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	1976–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 his many years on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL). He was a main cast member 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 SNL's history at that time. He has appeared on SNL more than almost anyone else, except Kenan Thompson. He has also impersonated over 107 famous people. His most frequent impression was Bill Clinton. On September 19, 2014, Hammond became the new announcer for SNL. He took over after Don Pardo passed away the month before.

Early Life and Education

Darrell Hammond was born in Melbourne, Florida. His parents are Margaret and Max Hammond. As a child, he found that doing impressions was something his mother enjoyed.

He played baseball in high school and at Brevard Community College. He was even teammates with Bruce Bochy, who later became a famous baseball manager. Hammond then went to the University of Florida. He graduated in 1978 with a degree in advertising. His theater professor, David Shelton, encouraged his acting work.

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 and worked as a radio DJ. He also became a voiceover artist in the Orlando area.

Career Highlights

Becoming an SNL Star

At 32, Hammond moved back to New York to try stand-up comedy again. After seven years and two failed auditions for Saturday Night Live, he finally got his big break in 1995. An SNL producer saw him doing a great Bill Clinton impression. This was just after 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 stayed for 14 seasons. Before Kenan Thompson broke the record in 2017, Hammond was the longest-serving cast member in SNL's history.

SNL Records and Famous Impressions

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

He is well-known for his impressions of Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and Donald Trump. Other famous impressions include Regis Philbin, Dick Cheney, Sean Connery (in the "Celebrity Jeopardy!" skits), and many more. No one on SNL has done a single impression more than Hammond's Clinton. He impersonated Clinton in 87 sketches over 14 years. Hammond also sometimes filled in for the SNL announcer Don Pardo.

Leaving and Returning to SNL

Hammond thought about leaving Saturday Night Live after 11 years. But many people at SNL told him to stay. He described his last three seasons as difficult. Many writers who knew how to write for him had left.

After 14 years, Hammond retired from the show. He was the last SNL cast member from the 1990s to leave. Since then, he has made many guest appearances. In 2014, Hammond became the official announcer for SNL. He replaced Don Pardo, who had passed away. Lorne Michaels told him not to copy Pardo's voice. So, Hammond uses his own voice for the announcements. He has also brought back his Clinton and Trump impressions in some skits.

In 2015, Hammond revived his Trump impression on SNL. The next year, he moved back to New York. He expected to appear on the show weekly during the election. However, Lorne Michaels decided to use Alec Baldwin's impression instead. Michaels felt Baldwin's impression captured the modern Trump better.

Other Entertainment Work

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

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

In 2007, Hammond made his Broadway theatre debut. He played Vice Principal Douglas Panch in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. In 2009, he appeared in the TV drama Damages. That same summer, Hammond was in an Oreo commercial with Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, and Donald Trump. In the commercial, he did his Trump impression.

From May to August 2015, Hammond played the fast-food mascot Colonel Sanders for KFC ads.

Since 2017, Hammond has appeared in episodes of Criminal Minds, At Home with Amy Sedaris, and a comedy series called The Kicker.

Personal Life

Darrell Hammond married Elizabeth on May 9, 1990. They divorced in the early 1990s but remarried in 1997. They have one daughter together. In 2012, Hammond shared that they were divorcing again, and it became final that year.

Hammond has spoken about his past struggles. In 2011, he released a book about his life. It was called God, If You're Not Up There, I'm.... The book talks about his childhood and his experiences on Saturday Night Live. In 2015, he turned his book into a one-man play. It was performed in San Diego, California, and received good reviews.

Filmography

Film Roles

Television Appearances

See also

In Spanish: Darrell Hammond para niños