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35 Darrell Hammond 'SNL' Impressions To Mark His Return

35 Of Darrell Hammond's Best 'SNL' Impressions
By 

Senior Comedy & Viral Editor, The Huffington Post

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Darrell Hammond was a "Saturday Night Live" cast member for 14 years, and during that time there was nary a politician, media figure or aging white man he didn't impersonate.

To mark Hammond's return to "SNL" as announcer (and his 58th birthday), we've taken a look back at 35 of the most memorable impressions from his record-breaking tenure on the show. It's amazing how many roles he filled over the years, from Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush (before Will Ferrell made it his own) to Donald Trump, Geraldo Rivera, "Oprah"-couch-jumping John Travolta and more.

This is what nearly a decade-and-a-half of impressions looks like:

1
Sean Connery
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Pictured: (l-r) Kristen Wiig as Kathie Lee Gifford, Tom Hanks, Darrell Hammond as Sean Connery, Norm McDonald as Burt Reynolds during the 'Jeopardy!' skit on May 16, 2009 (Photo by Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
2
Dick Cheney
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Pictured: (l-r) Darrell Hammond as Dick Cheney, Will Ferrell as George W. Bush during the 'Cheney In Makeup' skit on May 16, 2009 (Photo by Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
3
Jay Leno
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Pictured: (l-r) Fred Armisen as Larry King, Darrell Hammond as Jay Leno, Bill Hader as Conan O'Brien (Photo by Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
4
Johnny Cash
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Pictured: Darrell Hammond as Johnny Cash during the 'Unearthed' skit on Dec. 6, 2008 (Photo by Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
5
Bill Clinton
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Pictured: (l-r) Seth Meyers, Darrell Hammond as Bill Clinton during the 'Weekend Update' skit on Nov. 22, 2008 (Photo by Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
6
Regis Philbin
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Pictured: (l-r) Darrell Hammond as Regis Philbin, Amy Poehler as Kelly Ripa during the 'Live with Regis & Kelly' skit on Nov.1, 2008 (Photo by Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
7
George W. Bush
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Pictured: Darrell Hammond as President George W. Bush during 'Weapon Discoveries' skit on Nov. 1, 2008 (Photo by Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
8
Wolf Blitzer
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Pictured: Darrell Hammond as Wolf Blitzer during 'The Situation Room' skit on Feb. 24, 2007 (Photo by Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
9
Don Imus
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Pictured: (l-r) Amy Poehler, Seth Meyers, Darrell Hammond as Don Imus during 'Weekend Update' on April 14, 2007 (Photo by Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
10
Arnold Schwarzenegger
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.Pictured: Darrell Hammond as Arnold Schwarzenegger during 'Kuatos' skit on April 21, 2007 (Photo by Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
11
John Travolta
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Pictured: (l-r) Rachel Dratch as Rhonda Rogan, Darrell Hammond as John Travolta, Maya Rudolph as Oprah Winfrey during 'Oprah' skit (Photo by Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
12
Rodney Dangerfield
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Pictured: (l-r) Darrell Hammond as Rodney Dangerfield, Horatio Sanz as St. Peter during 'Rodney in Heaven' skit (Photo by Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
13
Donald Trump
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Pictured: (l-r) Donald Trump as Jerry the Janitor, Darrell Hammond as Donald Trump during 'The Prince and the Pauper' skit on April 3, 2004 (Photo by Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
14
Chris Matthews
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Pictured: Darrell Hammond as Chris Matthews during 'Hardball' skit on Oct. 28, 2006 (Photo by Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
15
Dan Rather
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Pictured: Darrell Hammond as Dan Rather during 'The Fringe Candidates Debates' skit on May 12, 2007 (Photo by Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
16
John McCain
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Pictured: (l-r) Andy Samberg as Carl Levin, Darrell Hammond as John McCain, Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton during the 'Petraeus Report on Iraq' skit on April 12, 2008 (Photo by Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
17
Jimmy Carter
