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).
as (voice)
as Dwight Salter / Governor Jim Cummings / Shooter (voice)(8 eps)
as Neil
as Anton Floyd(6 eps)
as Benjamin Franklin(1 ep)
as Conductor Davenport
as Self - Narrator (voice)
as Toby
as Jack Conrad
as Gerald (voice)
as Self - Guest(1 ep)
as Ted (voice)(1 ep)
as Self (archive footage)
as Self(1 ep)
as Veterinarian
as (archive footage)
as Lyle Ayker
as Overseer Benjamin(2 eps)
as Parchment Paper (voice)(1 ep)
as Ted Sommers
as Ares (voice)(3 eps)
as John (voice)
as Agent Slade Wilson (voice)(14 eps)
as Washington (voice)
as Dave Bollinari (voice)
as Jim Conway
as Mike
as Ed (voice)(20 eps)
as therapist (voice)
as Uncle Stu
as Alvin Healy / Tenpin (voice)(1 ep)
as Brown
as Self - Contestant(1 ep)
as Artie Mogull
as Ron (voice)(1 ep)
as Agent Chett(1 ep)
as Doomed Gringo #2
as The Cat (voice)(2 eps)
as Sanchez (voice)(1 ep)
as God's Dad(1 ep)
as Charlie Green
as Walter
as Wayne(13 eps)
as Mayor Tracy
as Stan / Fish Man (voice)
as Mr. Truzack (Wayne)
as Dean Burt Parker(13 eps)
as Dr. DiLorenzo(2 eps)
as DJ
as Migs (voice)
as Alan Dickinson
as Gerald(1 ep)
as Dr. Vince Harbert
as Migs (voice)
as Vice Chairman(1 ep)
as Migs (voice)(81 eps)
as Self(1 ep)
as Self - Panelist(3 eps)
as Walton Rothchild(1 ep)
as Snoot / Evil Egg (voice)(1 ep)
as Snoot / Dub (voice)(5 eps)
as Snoot (voice)(22 eps)
as Phil
as Daniel
as Bank Manager
as Wilbur Liggetts(1 ep)
as Mr. Peabody (voice)(52 eps)
as Dustin Wallswreath / Jim McCoy / Cop (voice)(1 ep)
as Fly (voice)
as Bebop Jones(6 eps)
as Dr. Sigmund Freudas(1 ep)
as Junior(1 ep)
as Judge Blort Clooney (voice)(1 ep)
as Mitch(1 ep)
as Douglas Riller(1 ep)
as Dean Parker(1 ep)
as Klaus / News Reporter (voice)(1 ep)
as The Narrator
as Stan(1 ep)
as The Narrator
as Self
as Dad (voice)
as HOA Ambassador(1 ep)
as (voice)(1 ep)
as Narrator (voice)(1 ep)
as Jay LaRoche
as Self - Guest(1 ep)
as Garth Holliday
as Jerry Smith (voice)(91 eps)
as Harrison Whitby(2 eps)
as Geoffrey Hoytsman(2 eps)
as Announcer #2 (voice)
as Thomas Edison(1 ep)
as King Charles II(1 ep)
as Jim Bowie(1 ep)
as Carl Sagan(1 ep)
as The Narrator
as Hammer (voice)
as Mr. Fly (voice)
as Host (voice)(1 ep)
as Additional Voices (voice)(1 ep)
as Poseidon(1 ep)
as Stephendorff(1 ep)
as News Anchor
as Bill
as Mr. Gordon
as Mr. Thistleton (voice)
as Brian Collins
as Fred Shay(45 eps)
as JB(12 eps)
as Chad Banks (segment "A Sexual Haunting")(1 ep)
as Peter West
as Bruce Benson(1 ep)
as Officer Barrett(2 eps)
as Warren Fitzgerald (voice)(1 ep)
as Self(1 ep)
as Book Signing(1 ep)
as Various (archive footage)
as Caped Cod (voice)(1 ep)
as Announcer / Allibut (voice)(1 ep)
as Chris Henkel(10 eps)
as Cole Fusion / Ninja (voice)
as Brian Franks
as Cyril Figgis (voice)(132 eps)
as Siegbert Fuchs (voice)(8 eps)
as Jerry Steinwald
as Peter
as Mario(1 ep)
as Edward Turlington (archive footage)
as Walter(1 ep)
as Ron Pippin(1 ep)
as William (voice)(1 ep)
as Terrence
as Coach Vanderpool
as Bruce Terry(7 eps)
as Barry Pasternack
as Kevin Keith Baker
as Frank
as Harold Melvin
as Ralph
as Dr. Leo Spaceman(24 eps)
as Dr. Noah Drummer(2 eps)
as Dr. Ronald Silverberg
as Scooter / Major Nelson (voice)(1 ep)
as Doctor (voice)(2 eps)
as (voice)(2 eps)
as Valet / Borax Employee (voice)(1 ep)
as Francine's Drinking Buddy (voice)(1 ep)
as Book on Tape (voice)(1 ep)
as Kidnapper (voice)(1 ep)
as Dr. Moe Munney (voice)(2 eps)
as James Garfield / Mint Worker (voice)(1 ep)
as Co-Worker (voice)(2 eps)
as James Garfield (voice)(7 eps)
as Train Actor (voice)(1 ep)
as Funeral Speaker (voice)(1 ep)
as Garth Holliday
as Garth Holliday
as Guy Borne
as Du-ug
as Mr. Ronald Greitzer
as TV Emcee
as Larry
as Self / Various (archive footage)
as James Brolin (voice)(1 ep)
as Hank(1 ep)
as Phil Swanson
as DJ Curtis Morris(1 ep)
as Joe Paterno (voice)(1 ep)
as Priest / Father Raccoon (voice)(1 ep)
as Highway Man (voice)(1 ep)
as White Guy (voice)(1 ep)
as Target Manager / Veterinarian (voice)(1 ep)
as Smarmy (voice)(1 ep)
as Priest (voice)(3 eps)
as Doug (voice)(12 eps)
as Guy at Pool / Priest (voice)(1 ep)
as Card Store Owner (voice)(1 ep)
as Rick(1 ep)
as Simpson(2 eps)
as Don(1 ep)
as Toy Store Sales Clerk
as Waiter(1 ep)
as Phil(1 ep)
as Director(1 ep)
as Gene(1 ep)
as Howard(1 ep)
as Bob(1 ep)
as Self - Guest(1 ep)
as Surgeon fiancé (voice)(1 ep)
as NBC Executive(1 ep)
as Charlie
as Self - Various Characters(146 eps)
as Self - Cameo (uncredited)
as Self(1 ep)
as Tom Brokaw (voice)(1 ep)
as Jim Lehrer (uncredited)(2 eps)
as Self (uncredited)(1 ep)
