This article takes a look back at the original cast of Saturday Night Live, exploring their careers after the show and focusing on the life and legacy of John Belushi.
by LEANNE ITALIE | The Associated PressFILE - Actor Burt Reynolds, second right, appears on the set with cast members of NBC's "Saturday Night Live," from left, Jane Curtin, Laraine Newman, Gilda Radner, and Bill Murray, right, in New York, April 12, 1980. The landmark NBC sketch comedy showpremiered Oct. 11, 1975, with drop-dead dark humor and pratfalls, George Carlin as host and not one but two musical guests: Billy Preston and Janis Ian.
Over the decades, some seasons were better than others, with breakout stars like Eddie Murphy, Adam Sandler, Tina Fey, Will Ferrell, Mike Myers and more following the original seven. So what became of the very first cast, the freshman class, post-"SNL?" Here's a catchup.“National Lampoon's Animal House,” “Continental Divide,” “Neighbors” and all things The Blues Brothers. Belushi left “SNL” in 1979 to pursue music and film projects. That he did, to bad reviews and good.
The sunglass-wearing, dark-suited Blues Brothers took on a fame of their own with the self-titled 1980 movie, directed by John Landis. After Belushi's death, “Blues Brothers 2000” was released in 1998 in tribute with most of the first film's original cast. Radner appeared in several other films, including “First Family” and “The Woman in Red,” the latter a 1984 hit written and directed by her co-star and future husband, Gene Wilder. Among other projects: She starred in the 1980 Broadway drama “Lunch Hour.”
Chase's first hit was “Foul Play” with Goldie Hawn in 1978. He tried his hand at a late-night talk show, “The Chevy Chase Show,” on Fox in 1993. It was canceled after six weeks. He also makes chicken sounds and posts fan meetups and family gatherings on TikTok, where he has 1.2 million followers.She left “SNL” in 1980 after portraying Connie Conehead, Valley Girl stewardess Sherry and ditzy public access TV co-host Christie Christina. She was also a recurring reporter on “Weekend Update."
She lent her voice to several animated hit films, including “Wall-E,” “Up," “Toy Story 3" and “Tangled.” And she has worked as a magazine writer and editor. In 2021, she put out “May You Live in Interesting Times,” an audio memoir.In 2017, with the rest of “SNL's” original cast, she was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame.
The ‘90s weren’t so kind. There were many flops, including his directorial debut in 1991, “Nothing but Trouble” starring Demi Moore, Chase, John Candy and Aykroyd with a grisly prosthetic face. A bright spot was the acclaimed “Grosse Pointe Blank,” in which he played a rival hitman to star John Cusack.
There was some Broadway work: Miss Proserpine Garnett in “Candida,” “Love Letters” and the 2002 revival of “Our Town” that marked Paul Newman's return to Broadway after 38 years.Initially hired as a writer, he was the oldest on “SNL's” first cast at 37. He came to the show after 17 years as a singer and arranger with Harry Belafonte, as an actor in plays and musicals, as a playwright and as a civil rights activist who helped desegregate Actor’s Equity.
SNL John Belushi The Blues Brothers Cast History
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