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Pictured: (l-r) Fred Armisen as Thomas Friedman, Justin Timberlake as Robin Gibb, Jimmy Fallon as Barry Gibb, Darrell Hammond as Jimmy Carter, Kristen Wiig as Sandra Day O'Connor during 'The Barry Gibb Talk Show' skit on Dec. 16, 2006 (Photo by Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
18
Don Knotts
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Pictured: (l-r) Bill Hader as Vincent Price, Darrell Hammond as Don Knotts during 'Vincent Price's St. Patrick's Day Special' skit on March 11, 2006 (Photo by Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
19
Pervez Musharraf
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Pictured: (l-r) Bill Hader as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Darrell Hammond as Pervez Musharraf, Amy Poehler as Kim Jong Il, Fred Armisen as Hugo Chavez during 'Hugo Chavez Political Roundup' skit on Sept. 30, 2009 (Photo by Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
20
Al Gore
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Pictured: (l-r) Darrell Hammond as Al Gore, Seth Meyers as John Kerry during 'Weekend Update' on Jan. 21, 2006 (Photo by Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
21
Bill O'Reilly
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Pictured: Darrell Hammond as Bill O'Reilly during 'The O'Reilly Factor' skit on Dec. 10, 2005 (Photo by Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
22
Clint Eastwood
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Pictured: (l-r) Darrell Hammond as Clint Eastwood, Kenan Thompson as Bernie Mac, Seth Meyers as Sean Penn, Fred Armisen as George Carlin during 'Sean Penn's Celebrity Roast' skit (Photo by Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
23
Jesse Jackson
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Pictured: (l-r) Seth Meyers, Darrell Hammond as Jesse Jackson, Kenan Thompson as Al Sharpton during 'Weekend Update' on Feb. 10, 2007 (Photo by Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
24
Donald Rumsfeld
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Pictured: (center) Darrell Hammond as Donald Rumsfield during 'Town Hall Meeting' skit (Photo by Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
25
Geraldo Rivera
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Pictured: (l-r) Darrell Hammond as Geraldo Rivera, Will Ferrell as Neil Diamond, Chris Kattan as Gay Hitler, Jeff Richards as Drunk Girl, and Jimmy Fallon as Himself during 'Weekend Update' on May 18, 2002 (Photo by Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
26
Fred Thompson
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Pictured: (l-r) Darrell Hammond as Fred Thompson, Fred Armisen as Sam Waterston during 'A Message from Fred Thompson ' skit on Oct. 6, 2007 (Photo by Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
27
George Lucas
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Pictured: Darrell Hammond as George Lucas during the 'HBO First Look' skit on Jan. 12, 2002 (Photo by Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
28
Dr. Phil
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Pictured: (l-r) Rachel Dratch as Jamie, Tom Brady as Ken, Darrell Hammond as Dr. Phil McGraw during 'Dr. Phil' skit (Photo by Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
29
Ted Koppel
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Pictured: Darrell Hammond as Ted Koppel during 'Nightline' skit on March 6, 2004 (Photo by Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
30
Brit Hume
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Pictured: (l-r) Will Forte as George W. Bush, Darrell Hammond as Brit Hume during 'Special Report' skit on Oct. 21, 2006 (Photo by Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
31
John Ashcroft
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Pictured: (l-r) Will Ferrell as President George W. Bush, Darrell Hammond as John Ashcroft during 'You Might Be A Terrorist' skit on Dec. 1, 2001 (Photo by Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
32
Chris Dodd
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Pictured: (l-r) Darrell Hammond as Christopher Dodd, Will Forte as Evan Bayh during the 'Blagojevich Hearing' skit on Dec. 13, 2008 (Photo by Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
33
Bob Costas
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Pictured: (l-r) Halle Berry as Cindy Cooper, Darrell Hammond as Bob Costas, Jeff Richards as Pete Rose, Horatio Sanz as Don Zimmer (bottom) during 'The Don Zimmer Sports Spectacular' skit on Oct. 18, 2003 (Photo by Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
34
Tim Russert
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Pictured: Darrell Hammond as Tim Russert during the 'Meet The Press' skit on March 6, 2004 (Photo by Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
35
Phil Donahue
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Pictured: (l-r) Jeff Richards as Michael Moore, Darrell Hammond as Phil Donahue during 'Donahue' skit on Nov. 16, 2002 (Photo by Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

