Chris Parnell
Chris Parnell
Biography
​Thomas Christopher "Chris" Parnell (born February 5, 1967) is an American comic actor best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1998–2006 and currently for his recurring role as Dr. Leo Spaceman on NBC's Emmy Award-winning comedy series 30 Rock. Parnell is currently one of the lead voices on the FX animated comedy Archer. In 2010, Parnell starred alongside his former SNL castmate Horatio Sanz in the Comedy Central series Big Lake. After performing as a company player with The Groundlings for a number of years, Parnell was hired to join the cast of Saturday Night Live as a featured player on September 26, 1998, and was promoted to repertory player the following season. In the summer of 2001, budget cuts and hiring four new cast members required Lorne Michaels to dismiss two cast members; he chose to lay off Parnell and Jerry Minor over Horatio Sanz, Rachel Dratch, and Maya Rudolph. While on SNL, Parnell appeared in numerous sketches, and commercial parodies, and performed memorable impressions of various celebrities. One of his most popular sketches is Lazy Sunday, a rap video he shot with Andy Samberg about buying cupcakes and going to see The Chronicles of Narnia. He has also performed raps about hosts Jennifer Garner, Britney Spears, Kirsten Dunst and Ashton Kutcher. In the summer of 2006, Lorne Michaels announced that four cast members would be fired due to budget cuts, but he did not say who. On September 22, 2006 it was announced that three cast members had been fired: Parnell, Horatio Sanz, and Finesse Mitchell. This effectively made him the only SNL performer to have been fired twice by Lorne Michaels, though Parnell did say in a 2008 interview with The Sound of Young America podcast that he was okay with being let go this time, because he was considering leaving after that season anyway, but added that he probably would have stayed one last season if he was asked back. He had been with SNL for eight seasons; at the time only four people (Darrell Hammond, Tim Meadows, Kevin Nealon, and Al Franken) have been cast members longer. He has since made uncredited cameo appearances on the show, most recently in 2008 parodying newscasters Tom Brokaw, Jim Lehrer, and Bob Schieffer. Parnell and his former SNL castmate Horatio Sanz recently starred together in Big Lake, a 2010 sitcom on Comedy Central from executive producers Will Ferrell and Adam McKay. He also recently appeared as Dr. Drummer/Santa in the SyFy Holiday Special episode from the television show Eureka, which aired on December 7, 2010 (Season 4 Episode 10).
Known For
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
199
Gender
Male
Birthday
1967-02-05 (58 years old)
Place of Birth
Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Acting

2024

Fallout as Overseer Benjamin

2024

Our Little Secret as Veterinarian

2024

Micro Budget as Toby

2024

In Fidelity as Lyle Ayker

2023

Krapopolis as Ares (voice)

2023

My Adventures with Superman as Agent Slade Wilson (voice)

2023

As We Know It as Not available

2023

Millennial Hunter as John (voice)

2022

Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers as Dave Bollinari (voice)

2022

Senior Year as Jim Conway

2021

Dogs in Space as Ed (voice)

2021

Name That Tune as Self - Contestant

2021

Marvel's M.O.D.O.K. as Alvin Healy / Tenpin (voice)

2021

Home Sweet Home Alone as Uncle Stu

2021

Finding ʻOhana as Brown

2021

Alpha Betas as Darryl (voice)

2021

Hot Mess Holiday as Mike

2021

Yung Punx: A Punk Parable as therapist (voice)

2020

Close Enough as Ron (voice)

2020

Dummy as Agent Chett

2020

I Am Woman as Artie Mogull

2019

Love, Death & Robots as The Cat (voice)

2019

Miracle Workers as God's Dad

2019

Alien News Desk as Not available

2019

The Laundromat as Doomed Gringo #2

2019

The Last Laugh as Charlie Green

2018

grown-ish as Dean Burt Parker

2018

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation as Stan / Fish Man (voice)

2018

Life of the Party as Mr. Truzack (Wayne)

2018

Happy Together as Wayne

2018

Slice as Mayor Tracy

2017

Will & Grace as Dr. DiLorenzo

2017

Great News as Gerald

2017

Austin Found as Alan Dickinson

2016

Elena of Avalor as Migs (voice)

2016

Match Game as Self - Panelist

2016

Bajillion Dollar Propertie$ as Walton Rothchild

2016

Ask the Storybots as Not available

2016

Rhett & Link's Buddy System as Vice Chairman

2016

Elena and the Secret of Avalor as Migs (voice)

2016

Electric City as Voice Actor (voice)

2015

We Bare Bears as Additional Voices (voice)

2015

Dawn of the Croods as Snoot / Dub (voice)

2015

Dawn of the Croods as Snoot / Evil Egg (voice)

2015

Dawn of the Croods as Snoot (voice)

2015

Adam Ruins Everything as Not available

2015

The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show as Mr. Peabody (voice)

2015

Another Period as Dr. Sigmund Freudas

2015

Hotel Transylvania 2 as Fly (voice)

2015

Sisters as Phil

2015

The Ridiculous 6 as Bank Manager

2015

The Spoils Before Dying as Bebop Jones

2015

Highston as Wilbur Liggetts

2015

The Better Half as Daniel

2014

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver as HOA Ambassador

2014

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver as Voice Over (voice)

2014

The Tom and Jerry Show as Narrator (voice)

2014

BoJack Horseman as Klaus / News Reporter (voice)

2014

Garfunkel and Oates as Stan

2014

black-ish as Dean Parker

2014

Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero as Judge Blort Clooney (voice)

