Thomas Christopher "Chris" Parnell (born February 5, 1967 in Memphis, Tennessee) is an actor and comedian. He studied drama at Germantown High School and the North Carolina School of the Arts.
Chris Parnell joined Saturday Night Live as a featured player on September 26, 1998 and was promoted to regular cast status the following season. He was fired in the summer of 2001 and then re-hired the following year in March. Parnell is currently in his eighth season on SNL. Only five people (Darrell Hammond, Tim Meadows, Kevin Nealon, Phil Hartman and Horatio Sanz) were cast members longer than he. He had expressed an interest in simultaneously remaining on SNL and working on his new TV sitcom entitled Thick and Thin, which begins in 2006.
Parnell has played in numerous sketches, parody commercials, and has performed memorable impressions of various celebrities. Some of his most recognised characters are Sean Demarco, a dancer wannabe, barfly Wayne Bloater, Tyler from the Appalachian Emergency Room, and Mervin "Merv the Perv" Watson. Some of his most memorable impersonations are of Tom Brokaw, Sen. Joe Lieberman in which he appears in a hot tub with former Vice President Al Gore and discusses politics, Pat Buchanan, Jim Lehrer, Bing Crosby, John McCain and Eminem. Parnell is particularly adept at rapping. One of his most popular rap sketches is Lazy Sunday, a "hardcore" 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.
I'm Reed Fish (2006)
High, Wide, and Handsome (2006)
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) as Garth Holliday
Looking for Kitty (2004) as Guy Borne
After School Special (2003) as Mr. Ronald Greitzer
Down with Love (2003) as the TV Emcee
Farm Sluts (2003) as Larry
Evil Alien Conquerors (2002) as Du-ug
The Ladies Man (2000) as Phil Swanson
Megalomania (2000) as Stanley Brutus
Operation (1998) as a cadaver
Jingle All the Way (1996) as a toy store sales clerk
Parnell (right) stared in the SNL sketch "Lazy Sunday".
Caroline in the City
Conrad Bloom
Ed
Friends
Hope & Gloria
The Hughleys
The Jamie Foxx Show
Murphy Brown
Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher
Seinfeld
Suddenly Susan
Union Square
Saturday Night Live
