Top 20 Most Hilarious Bill Hader Impressions

#20: Lorne Michaels
The creator and longtime producer of “Saturday Night Live”, as well as Bill Hader’s boss for many years, Lorne Michaels, is known in many circles of the entertainment industry. He is also frequently the subject of imitation by those who’ve worked for him. Hader does perhaps the best impression of the man. While being interviewed on “Conan,” Hader recounted an occasion in which Lorne spent a whole plane trip speaking to him non-stop as he drifted in and out of sleep. Hader also does a great bit where he imitates Michaels’ habit of name-dropping the cavalcade of celebrities he knows, but instead of celebrities… he name-drops famous serial killers.
#19: Jack Nicholson
Jack Nicholson is one of the most famous actors out there, and his very particular acting style and mannerisms make him the perfect subject for imitation. As a guest on “Ellen,” Bill Hader does a spot-on rendition of the actor. Given the prompt of Nicholson running a lemonade stand, Hader proceeds to mimic his squint and sinister grin, and absolutely nails his voice, as he threatens a young customer should they fail to buy from him. Slap a pair of sunglasses on him, age him up a bit, and you’d swear he was Nicholson himself!
#18: Seth Rogen
Bill Hader and Seth Rogen have worked together on more than a few occasions, most famously in the 2007 comedy “Superbad.” Naturally, working around Rogen has allowed Hader to pick up on his voice and mannerisms to a tee. Hader has recounted several anecdotes about Rogen, including their time on “Superbad” and times they’ve smoked pot together. He’ll usually throw in a quick impression of Rogen somewhere in those stories, but his imitation of him on “Ellen” takes the cake. In this one, Hader stays consistent with the Amsterdam incident and imagines Rogen reading his own on-brand version of “Puff the Magic Dragon”.
#17: “Star Wars” Creatures
Bill Hader loves “Star Wars.” (Who doesn’t?!) While he did make it into the franchise itself (brownie points if you know who he played!), he’d honed his vocalizations for years beforehand. And it certainly paid off! His best impressions from the franchise are of non-human creatures. Firstly, he does a great Jabba the Hutt. He’s previously done his impression of the slug-like gangster on “Conan”, and has also busted it out in the movie “It Chapter 2” as part of an extended “your mom” joke. But perhaps his most bizarre impression overall is that of a dying tauntaun. These domesticated Hoth animals may smell bad inside and out, but Hader’s impression is positively rosy!
#16: Barack Obama
Fans of “SNL” may know of Fred Armisen’s famous impression of Barack Obama. However, there are probably fewer people who know that Bill Hader’s imitation of the former U.S. president is scarily good! While doing an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Armisen and Hader recount how, while on-set, the two of them would do a bit that involved emulating Obama. Hader perfectly replicates the cadence of Obama’s voice, and hearing his version of the politician in the bizarre scenarios the two comedians cooked up is a lot of fun! Take Obama giving a speech about his time in Los Angeles or working on the set of “Two Broke Girls”, for example. There are few things more glorious than this!
#15: Henry Winkler
A veteran television actor, Henry Winkler may have gotten his start as Fonzie on “Happy Days,” but he’s pretty much the opposite of the over-the-top macho character in real life. He also stars alongside Bill Hader on the show “Barry.” Given how closely they work together, Hader has managed to capture the essence of Winkler quite well. He’s recounted Winkler’s continued shock of the dark content of “Barry" on various talk shows, and has managed to imitate his co-star’s soft-spoken, good-natured surprise perfectly. Incidentally, Hader’s impression of Winkler’s impression of John Travolta’s hand-acting is also fantastic. (Is that meta enough for ya?!)
#14: Jim Jordan
In this cold open “SNL” sketch, Bill Hader plays Jim Jordan, an Ohio congressman involved in questioning Donald Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen, who was played by guest star Ben Stiller. Hader plays up Jordan’s anger and increasing exasperation wonderfully! Although Jordan doesn’t have as distinct a voice as some of the other impressions on this list, Hader more than makes up for it with his body language and overall enthusiasm in the role. It says a lot about his skills that he manages to steal the scene away from Ben Stiller’s dead-on Cohen impression.
#13: James Mason
While many today probably aren’t familiar with him, James Mason was a huge star in the mid-20th century. The British actor had a very distinguished and suave voice. Bill Hader reportedly did an impression of him during his “Saturday Night Live” audition, which he has recounted on several talk shows. In the bit, Mason is trying to buy a dozen donuts with an expired gift certificate. Hader’s impression work is always so fun because of these weird scenarios he puts the celebrities in. We hope that Mason was able to get the bottle of Yoo-hoo at least!
#12: John Malkovich
Impressions of John Malkovich are pretty rare. The actor is so singular that it seems impossible to imitate him. Yet somehow, Bill Hader not only manages it, but does it spectacularly! Hader has actually done the impression to Malkovich’s face while interviewing the actor in an “SNL” Vinny Vedecci sketch. Can you imagine the guts that takes?! He’s also busted out his “Malko” as a guest on Weekend Update. Regardless of the circumstance, Hader captures the very particular way that Malkovich emphasizes certain words, as well as the intimidating aura he, or at least his most famous characters, exude.
#11: Anthony Scaramucci
Some say that Anthony Scaramucci was put on this Earth just so Hader could impersonate him - and after seeing Hader’s take on The Mooch, it’s hard to disagree. When watching Scaramucci in interviews, you get the impression that he kiiinda likes the sound of his own voice, and Hader grabs hold of this with both hands. With a scrunched up face like he’s just sucked on a lemon and constant imposing hand gestures, Hader channels all the foibles of the ex-White House Director of Communications. And you know what, Hader’s hardly even exaggerating.
