Chris Parnell
Known for Acting · 174 credits
- Born
- 1967-02-05 (age 59)
- Place of birth
- Memphis, Tennessee, USA
- Also known as
- 크리스 파넬 · Thomas Christopher Parnell · کریس پارنل · Thomas Christopher "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.
Known For
Rick and Morty
2013
as Jerry Smith (voice)
Family Guy
1999
as Joe Paterno (voice) / Priest / Father Raccoon (voice) / Highway Man (voice) / White Guy (voice) / Target Manager / Veterinarian (voice) / Smarmy (voice) / Priest (voice) / Doug (voice) / Guy at Pool / Priest (voice) / Card Store Owner (voice)
The Simpsons
1989
as Surgeon fiancé (voice)
Late Night with Seth Meyers
2014
as Self - Guest
Friends
1994
as Bob
American Dad!
2005
as Doctor (voice) / Valet / Borax Employee (voice) / Francine's Drinking Buddy (voice) / Book on Tape (voice) / Kidnapper (voice) / Dr. Moe Munney (voice) / James Garfield / Mint Worker (voice) / Co-Worker (voice) / James Garfield (voice) / Train Actor (voice) / Funeral Speaker (voice)
TV Shows (90)
Rick and Morty
2013
as Jerry Smith (voice)
Family Guy
1999
as Joe Paterno (voice) / Priest / Father Raccoon (voice) / Highway Man (voice) / White Guy (voice) / Target Manager / Veterinarian (voice) / Smarmy (voice) / Priest (voice) / Doug (voice) / Guy at Pool / Priest (voice) / Card Store Owner (voice)
The Simpsons
1989
as Surgeon fiancé (voice)
Late Night with Seth Meyers
2014
as Self - Guest
Friends
1994
as Bob
American Dad!
2005
as Doctor (voice) / Valet / Borax Employee (voice) / Francine's Drinking Buddy (voice) / Book on Tape (voice) / Kidnapper (voice) / Dr. Moe Munney (voice) / James Garfield / Mint Worker (voice) / Co-Worker (voice) / James Garfield (voice) / Train Actor (voice) / Funeral Speaker (voice)
Conan
2010
as Self / Book Signing
Seinfeld
1989
as NBC Executive
The Hawk
2026
as Anton Floyd
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
2013
as Geoffrey Hoytsman
Saturday Night Live
1975
as Self - Various Characters / Self - Cameo (uncredited) / Tom Brokaw (voice)
Bob's Burgers
2011
as Warren Fitzgerald (voice)
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
1993
as Self - Guest
Curb Your Enthusiasm
2000
as Hank
My Adventures with Superman
2023
as Agent Slade Wilson (voice)
Gravity Falls
2012
as Host (voice) / Additional Voices (voice)
Elena of Avalor
2016
as Migs (voice)
The Tom and Jerry Show
2014
as Narrator (voice)
Glee
2009
as Mario
The Goldbergs
2013
as Harrison Whitby
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
2014
as HOA Ambassador / (voice)
BoJack Horseman
2014
as Klaus / News Reporter (voice)
Dawn of the Croods
2015
as Snoot / Evil Egg (voice) / Snoot / Dub (voice) / Snoot (voice)
Fallout
2024
as Overseer Benjamin
Robot Chicken
2005
as Scooter / Major Nelson (voice)
Be Cool, Scooby-Doo!
2015
as Dustin Wallswreath / Jim McCoy / Cop (voice)
Love, Death & Robots
2019
as The Cat (voice) / Sanchez (voice)
30 Rock
2006
as Dr. Leo Spaceman
Murphy Brown
1988
WordGirl
2007
Archer
2009
as Cyril Figgis (voice) / Siegbert Fuchs (voice)
black-ish
2014
as Dean Parker
Match Game
2016
as Self - Panelist
Eureka
2006
as Dr. Noah Drummer
The $100,000 Pyramid
2016
as Self
Workaholics
2011
as Bruce Benson
Fish Hooks
2010
as Announcer / Allibut (voice)
Childrens Hospital
2008
as Ron Pippin
Comedy Bang! Bang!
2012
as Poseidon / Stephendorff
grown-ish
2018
as Dean Burt Parker
Rock, Paper, Scissors
2024
as Parchment Paper (voice)
Krapopolis
2023
as Ares (voice)
The Hughleys
1998
as Rick
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
2015
as Junior
The Jamie Foxx Show
1996
as Director
Caroline in the City
1995
as Gene
Drunk History
2013
as Thomas Edison / King Charles II / Jim Bowie / Carl Sagan
Suburgatory
2011
as Fred Shay
Bajillion Dollar Propertie$
2016
as Walton Rothchild
Miracle Workers
2019
as God's Dad
Close Enough
2020
as Ron (voice)
Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness: An almost History of America
2026
as Benjamin Franklin
Will & Grace
2017
as Dr. DiLorenzo
Ed
2000
as DJ Curtis Morris
Garfunkel and Oates
2014
as Stan
Adam Ruins Everything
2015
Great News
2017
as Gerald
T.U.F.F. Puppy
2010
as Caped Cod (voice)
Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero
2014
as Judge Blort Clooney (voice)
Suddenly Susan
1996
as Waiter / Phil
Movies (84)
Stop! That! Train!
