Darrell Hammond was born October 8, 1955 in Melbourne, Florida and became a cast member of Saturday Night Live in 1995. Midway between the 2004–2005 season, Hammond set the record for the longest tenure of any SNL cast member in the show's history. Hammond also holds SNL records for most impressions by a single cast-member, and most times saying the legendary catch-phrase "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!" to start the show.

Hammond graduated from Melbourne High School in Melbourne, Florida in 1974 and then attended the University of Florida at Gainesville where he majored in broadcasting. After completing college, Hammond moved to New York City where he lived for several years before joining the cast of SNL. He married his wife, Elizabeth, in 1983 and then again in 1990 after a divorce in 1986.

A gifted impressionist (thought by some to be the best in SNL's history), he became famous for his impressions of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ted Koppel, Bill O'Reilly, Regis Philbin, Chris Matthews, Dick Cheney, Colin Powell, Donald Rumsfeld, Dr. Phil, Jesse Jackson, Phil Donahue, Sean Connery, Donald Trump, Bob Costas, Richard Dreyfuss, Rudolph Giuliani, Al Gore, and, briefly, George W. Bush. Although he does many impressions, he is best known for his segments impersonating Bill Clinton during his second term. When veteran announcer Don Pardo is unavailable, Hammond fills in to introduce the cast, with a spot-on Pardo impersonation.