Kristen Wiig

Many of television's funniest and most accomplished ladies have been on Saturday Night Live. None of them were ever entrusted with carrying the show's enormous load the way Kristen Wiig was, as she became the show's main point and anchor in a manner that no other woman had before.

If you were trying to create the ideal SNL cast member in a laboratory, you'd want them to be able to create memorable, original characters, do a variety of impressions, make us laugh while being completely silly or completely strange, crack us up with nothing more than a look or a deadpan delivery, and also play the straight character when a sketch called for it. Her rapid ascent is the only reason she isn't higher on our list, since her abilities immediately had Hollywood calling her, but with a lengthy career ahead of her, she has the potential to advance further up this list.