2026
as Conductor Davenport
Hotel Transylvania
2012
as Mr. Fly (voice)
The Dictator
2012
as News Anchor
21 Jump Street
2012
as Mr. Gordon
Hotel Transylvania 2
2015
as Fly (voice)
Turbo
2013
as Announcer #2 (voice)
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation
2018
as Stan / Fish Man (voice)
Home Sweet Home Alone
2021
as Uncle Stu
Lorne
2026
as Narrator
Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween
2018
as Walter
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
2013
as Garth Holliday
The Dink
2026
Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers
2022
as Dave Bollinari (voice)
The Five-Year Engagement
2012
as Bill
Jingle All the Way
1996
as Toy Store Sales Clerk
Escape from Planet Earth
2013
as Hammer (voice)
The Laundromat
2019
as Doomed Gringo #2
Sisters
2015
as Phil
Senior Year
2022
as Jim Conway
Finding ʻOhana
2021
as Brown
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
2004
as Garth Holliday
Crohnie
The Ridiculous 6
2015
as Bank Manager
Hot Rod
2007
as Barry Pasternack
Battle of the Sexes
2017
as DJ
Our Little Secret
2024
as Veterinarian
Elena and the Secret of Avalor
2016
as Migs (voice)
Micro Budget
2026
as Toby
A Loud House Christmas Movie: Naughty or Nice
2025
as Gerald (voice)
Barely Legal
2003
as Mr. Ronald Greitzer
The Women of SNL
2010
as Various (archive footage)
AJ's Infinite Summer
2014
as Dad (voice)
Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again
2022
as Washington (voice)
Down with Love
2003
as TV Emcee
Kung Fu Magoo
2010
as Cole Fusion / Ninja (voice)
Mimics
2026
as Jack Conrad
Life of the Party
2018
as Mr. Truzack (Wayne)
Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice
2011
as Mr. Thistleton (voice)
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
2007
as Theo
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend
2020
as Junior
Answer This!
2011
as Brian Collins
WordGirl: The Rise of Miss Power
2012
Michael Bolton's Big, Sexy Valentine's Day Special
2017
as Dr. Vince Harbert
Break Point
2014
as Jay LaRoche
The Last Laugh
2019
as Charlie Green
The Maya Rudolph Show
2014
as Self
Austin Found
2017
as Alan Dickinson
Hollywood & Wine
2011
as Peter West
Harold
2008
as Coach Vanderpool
Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie
2004
as Garth Holliday
Labor Pains
2009
as Jerry Steinwald
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Will Ferrell
2002
as Self / Various (archive footage)
Evil Alien Conquerors
2003
as Du-ug
Farm Sluts
2003
as Larry
SNL50: The Homecoming Concert
2025
as Self
Wake
Kabluey
2007
as Frank
Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music
2025
as Self (archive footage)
Paper Man
2009
as Peter
In Fidelity
2024
as Lyle Ayker
Shadows on the Wall
1986
as Charlie
The Ladies Man
2000
as Phil Swanson
I'm Reed Fish
2007
as Ralph
The Dogfather
2010
as Brian Franks
Hot Mess Holiday
2021
as Mike
Eavesdrop
2008
as Terrence
The Grand
2007
as Harold Melvin
Sunny and Share Love You
2007
as Kevin Keith Baker
Slice
2018
as Mayor Tracy
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Amy Poehler
2009
as Edward Turlington (archive footage)
I Am Woman
2020
as Artie Mogull
The Better Half
2015
as Daniel
Saturday Night Live in the 2000s: Time and Again
2010
as Self
A Freezerburnt Christmas
2002
Looking for Kitty
2004
as Guy Borne
Ira & Abby
2006
as Dr. Ronald Silverberg
The Religetables
2002
Elena of Avalor: Realm of the Jaquins
2017
as Migs (voice)
Jeff Dunham: Unhinged in Hollywood
2015
as Self
Harry and the Mutant Mid-Century Furniture
Millennial Hunter
2023
as John (voice)
As We Know It
2023
as Ted Sommers
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Commercial Parodies
2006
Yung Punx: A Punk Parable
2021
as therapist (voice)
About Chris Parnell
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… With 174 credits spanning from 1975 to 2026, Chris Parnell has appeared in 84 films and 90 TV shows.
Fans searching for Chris Parnell movies, Chris Parnell filmography, or the latest projects starring Chris Parnell can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Chris Parnell Movies
- Stop! That! Train! (2026) — as Conductor Davenport
- Hotel Transylvania (2012) — as Mr. Fly (voice)
- The Dictator (2012) — as News Anchor
- 21 Jump Street (2012) — as Mr. Gordon
- Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015) — as Fly (voice)
Where to Watch Chris Parnell Films
Most Chris Parnell movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Chris Parnell, check our movies catalogue and browse page.