As a regular on Saturday Night Live, Darrell Hammond is best known for the many impressions he has brought to the show by television critics and viewers alike for their uncanny accuracy and range. He's performed as everyone from politicians (Bill Clinton, Jesse Jackson, Rudy Giuliani, and Al Gore), media figures (Ted Koppel, Sam Donaldson, Bob Costas, Phil Donahue) to celebrities (Sean Connery, Jay Leno, and Regis Philbin).

In April 1997, he was applauded in the media for his dead-on impression of President Clinton during a surprise appearance with the President himself at an event before thousands of government officials and members of the Washington Press Corps. Recently, Darrell Hammond has taken over playing practically the entire Bush Administration from Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Attorney General John Ashcroft, Secretary of State Colin Powell and Homeland Security Chief Tom Ridge - sometimes in the same sketch.

Born and raised in Melbourne, Florida, Darrell Hammond began doing impressions as a child, but his pursuit of a career in performing only began after graduating from the University of Florida in Gainesville. After college, he lived in New York for several years and appeared in off- and off-off-Broadway productions, in both dramatic and comedic roles. Later, he returned to Florida and honed his skills as an impressionist, performing on local and national radio programs.

For the last several years, Hammond has been performing stand-up comedy and impressions in New York and throughout the country. On film, he has lent his vocal talents to the recent animated version of The King And I, and appeared in a number of blockbuster hits such as Blues Brothers 2000, Agent Cody Banks, and Scary Movie 3. On television, he's appeared on NBC's Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Show with David Letterman, The Hollywood Squares, and Comedy on the Road.

Hammond is a proud resident of the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan.

Credit: leadingauthorities.com