#10: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Here’s an impression that everyone likes to think they can do, but very few can actually pull off. Hader however has got the Predator-crushing muscle man down to a T - from his trademark groaning to his cigar waving. Oh, and of course, his schnitzel anecdotes. And Hader’s done his research too, famously acting as Arnie’s personal assistant on the set of “Collateral Damage”. If his straight up imitation of him wasn’t enough to convince you of his Austrian prowess, then maybe his face-mapped reenactment on Jimmy Kimmel will be.
#9: Tom Cruise
To say this iconic actor is known for being a little OTT is a huge understatement. Just ask Oprah. During an interview on Letterman, Hader recounts how Cruise was trying to place him while filming on the set of “Tropic Thunder”. In true Tom Cruise fashion, Hader starts off slowly with some intense squinting and pointing, eventually escalating to loud, wide-eyed applause. Which is to say Hader’s Cruise impression probably hovers somewhere between the office scene from “Jerry Maguire” and any of the intense stares from the Mission Impossible franchise. Speaking of, we wonder if Hader can do the run?
#8: Prince Philip
From realistic to ridiculous next, and a larger than life impression that is both inaccurate and offensive, but in all the right ways. Presenting the royal family as a gang of cockney thugs, Hader plays Prince Philip alongside Fred Armisen’s Queen Elizabeth - who at every chance try to intimidate newly initiated members Kate and Pippa Middleton. Whether it’s his wildly inappropriate threats, or his toothpick twirling mannerisms, Hader’s Prince Philip is a classic case of a caricature being more entertaining than the real thing. Although hey, for all we know, the real Phil could be a punk badass, too.
#7: Vincent Price
Horror legend Vincent Price has always been a special kinda creepy. His rollercoaster of a persona can go from a jovial grin to an eerie stare in the blink of an eye. And Hader’s over the top take on Price is all the right kinds of dramatic. Sure, he’s got the slouched body language down, but it’s the squeaky voice that really sells it. Well, that and the raven on his shoulder. Not only is his impression spot on, but seeing Hader’s Price trying to wrestle with inappropriate guests and keep his show family friendly - as well as spooky - is absolute gold.
#6: Daniel Day-Lewis
Daniel Day-Lewis is an actor who disappears into his roles, so any impression of him is bound to be specific, and Bill Hader’s is no exception. In this “SNL” sketch, he parodies Day-Lewis’ character, Daniel Plainview, from the film “There Will Be Blood”. He literally acts out a famous metaphor from the film – drinking people’s milkshakes. There are a ton of quotes lifted straight from the movie, but Hader’s imitation of Plainview is positively uncanny and hilarious throughout. It’s every bit as delicious as those milkshakes. In fact, you might say we “drink it up!”
#5: Alan Alda
Out of all the impressions on this list, Hader’s take on Alan Alda has gotta be the most accurate vocal mimicry by far. Just close your eyes, and you’d put money on the fact that it was Hawkeye Pierce from “M*A*S*H” himself. This is thanks to Hader’s mastery of the thick Bronx accent and the way in which Alda would stammer, which became trademarks over the years. But it’s not just the voice, Hader even nails Alda’s renowned hand gestures and body language, which is, as he’d say, terrific, just terrific.
#4: James Carville
Our fourth entry is another politically-charged impression, and one that makes Hader’s take on Anthony Scaramucci look like child’s play. Political commentator James Carville is known for his Louisiana accent, bald head, and of course his sometimes controversial views. And Hader rolls all that into one in this spot-on performance that sees him spoofing the Ragin’ Cajun democrat flawlessly. Okay, so maybe Hader focuses on the wild, frantic side of Carville more than anything else, with alligator anecdotes coming out of his ears. But picture Carville on a whole bunch of caffeine, and boom, you’ve got bald Hader.
#3: Keith Morrison
You know an impression is good when it gets the seal of approval from the person themselves. And Hader got just that with Keith Morrison. His impression of the true crime presenter from the show “Dateline” has become legendary on “SNL”, with Hader delivering a pitch perfect version of Morrison’s seemingly morbid sense of intrigue. And when the self-proclaimed Dateline fanatic came face-to-face with Morrison, it only further highlighted just how accurate his take on the TV personality is. If anyone can make getting so into gruesome crime stories okay, then it’s Hader’s Morrison.
#2: Al Pacino
There’s a certain amount of anger, frustration and high-intensity that goes into an Al Pacino impression. And pulling it off without looking like you’re trying too hard, ain’t easy. Unless you’re Bill Hader, that is. From the way he drags out the ends of his sentences to his slow, methodical head movements, Hader has perfected the enigmatic Pacino personality. You know it’s good when you can tell he’s in character even when he isn’t saying anything! But we guess the biggest part of selling it, is making even the most boring stories sound enthralling. Like spotting a cantaloupe in a kitchen.
#1: Clint Eastwood
Take every aspect of stereotypical Clint Eastwood impersonations, throw them together and you get Hader’s take on the movie god that is Eastwood. Let’s see - cold stare that could give you nightmares? Check. Gravelly, spiteful voice that induces fearful goosebumps? Check. High trousers that almost touch his chin? Check. In these spoof “SNL” Chrysler ads, Hader not only sells the impression comically, but he even sells it cinematically. We mean just look at him. From a distance, that glare could be Eastwood himself. All he needs now is a Smith & Wesson and a Gran Torino.
