Chris Parnell
Known for
Chris Parnell is an American comic actor born in Memphis, Tennessee, best known as a two-stint cast member on 'Saturday Night Live' between 1998 and 2006, where he became known for recurring characters and celebrity impressions. He later found a devoted following voicing the deadpan scientist Dr. Leo Spaceman on '30 Rock' and Jerry Smith on 'Rick and Morty'. His film work includes a supporting role in '21 Jump Street'. Parnell has built one of comedy television's most recognizable supporting careers across live sketch, sitcom, and animation.
Chris Parnell
64 Movies
70 Series
Chris Parnell is an American comic actor born in Memphis, Tennessee, best known as a two-stint cast member on 'Saturday Night Live' between 1998 and 2006, where he became known for recurring characters and celebrity impressions. He later found a devoted following voicing the deadpan scientist Dr. Leo Spaceman on '30 Rock' and Jerry Smith on 'Rick and Morty'. His film work includes a supporting role in '21 Jump Street'. Parnell has built one of comedy television's most recognizable supporting careers across live sketch, sitcom, and animation.
Movies
Plays Conductor Davenport
Stop! That! Train!
2026
Plays Neil
The Dink
2026
Plays Mr. Fly (voice)
Hotel Transylvania
2012
Plays News Anchor
The Dictator
2012
Plays Stan / Fish Man (voice)
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation
2018
Plays Mr. Gordon
21 Jump Street
2012
Plays Fly (voice)
Hotel Transylvania 2
2015
Plays Announcer #2 (voice)
Turbo
2013
Plays Toy Store Sales Clerk
Jingle All the Way
1996
Plays Walter
Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween
2018
Plays Dave Bollinari (voice)
Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers
2022
Plays Uncle Stu
Home Sweet Home Alone
2021
Plays Garth Holliday
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
2004
Plays Jim Conway
Senior Year
2022
Plays Mr. Ronald Greitzer
Barely Legal
2003
Plays Garth Holliday
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
2013
Plays Washington (voice)
Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again
2022
Plays Bill
The Five-Year Engagement
2012
Plays Phil
Sisters
2015
Plays Bank Manager
The Ridiculous 6
2015
Plays Doomed Gringo #2
The Laundromat
2019
Plays Barry Pasternack
Hot Rod
2007
Plays Mr. Truzack (Wayne)
Life of the Party
2018
Plays DJ
Battle of the Sexes
2017
Plays Hammer (voice)
Escape from Planet Earth
2013
Plays TV Emcee
Down with Love
2003
Plays Brown
Finding ʻOhana
2021
Plays Theo
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
2007
Plays Peter
Paper Man
2009
Plays Jerry Steinwald
Labor Pains
2009
Plays Harold Melvin
The Grand
2007
Plays Gerald (voice)
A Loud House Christmas Movie: Naughty or Nice
2025
Plays Veterinarian
Our Little Secret
2024
Plays Artie Mogull
I Am Woman
2020
Plays Charlie Green
The Last Laugh
2019
Plays Phil Swanson
The Ladies Man
2000
Plays Mr. Thistleton (voice)
Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice
2011
Plays Garth Holliday
Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie
2004
Plays Cole Fusion / Ninja (voice)
Kung Fu Magoo
2010
Plays Ralph
I'm Reed Fish
2007
Plays Frank
Kabluey
2007
Plays Coach Vanderpool
Harold
2008
Plays Terrence
Eavesdrop
2008
Plays Jay LaRoche
Break Point
2014
Plays Alan Dickinson
Austin Found
2017
Plays Peter West
Hollywood & Wine
2011
Plays Dr. Ronald Silverberg
Ira & Abby
2006
Plays Brian Collins
Answer This!
2011
Plays Mayor Tracy
Slice
2018
Plays Du-ug
Evil Alien Conquerors
2003
TV Shows
Plays Cyril Figgis (voice)
Archer
2009
Plays Jerry Smith (voice)
Rick and Morty
2013
Plays Migs (voice)
Elena of Avalor
2016
Plays Mr. Peabody (voice)
The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show
2015
Plays Fred Shay
Suburgatory
2011
Plays Dr. Leo Spaceman
30 Rock
2006
Plays Snoot (voice)
Dawn of the Croods
2015
Plays Ed (voice)
Dogs in Space
2021
Plays Dean Burt Parker
grown-ish
2018
Plays Wayne
Happy Together
2018
Plays JB
I Just Want My Pants Back
2011
Plays Doug (voice)
Family Guy
1999
Plays Agent Slade Wilson (voice)
My Adventures with Superman
2023
Plays Chris Henkel
Big Lake
2010
Plays Dwight Salter / Governor Jim Cummings / Shooter (voice)
Breaking Bear
2026
Plays Bruce Terry
Miss Guided
2008
Plays James Garfield (voice)
American Dad!
2005
Plays Bebop Jones
The Spoils Before Dying
2015
Plays Anton Floyd
The Hawk
2026
Plays Ares (voice)
Krapopolis
2023
Plays Dr. Noah Drummer
Eureka
2006
Plays The Cat (voice)
Love, Death & Robots
2019
Plays Geoffrey Hoytsman
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
2013
Plays Overseer Benjamin
Fallout
2024
Plays Dr. DiLorenzo
Will & Grace
2017
Plays Harrison Whitby
The Goldbergs
2013
Plays Simpson
Conrad Bloom
1998
Plays Officer Barrett
Mad Love
2011
Plays NBC Executive
Seinfeld
1989
Plays Bob
Friends
1994
Latest Trailers
Watch Trailer
The Dink
Full Filmography
Breaking Bear
Dwight Salter / Governor Jim Cummings / Shooter (voice) · 8 episodes
2026–
TV
The Dink
Neil
2026
Film
The Hawk
Anton Floyd · 6 episodes
2026–
TV
Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness: An Almost History of America
Benjamin Franklin · 1 episode
2026–
TV
Stop! That! Train!
Conductor Davenport
2026
Film
Micro Budget
Toby
2026
Film
Mimics
Jack Conrad
2026
Film
American Dad!
Doctor (voice) · 2 episodes
2021–2025
TV
A Loud House Christmas Movie: Naughty or Nice
Gerald (voice)
2025
Film
Photos
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Chris Parnell and where are they from?
Chris Parnell is 59 years old, born on February 5, 1967 in Memphis, Tennessee, USA.
What are the most famous roles of Chris Parnell?
Chris Parnell is best known for roles in 21 Jump Street, Hotel Transylvania, The Dictator.
How many movies has Chris Parnell been in?
Over a 40-year career (since 1986), Chris Parnell has appeared in 63 movies and 70 TV shows.
What was Chris Parnell's first movie?
The career of Chris Parnell began with Shadows on the Wall (1986).
What is Chris Parnell's most recent movie or series?
Chris Parnell's most recent release is Breaking Bear, which premiered on July 24, 2026.
What TV shows has Chris Parnell appeared in?
On television, Chris Parnell has appeared in Rick and Morty, The Simpsons, Friends, Family Guy.
Chris Parnell
1967-02-05 · Memphis, Tennessee, USA
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).