10 Of Bill Hader’s Best Impressions — In Celebration Of His Birthday
From Alan Alda to Al Pacino.
NBC Studios / Saturday Night Live A former "SNL" star and now a decorated movie actor from films like "Trainwreck" and "The Skeleton Twins," Bill Hader is widely adored for his comedic ability and his charming personality.
Hader, as it turns out, is ridiculously good at celebrity impressions.
It’s no surprise considering his previous roles, but they’re so well done that if you closed your eyes, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.
Today is Bill Hader’s 43rd birthday, so we decided to look back on some of Bill Hader’s most legendary performances — of other celebrities.
Here Are 10 of Bill Hader’s Best Celebrity Impressions
1. Alan Alda
Hader has spoken of Alda as one of his comedic inspirations, so it’s easy to see why he would choose to impersonate him in multiple "SNL" sketches.
He gets his mannerisms down so well.
2. John Malkovich
In another "SNL" sketch, Hader plays a talk show host who messes with Malkovich and says, “I can be John Malkovich,” and then proceeds to impersonate him around the 2-minute mark.
The tilt of his head makes it even funnier, and the sketch itself is hilarious.
3. Bob Simon
"60 Minutes" lead correspondent for almost 20 years, Bob Simon, almost had a sketch devoted to him on "SNL" but it got cut.
Simon’s soft, comfortable voice is mimicked quite nicely by Bill Hader, who also loved the sketch and was really upset when it got cut.
4. James Mason
During Hader’s first appearance on Stephen Colbert’s show, Colbert talks about Hader’s talent in impressions and brags about how he also has an impression of iconic actor James Mason.
Hader actually did his Mason impression for his audition to get on his HBO show "Barry," and impersonated him with an expired gift certificate for a dozen donuts. Pure genius.
5. Keith Morrison
Dateline NBC host Keith Morrison was impersonated by Hader in yet another "SNL" sketch where he parodies true crime shows and breaks the fourth wall several times.
Morrison is actually an idol of Hader’s and he even met him for the first time back in 2019 (the sketch is from 2013).
6. Jack Nicholson
As a guest on "The Ellen Show," Hader played a game where he had to impersonate celebrities doing random activities, and the most impressive (and funniest) was his Jack Nicholson impression, where Nicholson is running a lemonade stand.
7. Arnold Schwarzenegger
On "Conan," Hader talks about his daughter who thinks she is 4 and a half years old, but she’s really 2 and sounds a little like Arnold Schwarzenegger, which Conan points out.
This prompts Hader to go into an Arnold Schwarzenegger impression if he was actually a baby.
8. Jason Sudeikis
Also on "Conan," Hader did his impressions of fellow "SNL" cast members and talks about how Jason Sudeikis is always chewing gum and he can’t get it out of his head.
When Sudeikis texted him to congratulate him on his part in "The Skeleton Twins," he couldn’t help but read it like he was still chewing gum.
9. Clint Eastwood
Hader as Clint Eastwood doing an advertisement for Chrysler, and boy is it good.
There are three different parts to the advertisement, but here’s the first one to provide you with a little bit of context.
10. Al Pacino
Hader is a huge Al Pacino fan and often gets asked to do his impression which he showed on "Conan" and "SNL" several times.
Apparently, Pacino’s agent told Hader that Pacino has seen the impression and replied ever Pacino-ly, saying, “That’s good. This has happened to me before.”
Isaac Serna-Diez is a writer who focuses on entertainment and news, social justice and relationships.