cast by season

Fred Armisen returns for his 11th season of "Saturday Night Live" this fall.

Armisen has proven through the years that he is a true chameleon when it comes to impressions, and audiences have marveled at the effortlessness with which he switches from character to character. Armisen engages audiences with memorable impressions of New York Governor David Patterson; Larry King; Libyan Dictator Moammar Khaddafy; President Barack Obama; Iranian President Mahmoud Amadinejad in the popular Digital Short "Iran So Far Away"; and Prince, the often-silent host of the musician's talk show "The Prince Show." Other unforgettable characters of Armisen's include the distracted court stenographer Elinda Nade, the political comedian Nicholas Fehn, and Mr. Vogelcheck in the "too close for comfort" kissing family.

Armisen has landed on Rolling Stone's Hot List as well as several times on Entertainment Weekly's Must List. He's appeared in countless feature films, including the animated feature "The Smurfs"; "Cop Out," alongside Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan; "Confessions of a Shopaholic" opposite Isla Fisher; "The Rocker"; and "The Promotion."

Armisen also co-created, co-wrote, and stars in the critically acclaimed IFC comedy series "Portlandia." The Peabody Award-winning show takes a comedic and whimsical look at the eco-friendly city of Portland, Oregon. In 2012, Armisen received an Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series category for his work on "Portlandia."

Armisen began his career as a musician in the Chicago-based post-punk band Trenchmouth, as well as playing with Blue Man Group. His transition to comedy came with the 1998 underground short film "Fred Armisen's Guide to Music and SXSW," which followed him through the Austin, Texas South by Southwest music festival posing as a music journalist. In 2006, he tried his hand at actual music journalism, profiling the indie darling Cat Power for the influential music website Pitchfork.com.

He blended music and comedy, becoming drummer Jens Hannerman and releasing an instructional DVD, "Complicated Drumming Technique," in 2007.

Armisen lives in New York City. His birthday is December 4.