Gilda Radner

While everyone else on this list had decades to make their impact, Gilda Radner was television's shooting star, dying of ovarian cancer at the far too young age of 42 in 1989.

But her skill shone brilliantly during her brief tenure as one of the original—and still, almost 40 years later, unquestionably best—cast members of Saturday Night Live. Her outrageous, frequently offensive characters, such as the big-haired Roseanne Roseannadanna and the shrieking and ignorant geek Lisa Loopner, made her a standout on a program with an all-star ensemble. And she was one of the first great impressionists the show ever had too, as her mock-up of newscaster Barbara Walters, who Radner played as “Baba Wawa,” still stands as an all-timer from the show.

It's heartbreaking to consider what could have been if she hadn't died at such a young age, but it's a credit to her tremendous skill that she still ranks among television's funniest females.