short's SNL Cast Included Billy Crystal and Julia-Louis Dreyfus
Comedy stars Martin Short, Billy Crystal, and Christopher Guest were among the cast for Saturday Night Live's 10th Season.
Comedy legend Martin Short will be the final Saturday Night Live host of 2024, but fans may not remember he was once a full-time cast member himself.
Short — along with successful comedians Billy Crystal and Christopher Guest — appeared on SNL for one season in 1984. The talented cast, including returning cast member Julia Louis-Dreyfus, produced comedy gold as they played memorable characters like Short’s Ed Grimley and Crystal’s Buddy Young Jr. for one season on the show.
Season 10 also notably marked the last season executive producer Dick Ebersol held the reins, before SNL creator Lorne Michaels returned to the show in 1985 and wiped the slate clean in Season 11 by introducing a whole new cast.
Here's a breakdown of who was in that Season 10 cast.
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Returning Season 10 cast members
Jim Belushi
Following in his older brother John Belushi’s footsteps, Jim Belushi had his own run on Saturday Night Live in the mid 1980s. One year after John Belushi's death in 1982, Jim signed onto the Season 9 cast in 1983 to make his own mark in the show’s history.
During his two-year stint on the sketch comedy show, Jim was known for playing original characters Hank Rippy and That White Guy, as well as his spot-on impressions of Babe Ruth, Willie Nelson, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, according to Broadway Direct.
Jim went on to have his own successful movie career appearing in About Last Night, Jumpin' Jack Flash, Little Shop of Horrors, K-9, Taking Care of Business, Mr. Destiny, Once Upon a Crime, and Last Action Hero, among others. In 2001, Jim landed the lead role in the ABC sitcom According to Jim, alongside Courtney Thorne-Smith and Kimberly Williams-Paisley.
Mary Gross
Second City alum Mary Gross also hailed from a famous family. Her brother Michael Gross played the patriarch in the 1980s hit Family Ties.
Mary joined SNL in 1981 during its seventh season. While on the show, she anchored "Weekend Update," then called "SNL Newsbreak," alongside Brian Doyle Murray (the brother of SNL alum Bill Murray) before he left the show in 1982. During her tenure, Mary often played up her seemingly innocent persona, like in this holiday sketch from Season 8, while also perfecting celebrity impressions of Pee-Wee Herman, Mary Tyler Moore, Geraldine Ferraro, and Nancy Reagan.
After leaving SNL in 1985, Gross went on to star in films, including Baby Boom, Casual Sex?, Big Business, Feds, Troop Beverly Hills, and The Santa Clause. She has also starred in numerous television series including Sabrina the Teenage Witch, That’s So Raven, and General Hospital.
Gary Kroeger
When Gary Kroeger joined Saturday Night Live in 1982, he came with two of his best pals from college, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Brad Hall. The trio — all of whom went to school at Northwestern — were part of Chicago’s Practical Theater Company before catching the eye of Ebersol, who invited all three to join the late-night comedy show in Season 8, according to a profile in Salon.
During his time on SNL, Kroeger, a native of Iowa, was best known for playing singing dentist Ira Needleman as well as for his uncanny impressions of Alan Alda, Walter Mondale, and the Donny Osmond to Louis-Dreyfus’ Marie Osmond.
Season 10 was Kroeger’s final season on SNL. After leaving, he had guest starring roles on several hit television shows including Murder She Wrote, Night Court, and The Magical World of Disney and provided voiceover work for Dilbert. Ultimately, however, Kroeger moved back to Iowa and entered the business world. He ran for a seat in the Iowa state house in 2016, but lost out to Republican Walt Rogers.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Emmy Award-winning actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus was fresh out of college when she joined SNL in 1982, along with Kroeger and Hall, her future husband.
It was the start of Louis-Dreyfus’ long-running career in comedy. Although she was only a cast member for three seasons, she made a lasting mark on the show, with original characters like televangelist April May June, Big Zit Cindy, and Rachel Shmilkstein, one half of the mother-daughter duo behind the theatrical production The Womb.
Louis-Dreyfus, who left SNL in 1985 after Season 10, would get her big break a few years later after landing the role of Elaine Benes on Seinfeld. Her impeccable comic timing was also on full display during her turn as Christine Campbell in The New Adventures of Old Christine and Selina Meyer in Veep. The 11-time Emmy Award winning actress’ film credits include National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Deconstructing Harry, Enough Said, and You People.
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New Season 11 cast members
Billy Crystal
After getting cut from Saturday Night Live’s very first episode in 1975, Billy Crystal later made his way back to the sketch comedy show, first as a Host and then as a full-time cast member in 1984.
The stand-up comedian brought his own unique brand of zany comedy to the show with his popular original characters like Buddy Young Jr., Lew Goldman, and serious joke-maker Al Minkman playing opposite Guest’s Herb Minkman. Crystal is also remembered for his impersonation of Fernando Lamas, which quickly became a recurring sketch.
Crystal left SNL after just one season and went on to enjoy a hugely successful career, earning six Emmy awards and a Tony over the years. His long list of movie credits includes The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, City Slickers, Mr. Saturday Night, Analyze This, Monsters Inc., and Parental Guidance. He’s also popular for having hosted the Oscars nine different times.
