Actor, writer, comedian, and musicianFred Armisenfound his calling later than a lot of his peers. In fact, comedy wasn’t even what he wanted. Instead, Armisen had his mind and heart set on making it as a punk rock musician. Beginning in the late 1980s, when most of his eventualSaturday Night Livecast mates likeMaya RudolphandAmy Poehlerwere finding their ways in comedy, Armisen was the drummer of the band Trenchmouth. He toldSam Joneson an episode of theOff Camera with Sam Jonespodcast that while his band got a record deal and had some success, it paled in comparison to the stardom that other emerging bands were having. “The hardest part about watching all the bands around us get famous was that I wasn’t able to enjoy music anymore because I was so jealous.” Suddenly, it was the thing he loved more than anything that was bringing him the most angst.
It wasn’t until he started to embrace his funny side that opportunities started opening up. He always did impressions of other musicians to his bandmates on the tour bus, but hadn’t considered trying it out professionally. Wilco singerJeff Tweedyasked him to open for him on tour with his Venezuelan character Fredicito, which confused the audience tremendously. It did, however, help Armisen showcase his funny side. Though his passion for music didn’t subside, it was placed on hold when he moved to Los Angeles to pursue comedy. He had even more of an unconventional path toSaturday Night Livethan most of his colleagues. He wasn’t part of an improv team, or sketch show (though he was part ofNext!, a pilot fromBob Odenkirk), and the handful of times hedidtry to do stand up, he did it as a character. Fortunately, his sketch show pilot was enough to impress producerMarci Klein, who sent it along toLorne Michaelsand invited him in for an audition. Strangely enough, Armisen wasn’t nervous to performer in front of Tina Fey or any of the otherSNLgreats. “It was just too big to be nervous about.” Either they would like him, or they wouldn’t.
It turns out, Armisen’s offbeat style was the perfect fit forSaturday Night Live. For 11 years, he entertained audiences with impersonations ofPrince,Lawrence Welk, andQueen Elizabeth, as well as nonsensical characters like Nicholas Fehn, Garth of the songwriter duo Garth and Kat, art dealer Nuni, and a court stenographer who can’t help but misplace things. Following a successful run atSNL, he joinedLate Night with Seth Meyersas the Studio 8G bandleader, created and starred in the cult-hit comedy seriesPortlandiawithCarrie Brownsteinon IFC, and starred in his own Netflix stand-up specialFred Armisen: Standup For Drummers. If that wasn’t impressive enough, Armisen’s also appeared inSchmigadoon!,Documentary Now!, andLos Espookys.
Let’s take a look at some of Fred Armisen’s best moments fromSaturday Night Live!
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Prince Christmas Special with Robert De Niro
It’s Prince, y’all. While Armisen is mostly remembered for his over-the-top and specific characters, he did dabble in some impressions. Among these impressions is the mysterious music legend Prince. In another episode of Prince’s eccentric talk show, he and his co-hostBeyoncé(Maya Rudolph)welcomeRobert De Niroto promote his new movieMeet the Fockers. But, in typical Prince fashion, he wants to do things a little differently. Rather than learn about the movie, he’d like him to sit on his in-studio snowmobile. And who knew Prince could do a solid impression of De Niro inTaxi Driver?
Weekend Update: Fred and Governor Paterson
SNLcan be pretty hard on politicians, and former Governor of New YorkDavid Patersonknows that all too well. Armisen routinely played him on Weekend Update, often leaning into the fact that he’s legally blind and, like all good impressions, Armisen exaggerated his aloof personality. For this particular segment, Armisen’s performance was interrupted by therealGovernor Paterson, who not only proved he could take some insults, but that he could dish them out as well.
Weekend Update: Fred and King Richard III’s Friends
We all have that one friend that is the center of our universe. There’s just not enough compliments to convey how great they are. But, um, sometimes, they maybe aren’t, like, the nicest person to be around and they sort of, um, hurt your feelings?King Richard IIIdidn’t exactly have the highest moral bar, but hedidhave friends. Two of them slid over toSeth Meyersto defend the English king and share the experiences they had with him when they were younger. The more they open up, however, the more their true feelings about the ruler emerge.
