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From Murphy to Sandler to Ferrell, we count down the top movie careers of 'SNL' alumni

By John Moe
Special to MSN Movies

When it comes to "Saturday Night Live," there are a few constants. Everyone will always talk about how it used to be funnier, everyone will wonder why it's... more still on the air, everyone will always watch it anyway, and cast members will depart the show to launch movie careers. Sometimes these leaps work out quite well; other times it turns out that what worked on a small screen late at night for a few minutes doesn't really hold up for two hours at the multiplex. In compiling our list of the top 10 successful leaps from Studio 8H to the silver screen, we included only performers who used the show as a springboard and who first made a name for themselves on "SNL," omitting those who caught on well after departing as well as those who were famous coming in. Therefore, no Billy Crystal, Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr. (yep, Iron Man was a cast member once), Sarah Silverman, Janeane Garofalo or Christopher Guest. (Gary Lewis / Sara DeBoer/Phil Loftus/Capital Pictures/ Retna Ltd.)