Andy Samberg was born in Berkeley, California in 1978 to mother Marjorie, a retired teacher, and father Joe, a photographer. Born David A. J. Samberg, the well-known comedian changed his name from David to Andy at the age of five. The arts were something that always interested Samberg. He met his friends and would-be bandmates Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone in middle school, and the trio would entertain classmates with zany comedy sketches. He also learned to play the drums and guitar, and later became interested in creative writing.
In 2001, Samberg took film study and graduated from the Tisch School of Arts at NYU. The Lonely Island was also formed in 2001 and quickly gained notoriety online for their digital shorts. In 2005, Samberg was hired as a cast member at Saturday Night Live, and Schaffer and Taccone were hired as writers. Samberg may be best-known as Jake Peralta on the groundbreaking comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine, however, before his time as an NYPD officer, Samberg was a man of many faces on SNL. Here are Andy Samberg’s eight best SNL characters, ranked.
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8 Mort Mort Feingold
NBC
His rates are fair, IRS beware, he’s Mort Mort Feingold accountant for the stars. In this sketch, Samberg plays a much older Jewish celebrity accountant. The sketch is worth a watch to see Samberg in his comb-over wig and caterpillar eyebrows alone, however, he also gives some pretty amusing and on-point financial advice to a vast range of celebrities. Furthermore, the sketch allows the rest of the SNL cast to cycle through their best celebrity impressions, much to the delight of viewers.
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7 Back Up Dancer (Single Ladies)
Broadway Video
Joined by Justin Timberlake and Bobby Moynihan, and directed by Paul Rudd, Samberg shakes a tail feather around a horrified Queen Bey while shooting a music video for her smash hit “Single Ladies.” The sketch is one of Samberg’s best as the trio of overconfident dancers steals the show. Samberg’s hilarious dance moves at the end are also reminiscent of another classic SNL sketch, “A Night at the Roxbury.”
6 Nicolas Cage
Samberg shows off his impersonation skills with the sketch “Get in the Cage” with Nicolas Cage. The sketch was featured on The Weekend Update and has different variations, however, the best rendition pairs the faux Nic Cage next to the real deal, wherein the actual Cage pokes fun at Samberg’s over-the-top portrayal of him.
5 Blizzard Man
Samberg stars as budding rap star Blizzard Man who is laying down some track for Ludacris’ new album in the studio. Despite looking the part, Blizzard Man has a unique sound, and according to Sudeikis’ character, “he sounds like my grandfather”. Samberg’s performance was so funny, he had host Ludacris cracking up during the sketch, as well as seasoned SNL cast members Jason Sudeikis and Keenan Thompson very nearly breaking character.
4 Mark Wahlberg
Samberg once again proves his mimicry skills with his spot-on impression of Mark Wahlberg, in the aptly named sketch “Mark Wahlberg Talks to Animals.” Samberg walks through a line-up of farm animals as the famed Wahlberg discussing his movie career and of course asking them to “say hi to your mother for me, okay.” The sketch also inspired a follow-up of the real Wahlberg awkwardly confronting Samberg on his “inaccurate imitation” when he later hosted the show.
3 Andy Samberg (Lazy Sunday, I’m On a Boat)
Samberg plays a fictionalized version of himself in the popular videos “Lazy Sunday” and “I’m on a boat.”
In the former, Samberg and fellow SNL alum Chris Parnell throw down a hardcore rap about loading up on snacks and hitting up the theater for the Chronicles of Narnia. It was the second digital short released by The Lonely Island. The video quickly went viral, was an instant hit, and paved the way for The Lonely Island’s massive success in the years to come.
In the latter, “I’m on a Boat,” Samberg wins a boat trip for three from his morning cereal box and invites along Akiva Schaffer and T-Pain. The trio commemorate the event with a larger-than-life song and accompanying music video aptly named “I’m on a Boat.” With lyrics like “I got my swim trunks and my flippie-floppies, I’m flipping burgers, you at Kinko’s, straight flipping copies,” it’s hard not to love this instant classic.
2 Andy (Dick in a Box, Mother Lover, 3 Way)
To say it is hard to choose a favorite of Andy Samberg and Justin Timberlake’s hilarious collaborations is an understatement. They each have their virtues, “Dick in a Box” being the first and most memorable, and “3 Way” with the added star power of Lady Gaga. “Mother Lover,” however, edges out the others just slightly because of the inspired performances by Susan Sarandon and Patricia Clarkson as the mothers in question, which would not have been as successful without the dedicated and uproarious performances of these amazing actresses. In a 2020 interview on the Hot Ones, Timberlake discussed Dick in a Box and how the FCC regulations, in his opinion, actually improved the controversial video.
1 Dennis (Great Day)
In his best sketch, Samberg plays Dennis who kicks off a rather cheery song with “I don’t know why, but it seems like today is going to be a great day.” On the surface, Dennis’s life appears to be in shambles as the camera pans his disastrous apartment, and he pours over the depressing minutia of his life. Despite his troubles, he just can’t stop smiling. We don’t want to speculate, but it could be because of the mounds of white powder under his nose. Samberg described the number in an interview with Balance Media: “We did one called ‘Great Day’ that I’m very proud of. It’s a psychotic musical number.”