Christopher Guest
Christopher Guest made his first appearance on SNL in 1984 with the fictional rock band Spinal Tap, cashing in on the success of the cult classic film This is Spinal Tap, released that same year. Guest would make his return as a repertory player on Season 10 of SNL, along with fellow Spinal Tap bandmate Harry Shearer.
During his one-year stint on the show, Guest memorably brought to life characters like Frankie, one half of the duo Frankie and Willie, who calmly recounted suffering horrific injuries alongside Crystal, Spanish ventriloquist Señor Cosa, and Herb Minkman.
After leaving SNL, Guest played the villainous “six-fingered man” in The Princess Bride before returning to his mockumentary roots. Guest, who is married to actress Jamie Lee Curtis, has found success with a series of witty mockumentary style films, which often call on the same group of repertory players to offer an overly serious and comedic take on a given subculture within society. Those films include Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, For Your Consideration, and Mascots.
Rich Hall
Comedian Rich Hall made his mark as a writer on The David Letterman Show and cast member on HBO’s Not Necessarily the News, before he joined SNL for its 10th Season.
During his time on the show, Hall was known for his appearances on Saturday Night News, where he’d often impersonate celebrities like Vince McMahon, David Byrne, radio broadcaster Paul Harvey, and Robert Latta.
After leaving the show, Hall continued to perform stand-up on Letterman and shows like Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Politically Incorrect, and The Late Late Show, according to Vulture. He also starred in the short-lived Comedy Channel series Onion World in 1989, before moving to England. In 2000, he debuted his popular character Otis Lee Crenshaw, a curmudgeonly American based on his uncle, for the first time in his stand-up routines.
Hall has also written several books, three plays and four BBC documentaries, including How the West Was Lost, The Dirty South, and Continental Drifters.
Hall continues to perform as a stand-up comedian.
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Harry Shearer
Harry Shearer — who once wrote an episode of Laverne and Shirley — first joined SNL in 1979. He left in 1980 along with the rest of the cast, when Michaels briefly left the show. Shearer returned to the show in 1984, under Ebersol’s direction for Season 10, but he left midway through the season.
During his brief stint on SNL, he was known for his characters Tom Clay and Vic Ricker, along with his impersonations of Alan Thicke, Ronald Reagan, and Tom Brokaw.
Shearer co-wrote and starred in the 1984 cult classic film This is Spinal Tap, alongside SNL costar Christopher Guest, but he is perhaps best known for his long-running career on The Simpsons, where he’s voiced many of the show’s characters including Mr. Burns, Ned Flanders, Reverend Timothy Lovejoy, Waylon Smithers, Principal Seymour Skinner, and Otto Mann, among others. Shearer also teamed back up with Guest in 2003 in the mockumentary A Mighty Wind. Since 1983, Shearer has also entertained listeners as the host of Le Show, a public radio comedy program.
Martin Short
Martin Short will become a member of SNL’s prestigious Five-Timers Club when he hosts the 2024 Christmas episode on December 21. The Only Murders in the Building actor has clearly proven he has what it takes to deliver the laughs as host, but he first appeared on the show four decades ago as a cast member in 1984.
Although Short, an alum of the sketch comedy show SCTV, was only a cast member on SNL for one season, he made his mark with hit characters like Ed Grimley, an overly excited manchild, Irving Cohen, and lounge singer Jackie Rogers Jr. Short also famously brought his beloved character, celebrity interviewer Jiminy Glick, to the show years later during a "Weekend Update" segment with Tina Fey.
RELATED: This Iconic Martin Short Character Was Inspired by an SNL Makeup Artist
Short left SNL after its 10th Season, but would return for a number of memorable episodes, including a co-hosting gig alongside Steve Martin and Chevy Chase in 1986 to promote their movie Three Amigos! Martin and Short also co-hosted the show together in 2022.
Martin has had a successful acting career appearing in films like Innerspace, Pure Luck, Father of the Bride, Clifford, and Santa Clause 3. In 2001, Martin launched the series Primetime Glick, focusing on his character Jiminy Glick. Today, he and Martin have joined forces once again in the mystery comedy Only Murders in the Building, also starring Selena Gomez.
Pamela Stephenson
New Zealand born comedian Pamela Stephenson got her big break in the late 1970s when she joined the cast of UK comedy sketch show Not the Nine O’ Clock News. Her success on the show led to her casting on SNL for its 10th Season.
Stephenson — who had also appeared in Mel Brooks’s History of the World, Part 1 and Superman III before joining the show — was known for her character Angela Bradleigh, as well as her impersonations of ‘80s legends Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, and Joan Collins.
After leaving the show in 1985, Stephenson went on to marry comedian Billy Connolly. She left the world of television behind to become a clinical psychologist and sexologist, once running her own psychotherapy practice in Beverly Hills, according to her bio on Penguin Publishing. Stephenson also authored the biography Billy on her famous husband, as well as the self help book Head Case.
Where can I watch full episodes of SNL?
Full-length episodes of every SNL season are available streaming now on Peacock.
The streaming network gives fans access to past seasons of the ground-breaking sketch comedy show, which will celebrate its milestone 50th anniversary with an NBC special in February. There will also be a four-part docuseries, SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night, coming to Peacock on January 16.
