Bill Hader was "discovered" by Megan Mullally of
Will & Grace while working with the Los Angeles-based comedy troupe, "Animals from the Future." Mullally brought him to the attention of
SNL producer Lorne Michaels. Hader was hired as a "featured player" and made his debut on the show on October 1, 2005. His first role was as a psychologist giving his views about life and death during the emergency landing of Jet Blue Flight 292. Hader is known for his impressions of famous people, such as Vincent Price in the Variety Vault sketches and Al Pacino.
Hader is in his 6th season on
SNL.
Recurring SNL characters
- Stefon, Weekend Update's flamboyantly-gay New York City Correspondent, whose recommendations consist solely of bizarre nightclubs involving nightmarish characters.
- Vinny Vedecci, the Italian talk-show host who chain-smokes, insults his crew (Fred Armisen and Will Forte), has a son (Bobby Moynihan), and speaks little English, even though his guests (played by the guest hosts as themselves) are English speakers.
- Greg the Alien: the co-host of a sports talk show who may or may not be an alien.
- Nitro in the SNL Digital Short Laser Cats
- One of the four guys (the others being Will Forte, Jason Sudeikis and the host) who reveal crazy aspects about themselves while singing a song on the jukebox in the Song Memories sketches.
- One half of the "Gay Couple from New Jersey" (and once from Connecticut) on Weekend Update, with Fred Armisen.
- DJ Frontal Assault on Deep House Dish
- Danny, a guy who has the mutant "Kuato" (played by Andy Samberg) living in his stomach
- Mr. Triggs, the father of an ugly, socially inept girl named Stacia (played by Kristen Wiig)
- Jerr:, a sleazy businessman who works with Carl (Will Forte), both are often drunk and insulting to their co-workers.
- One of the "Scared Straight" kids, one of the three young trouble-makers (along with Andy Samberg and Bobby Moynihan) lectured by convict Lorenzo McIntosh (played by Kenan Thompson) and McIntosh's fellow inmates.
- Dwayne Vogelcheck: the brother in Kissing Family (his parents are played by Kristen Wiig and Fred Armisen) where another sibling, usually played by the celebrity host, brings a friend or girlfriend home to their over affectionate family.
- Brady Trunk: co-host of "Hollywood Dish", with Kristen Wiig.
Impersonations (on and off Saturday Night Live)
Bill Hader has said he did impersonations of teachers and friends when he was growing up, but did not do impersonations of famous people until his
Saturday Night Live audition. His Al Pacino impersonation came after watching the actor's Emmy acceptance speech for
Angels in America. Hader's Vincent Price impersonation came from his love of Price's Edgar Allan Poe films, such as
The Fall of the House of Usher. His Peter O'Toole impersonation came partly from O'Toole in
My Favorite Year and Jack Lemmon's drunken Prince Hapnick from
The Great Race.Another one of Hader's more popular impersonations from
Saturday Night Live is his impersonation of disgraced former governor Elliot Spitzer. Hader has also recently impersonated Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, Michael "The Situation" Sorrentino from MTV's
Jersey Shore, Pearl Jam's frontman Eddie Vedder and Dave Matthews.
Hader is known for his uncanny impression of
Dateline NBC 's Keith Morrison, parodying his reporting style of being overly interested in horrific tales of tragedy and/or murder and asking inane questions. Recently, Hader discovered that Morrison works in 30 Rockefeller Plaza, where both
Dateline and
Saturday Night Live are filmed. Half in jest, on the March 30, 2009 episode of
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, he stated that he lived in fear of getting into the same elevator as Morrison in 30 Rock.
Hader's favorite quote is "Oh Boy" which he uses in a few episodes of
Saturday Night Live.