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Before You Go

Controversial 'SNL' Cast Members
Rob Schneider(01 of12)
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In an interview with a California news station, Rob Schneider revealed his opposition to government-mandated vaccines, linking them to Autism. He also said they went "against the Nuremberg Laws," although he most likely meant the UN's Nuremberg Principles, not the series of anti-semitic statutes passed by Nazis. (credit:AP)
Jon Lovitz(02 of12)
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On the "ABCs of SNL" podcast in April 2012, Lovitz made headlines for his complaints about Obama's tax policies, saying, "This whole thing with Obama saying the rich don't pay their taxes is f*cking bullshit, and I voted for the guy and I'm a Democrat. What a f*cking a**hole." He later called Obama "hypocritical" for holding a George Clooney campaign frundraiser and defended his remarks by saying, "Last I checked, he's President, not King." (credit:AP)
Victoria Jackson(03 of12)
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Tea Party member Victoria Jackson can be frequently counted on to offer an off-color remark, whether she's slamming "Glee," gays or Muslims, comparing President Obama to Hitler or saying that Rush Limbaugh should run the country. During her time at "SNL," she reportedly said, "Maybe I'm overcompensating, because everybody here is dying and going to Hell, and I'm supposed to tell them about Jesus." (credit:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/" role="link" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name="Flickr:" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5bad440fe4b04234e8589554" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.flickr.com/" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="20" data-vars-position-in-unit="22">Flickr:</a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/rberteig/" role="link" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name=" RBerteig" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5bad440fe4b04234e8589554" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.flickr.com/people/rberteig/" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="21" data-vars-position-in-unit="23"> RBerteig</a>)
Chris Rock(04 of12)
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Chris Rock's career relies on his controversial stand-up and frank speech, but they've also frequently gotten him into hot water. In 2005 he was criticized for his harsh monologue at the Academy Awards and did not return to the telecast until 2012. More recently, on July 4, 2012, Rock made headlines again for a tweet which referred to the holiday as "White People's Independence Day." (credit:AP)
Chevy Chase(05 of12)
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Aside from his battles with Bill Murray in the early days of "SNL," Chevy Chase was rumored to be hard to work with on the set of "Community," and it all came to head in April 2012, when he became embroiled in a public feud with boss Dan Harmon. After Harmon called Chase out on his behavior at wrap party, he later played the angry, profanity-laden voicemails that Chase had left him aloud at comedy show. Harmon later apologized after being fired from the show he created. (credit:AP)
Gilbert Gottfried(06 of12)
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Gilbert Gottfried was part of the huge cast turnover of "SNL" in 1980, but quickly moved on with his comedy and voice-over career. In 2011, he found himself in hot water after tweeting jokes about Japan's devastating tsunami, leading to his being fired as the Aflac Insurance spokesperson. (credit:Getty)
Eddie Murphy(07 of12)
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In 2007, Eddie Murphy came under scrutiny for his initial refusal to acknowledge Melanie Brown's, AKA Scary Spice's, daughter as his own. In August of that year, Brown complained to People that Murphy had not "paid one penny of child support." A DNA test later proved that Murphy is the father. (credit:AP)
Dan Aykroyd(08 of12)
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In April 2010, original "SNL" cast member Dan Aykroyd went on Larry King's show to share his eyebrow-raising theories about aliens: "I don't think we will ever have a formal relationship, a formal contact, with any alien species out there, especially after 9/11 when we broke our toys in the sandbox. If they were observing that, goodbye human race." (credit:Getty)
Tracy Morgan(09 of12)
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After Tracy Morgan made homophobic jokes, during a Nashville stand-up show, an angry audience member blasted the comedian on Facebook, sparking a controversy. Morgan later apologized and the incident inspired a two-episode special on "30 Rock" called "Idiots are People Two" and "Idiots Are People Three." (credit:AP)
Randy Quaid(10 of12)
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Randy Quaid rocked "SNL" in the late 80s, but in more recent years he's made headlines for some very different reasons. In 2009, he and his wife were arrested for allegedly not paying a $10,000 hotel bill. The following year they were detained again for repeatedly failing to show up to hearings for the charges, and again in 2010 for allegedly staying in their old home without the permission of the new owner. (credit:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/" role="link" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name="Flickr:" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5bad440fe4b04234e8589554" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.flickr.com/" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="4" data-vars-position-in-unit="6">Flickr:</a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/ikrichter/" role="link" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name=" ikrichter" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5bad440fe4b04234e8589554" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.flickr.com/people/ikrichter/" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="5" data-vars-position-in-unit="7"> ikrichter</a>)
John Belushi(11 of12)
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John Belushi is often remembered as one of the funniest "SNL" cast members of all time. However, in 2011, fellow original cast member Jane Curtin painted a different picture of Belushi when she went on "Oprah" and accused him of deliberately sabotaging sketches by female writers when he performed them at table reads. (credit:AP)
Robert Downey Jr (12 of12)
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Did you know that RDJ was an "SNL" cast member in the 1980s? He was, from 1985-1986, but most people know him as a film actor, specifically one who was repeatedly arrested on drug charges in the 90s. After a missed test in 1999, he ended up in the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison. After he was released, he began working on "Ally McBeal" but he was famously fired from the show after being arrested yet again. (credit:Getty)
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