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THE CREATOR
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Lorne Michaels is the creator and executive producer of "Saturday Night Live," the longest-running and highest-rated weekly late night television program in history.


Over the last 30 years, "SNL" has won countless Emmy Awards and was honored with the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award and cited as "truly a national institution." Most recently, Michaels and the show were honored with a 2002 Emmy for Best Writing in a Variety/Comedy Series. Michaels has personally won ten Emmys as a writer and producer in television.


Michaels' film credits include "Three Amigos" (which he produced and co-wrote with Steve Martin and Randy Newman), "Wayne's World" (and its successful sequel), "Tommy Boy," "Lassie," "A Night at the Roxbury," "Superstar," and the WWII drama "Enigma" which he produced with Mick Jagger most recently, he produced the hit comedy "Mean Girls" starring Lindsay Lohan and Tina Fey, who also wrote the film.


In addition to his weekly duties on "SNL," Michaels is executive producer of NBC's "Late Night with Conan O'Brien."


Michaels' past television credits also include: the series "The Kids in the Hall" and "Night Music" as well as specials with Lily Tomlin, Steve Martin, Paul Simon, The Rutles, Flip Wilson, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, Randy Newman, Neil Young and Simon and Garfunkel in Central Park.


On Broadway, he produced and directed "Gilda Radner Live from New York" and produced the subsequent motion picture "Gilda Live."


Michaels began his career in Toronto, where he attended the University of Toronto and worked as a writer and producer for the Canadian Broadcasting Company and starred in the comedy series " The Hart & Lorne Terrific Hour." In 1968, he moved to Los Angeles and worked as a writer for NBC's "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" and other television series until he left in 1975 to begin "SNL" in New York.


In 1979, Michaels founded the New York City based production company Broadway Video Inc.


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FUN FACTS

Julia Louis-Dreyfus was the first female cast member ever to come back and serve as host. Billy Crystal actually hosted SNL before becoming a cast member.


Only two people ever to have played the role of host, cast member, and musical guest. They are Dan Aykroyd and Michael McKean.


Steve Martin is the only host ever to host the show three times during a single season (1977-1978). It was comedian Albert Brooks ' s idea that there should be a different host every week when he turned down Lorne Michael ' s offer to be the show ' s permanent host.


Only one episode in the history of the show has been filmed outside of New York City: On February 20, 1977, the show was broadcast live from New Orleans.


Lorne Michaels famously offered The Beatles $3,000 to reunite on SNL. Allegedly, Paul McCartney and John Lennon saw the broadcast and considered rushing down to the studio to perform. Though never a regular cast member, SNL writer Michael O'Donahue uttered the first words ever spoken on Saturday Night live.


At 17 years old, Anthony Michael Hall became the youngest cast member ever when he joined the show in 1985.


The oldest actor to join the cast was Michael McKean, who was 46 when he became a cast member in 1994.




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