Darrell Hammond facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Darrell Hammond
Hammond in 2016
Born	Darrell Clayton Hammond (1955-10-08) October 8, 1955 (age 69) Melbourne, Florida, U.S.
Education	Brevard Community College University of Florida (BA)
Occupation	Actor comedian impressionist announcer
Years active	1980–present
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth Hammond ​ ​ (m. 1990; div. 1994)​ ​ ​ (m. 1997; div. 2012)​
Children	1

Darrell Clayton Hammond (born October 8, 1955) is an American actor, comedian, and impressionist. He is famous for being a regular cast member on the TV show Saturday Night Live (SNL) from 1995 to 2009. Since 2014, he has been the announcer for the show.

When he left the cast in 2009, Hammond was 53 years old. This made him the oldest cast member in the show's history at that time. He has appeared on SNL more than almost anyone else, except for Kenan Thompson. He has also impersonated over 107 famous people, with Bill Clinton being his most frequent impression.

Early Life and Education

Darrell Hammond was born in Melbourne, Florida. His parents were Margaret and Max Hammond.

He played baseball in high school and later at Brevard Community College. After college, he went to the University of Florida. He graduated in 1978 with a degree in advertising. A theater professor there, David Shelton, encouraged him to pursue acting.

After college, Hammond moved to New York City. He worked as a waiter and studied acting. He also performed in theater plays. At age 26, he tried stand-up comedy for the first time. Later, he returned to Florida. There, he worked as a radio DJ and a voiceover artist.

Career Highlights

Saturday Night Live Years

When he was 32, Hammond moved back to New York. He wanted to try stand-up comedy one last time. He had auditioned for Saturday Night Live twice before and didn't get in. But in 1995, an SNL producer saw him doing a great Bill Clinton impression. This was just after another actor, Phil Hartman, who used to play Clinton, left the show.

After a special audition for the show's creator, Lorne Michaels, Hammond joined the cast. He performed for 14 seasons. This was the longest time any SNL cast member had stayed on the show in a row, until Kenan Thompson broke his record in 2017.

Darrell Hammond holds other SNL records too. He has done the second-most impressions of any cast member, with 107 different characters. Only Kenan Thompson has done more. He also holds the record for saying the show's famous opening line, "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!", the most times (76 times).

He is most famous on SNL for his impressions of Bill Clinton. He also did great impressions of Al Gore, Donald Trump, John McCain, Regis Philbin, Dick Cheney, and Sean Connery in the "Celebrity Jeopardy!" skits. His impression of Bill Clinton is the most frequent SNL impression ever. It appeared in 87 sketches. Hammond also sometimes filled in for the show's announcer, Don Pardo, by impersonating him.

After 14 years, Hammond left the show as a regular cast member. He was the last SNL cast member from the 1990s to leave. Even after leaving, he has often come back for special guest appearances.

In 2014, Hammond became the new announcer for SNL. He took over after Don Pardo passed away. Since then, he has also appeared in sketches, bringing back his Clinton and Trump impressions.

Other Acting and Comedy Work

In the late 1980s, Darrell Hammond became known for his impressions of Elmer Fudd and other Looney Tunes characters. He did these for a comedy song called "Wappin'."

Hammond has been a guest on The Howard Stern Show many times. He has also appeared in TV shows like Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Law & Order: Criminal Intent. He had his own stand-up comedy special called Comedy Central Presents Darrell Hammond. You can often see him performing at The Comedy Cellar in New York City.

In 2007, Hammond performed on Broadway theatre for the first time. He played Vice Principal Douglas Panch in the musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. In 2009, he had a guest role on the TV drama Damages. That same summer, he appeared in an Oreo commercial with Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, and Donald Trump, where he impersonated Trump.

From May to August 2015, Hammond played the role of Colonel Sanders in commercials for KFC.

Since 2017, Hammond has appeared in episodes of Criminal Minds and At Home with Amy Sedaris.

Personal Life

Darrell Hammond married Elizabeth on May 9, 1990. They later divorced. They remarried in 1997 and have one daughter together. They divorced again in 2012.

Filmography

Film

Television

See also

In Spanish: Darrell Hammond para niños