The Californians: Thanksgiving
Wait,what are you doing here?“The Californians” sketches are some of the best recurring sketches onSNL. At the helm of this direction-obsessed soap opera parody is Stuart (Fred Armisen), who’s never caught without his white sunglasses. (And he also never ceases to be surprised at whatever old friend or foe is suddenly in his living room.) In this particular sketch, Armisen can’t quite deliver his long-winded lines without cracking a smile. Even though his character is dealing with the shocking revelation that he has an illegitimate son, Fred laughs his way through Stuart’s predicament.Bill Hader(who plays Devin)told Seth Meyersthat the series of sketches is based on a running bit they did for years during table reads.
The Art Dealers
It can be a real pain when you have to deal with your neighbors, but it’s hard to imagine that they are as peculiar and confusing as the ones in this sketch. Meet Nuni (Maya Rudolph) and her husband, Nuni (Fred Armisen). They are both art dealers from an unknown country who live very different lives than most of us. (Unless youalsowear helmets when you go to the beach…) All Susan (Rachel Dratch) and Greg (Seth Meyers) want to do is find the source of the leak in their ceiling. But, before that, they’re going to have to deal with this artistic couple and their boisterous son, named (you guessed it), Nuni (Will Ferrell).
Weekend Update: Garth and Kat Sing Summer Vacation Songs
Ramen noodles, disco balls, and hammocks. There is nothing that Garth (Fred Armisen) and Kat (Kristen Wiig) won’t sing about to Mr. Meyers. They may always be late to their Weekend Update performances, but they always have a valid reason. (Cut them some slack, they forgot how long their driveway was! Haven’t you done that?) This songwriter duo has a detailed ballad for every season. Buckle up for some soon-to-be classics that Garth and Katabsolutelyrehearsed beforehand.
Court Stenographer
The courtroom can be a stressful place. Who will go to jail? Will there be yelling? Is the jury on your side? What if you misplace your crackers? Fred Armisen has a habit of playing women characters. If a few episodesgo by without him donning a wig and dress, something is horribly wrong. Here he plays scrunchy-faced court stenographer Elinda Naid, who frustrates the lawyer (Jon Hamm) with her loud typing and laughing. Oh, and she can’t, for the life of her, find her crackers. If you need more court stenographer in your life, she’s alsodropped her chapstick. Order in the court!
Delinquent Teen Gang
Hey, this teen gang might be a little mischievous, but they just want to dance! No authority figure can stop these so-called delinquents from tapping their toes. They should be a little careful, though, because they are dancing alittleclose to the street. The leader of the pack, Wanda (Lindsay Lohan) is concerned for her rebellious friend Babette (Fred Armisen) who keeps dancing in the middle of the road. And, yep, okay, she was just hit by a car. And another car. Maybe it’s time for bed.
Brecken Brings Home His Boyfriend
WhenAndy Sambergreturned to Studio 8H to make his hosting debut in 2014, a slew of his former castmates andSNLfavorites made surprise appearances. They all united in another addition of the Vogelcheck sketches that feature an extremely affectionate family. When Brecken (Andy Samberg) introduces his boyfriend (Taran Killam) to his welcoming parents (Fred Armisen and Kristen Wiig) and brothers (Bill Hader andPaul Rudd), his boyfriend is disturbed at how the family interacts with each other. Somehow Fred stayed in character when kissing all his friends, but when it came to delivering a short speech, he couldn’t keep it together.
Royal Family Doctor
If you’re going to be in the company of the Royal Family, then you have to be aware of their specific rules, greetings, and special etiquette. And if you find that you are going to be in the company of a Royal Family member’svagina, then, well, there’s even more that you need to know. The sketch is mostly between Buckingham Palace representative Rupert Smythe Pennington (Martin Short) and the new OBGYN (Bill Hader), but Fred has a very memorable cameo as Queen Elizabeth.
