Seth Meyers

Added to the show in 2001, Meyers had a meteoric rise behind-the-camera to become the show's co-head writer alongside Tina Fey. After her departure, he not only became the sole head writer, but also Amy Poehler's co-anchor of "Weekend Update." The newsdesk proved a perfect fit for Meyers's dry wit, and his innocent good looks and low-key, cerebral humor meshed hilariously with Poehler's more manic, go-for-broke intensity. When Poehler left the show, Meyers took over "Weekend Update" on his own, visibly relishing the high-pressure position. Credited with writing Tina Fey's immortal Sarah Palin-skewering sketches, the award-winning Meyers left his mark on American pop culture history. While his considerable success on "SNL" proved to be quieter than many of his flashier contemporaries, Seth Meyers earned a loyal fanbase and proved his chops both in front of and behind the camera, setting himself up for a lengthy comedy career.

Born Dec. 28, 1973 in Bedford, NH, Seth Adam Meyers was the son of Hillary Meyers, a French teacher, and Lawrence Meyers. He attended Northwestern University, where he joined the sketch groups Mee-Ow and Preponderate. After graduation, he moved to Amsterdam and served as a cast member of the improve group Boom Chicago along with his brother, Josh Meyers, who would go on to become a cast member of "MADtv" (Fox, 1995-2009). While in Amsterdam, Meyers wrote and co-starred along with comedian Jill Benjamin in a two-person show called "Pick-ups and Hiccups," which they toured around Europe and Asia. A stint in Chicago's famed ImprovOlympics, however, led to Meyers auditioning for Lorne Michaels and "Saturday Night Live" (NBC, 1975- ). Knocking it out of the park, he joined the cast in 2001.

A talented performer, albeit one who lacked the over-the-top charisma of many of his castmates, Meyers's strength was in his laidback, witty persona and wry skewering of pop culture. He made his initial mark as a writer rather than via performing outrageous characters. Promoted to a full cast member in 2003, Meyers rose quickly to writing supervisor; in 2006, he was promoted to co-head writer alongside Tina Fey and Andrew Steele. He auditioned to co-anchor the popular "Weekend Update" segment along with Tina Fey in 2004, but lost out to Amy Poehler. When Fey departed the show, Meyers became solo head writer and replaced her opposite Poehler on the "Weekend Update" desk. The role proved to be his best on-camera contribution to the show.

Much like Jimmy Fallon before him, Meyer's innocent appearance helped sell his wicked "Weekend Update" jokes, and he took visible delight in nailing a punchline. His more cerebral energy played well off Poehler's live-wire chameleon persona, and the two proved a popular and potent comic team, establishing many long-running bits such as "What?! with Seth and Amy." Outside of the "SNL" studios, Meyers made a few inroads to mainstream Hollywood, notching a small turn in the reality show spoof "American Dreamz" (2006) which starred Mandy Moore and Dennis Quaid. He made little more than likable cameos in the family adventure "Journey to the Center of the Earth" (2008), the teen romance "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" (2008), and the Rachel Dratch/Amy Poehler/Parker Posey feminist comedy "Spring Breakdown" (2009), but audiences found it hard to separate the actor from his sarcastic "Weekend Update" persona.

As Tina Fey's star exploded into supernova status as creator and star of the hit sitcom "30 Rock" (NBC, 2006-2013), she returned to "SNL" for a series of highly anticipated appearances in which she brutally parodied then-vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, and credited Meyers for writing them. When Poehler left "SNL" in 2008, Meyers handled "Weekend Update on his own, although both Fey and Poehler made several guest appearances behind the venerable newsdesk. Along with his fellow writers, Meyers won three Writers Guild of America awards and three Emmy nominations. Hosting suited his skills, and Meyers emceed the Webby Awards in 2008 and 2009 as well as ESPN's 2010 ESPY Awards. He won the third season of "Celebrity Poker Showdown" (Bravo, 2003-06) and donated the $100,000 prize to the children's cancer charity, The Jimmy Fund. His writing skills extended beyond television; along with fellow "SNL" castmate Bill Hader, he wrote a Spider-Man one-shot comic.

By Jonathan Riggs