2014

Bad Judge as Douglas Riller

2014

Benched as Mitch

2014

Break Point as Jay LaRoche

2014

AJ's Infinite Summer as Dad (voice)

2013

Rick and Morty as Jerry Smith (voice)

2013

Brooklyn Nine-Nine as Geoffrey Hoytsman

2013

The Goldbergs as Harrison Whitby

2013

Drunk History as Thomas Edison

2013

Drunk History as Jim Bowie

2013

Drunk History as King Charles II

2013

Turbo as Announcer #2 (voice)

2013

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues as Garth Holliday

2012

Comedy Bang! Bang! as Poseidon

2012

Comedy Bang! Bang! as Stephendorff

2012

Gravity Falls as Additional Voices (voice)

2012

Gravity Falls as Host (voice)

2012

Hotel Transylvania as Mr. Fly (voice)

2012

21 Jump Street as Mr. Gordon

2012

The Dictator as News Anchor

2012

Escape from Planet Earth as Hammer (voice)

2012

WordGirl: The Rise of Ms. Power as Not available

2011

Bob's Burgers as Warren Fitzgerald (voice)

2011

Suburgatory as Fred Shay

2011

I Just Want My Pants Back as Not available

2011

Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice as Mr. Thistleton (voice)

2011

Hollywood & Wine as Peter West

2011

Answer This! as Brian Collins

2010

Conan as Self

2010

Conan as Book Signing

2010

T.U.F.F. Puppy as Caped Cod (voice)

2010

Fish Hooks as Announcer / Allibut (voice)

2010

Big Lake as Chris Henkel

2010

The Women of SNL as Various (archive footage)

2010

Kung Fu Magoo as Cole Fusion / Ninja (voice)

2010

The Dogfather as Brian Franks

2009

Archer as Cyril Figgis (voice)

2009

Archer as Siegbert Fuchs (voice)

2009

Glee as Mario

2009

Glenn Martin, DDS as Not available

2009

Better Off Ted as Walter

2009

Labor Pains as Jerry Steinwald

2009

Paper Man as Peter

2009

Saturday Night Live: The Best of Amy Poehler as Edward Turlington (archive footage)

2008

Childrens Hospital as Ron Pippin

2008

The Life & Times of Tim as William (voice)

2008

Miss Guided as Bruce Terry

2008

Eavesdrop as Terrence

2008

Harold as Coach Vanderpool

2007

WordGirl as Not available

2007

Hot Rod as Barry Pasternack

2007

The Grand as Harold Melvin

2007

I'm Reed Fish as Ralph

2007

Kabluey as Frank

2007

Sunny and Share Love You as Kevin Keith Baker

2006

Eureka as Dr. Noah Drummer

2006

30 Rock as Dr. Leo Spaceman

2006

Ira & Abby as Dr. Ronald Silverberg

2005

American Dad! as Doctor (voice)

2005

American Dad! as (voice)

2005

American Dad! as Valet / Borax Employee (voice)

2005

American Dad! as Francine's Drinking Buddy (voice)

2005

American Dad! as Book on Tape (voice)

2005

American Dad! as Kidnapper (voice)

2005

American Dad! as Dr. Moe Munney (voice)

2005

American Dad! as James Garfield / Mint Worker (voice)

2005

American Dad! as Co-Worker (voice)

2005

American Dad! as James Garfield (voice)

2005

American Dad! as Train Actor (voice)

2005

American Dad! as Funeral Speaker (voice)

2005

SNL Digital Shorts as Chris

2005

SNL Digital Shorts as Talent scout

2005

SNL Digital Shorts as Interviewer

2005

SNL Digital Shorts as Not available

2004

Looking for Kitty as Guy Borne

2003

Down with Love as TV Emcee

2003

Barely Legal as Mr. Ronald Greitzer

2003

Evil Alien Conquerors as Du-ug

2003

Farm Sluts as Larry

2002

Saturday Night Live: The Best of Will Ferrell as Self / Various (archive footage)

2002

The Religetables as Not available

2000

TV Funhouse as James Brolin (voice)

2000

The Ladies Man as Phil Swanson

1998

Conrad Bloom as Simpson

1997

Union Square as Don

1996

Suddenly Susan as Waiter

1996

Suddenly Susan as Phil

NaN

The Dink as Not available

NaN

Mimics as Jack Conrad

2002

A Freezerburnt Christmas as Not available

2000

Ed as DJ Curtis Morris

1999

Family Guy as Joe Paterno (voice)

1999

Family Guy as Highway Man (voice)

1999

Family Guy as Priest / Father Raccoon (voice)

1999

Family Guy as White Guy (voice)

1999

Family Guy as Target Manager / Veterinarian (voice)

1999

Family Guy as Smarmy (voice)

1999

Family Guy as Priest (voice)

1999

Family Guy as Doug (voice)

1999

Family Guy as Guy at Pool / Priest (voice)

1999

Family Guy as Card Store Owner (voice)

1996

The Jamie Foxx Show as Not available

1996

Jingle All the Way as Toy Store Sales Clerk

1995

Hope and Gloria as Howard

1994

Friends as Bob

1993

Late Night with Conan O'Brien as Self - Guest

1989

The Simpsons as Surgeon fiancé (voice)

1989

Seinfeld as NBC Executive

1988

Murphy Brown as Not available

1975

Saturday Night Live as Self - Various Characters

1975

Saturday Night Live as Self - Cameo (uncredited)

1975

Saturday Night Live as Not available

1975

Saturday Night Live as Talent Scout

1975

Saturday Night Live as Self
Crew

2005

SNL Digital Shorts Writer