The versatile Thomas Christopher Parnell was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. Parnell received his B.F.A. in drama from North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem. With degree in hand, he performed with a number of theater companies before landing at the Los Angeles-based improv/sketch comedy group The Groundlings where he was spotted by SNL recruiters.

Over the course of his seven seasons on SNL, he appeared in numerous sketches and commercial parodies and performed memorable impressions of NBC News' Tom Brokaw and PBS newsman Jim Lehrer. Other standout impressions included Tom Hanks, Eminem, "American Idol's" Simon Cowell, and Senator John McCain. Currently, Parnell is shooting the NBC sitcom "Thick and Thin."