Revisiting Steve Carell’s Best Characters Ahead of His ‘SNL’ Return

Steve Carell is hosting Saturday Night Live this week, putting the focus back on his incredible catalogue of work.

Carell is an icon of modern comedy, with many roles that helped define this era of entertainment. He has done it all, from stage-acting to the screen, from skits to sitcoms, and of course, from blockbuster comedies to tear-jerking dramas.

Carell has also hosted Saturday Night Live three times before. The first was in 2005, at the same time that The Office was first airing. Since then he returned in 2008 and 2013, and now at last he will do so again.

This is a sign of Carell’s incredible staying power in the entertainment industry. Each time he returns to SNL — the longest-running sketch comedy show in American television — he has slightly re-invented himself. Carell can pull off zany, awkward and sincere all in one scene, and it feels perfectly natural.

For that reason, it can be jarring to revisit Carell’s film catalogue and realize that each of those characters came from the same person. Carell has done it all, and he shows no signs of stopping any time soon.

Here is a look at some of Steve Carell‘s most iconic roles over the years.

Michael Scott in ‘The Office’

Naturally, Carell is still most recognizable for his role on The Office. He played the awkward boss of the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company for years, both delighting and horrifying audiences with his tone-deaf antics.

Carell left The Office in season 7 to pursue other opportunities. This left the show open to experiment with other characters, some of whom actually worked. However, he returned in season 9 for the grand finale, and for one last “that’s what she said” joke.

Brick Tamland in ‘Anchorman’

Who could forget Carell’s portrayal of the intrepid weather man, Brick Tamland. Carell joined an all-star cast for one of the best comedy films of the decade, and provided some of the most-quoted lines to this day. In 2013, he reprised his role for Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, a sequel that got mixed reviews, though it did everything that it set out to do.

Andy in ‘The 40-Year-Old Virgin’

Carell took the lead in a film in 2005, when he played Andy in The 40-Year-Old Virgin. The movie walks the line between funny and sweet, as a cripplingly awkward man learns to open up and communicate with both friends and loved ones in a way he never has before.

Gary in ‘The Ambiguously Gay Duo’

Before he ever hosted SNL, Carell had a recurring role in an animated short called “The Ambiguously Gay Duo.” He and Stephen Colbert voiced versions of an old animated superhero trope, where a crime-fighting duo seemed more dedicated to each other than anything else.

Evan Baxter in ‘Bruce Almighty’

Carell turned a relatively small role into a whole new movie in 2003 when he played Evan Baxter in Bruce Almighty. As the antagonistic new boyfriend, he tormented Bruce (Jim Carrey,) then got his just deserts on live TV when he began speaking gibberish involuntarily.

Carell reprised his role as Evan in a spin-off sequel called Evan Almighty. It did not make the same waves as its predecessor, but clearly Carell’s performance made an impression as it spawned the spin-off in the first place.

Frank Ginsberg in ‘Little Miss Sunshine’

It was clear that Carell could carry a drama if he wanted to when he co-starred in Little Miss Sunshine. He played Frank Ginsberg, the uncle of Olive Hoover (Abigail Breslin) who had recently attempted suicide. In spite of the serious subject matter, Carell managed to find a few laughable moments in the charming film.

Maxwell Smart in ‘Get Smart’

Carell did an admirable job in the 2008 reboot of Get Smart. The original TV series from the 1960s was one of the most beloved comedies of its time, and with the help of Anne Hathaway, Carell brought it back to life. The reboot never got more than one installment, though many hoped it would become a recurring role for Carell.

Steve Carell on ‘The Daily Show’

Finally, who could forget Carell’s six years on The Daily Show, where he played himself as a news correspondent. Whether talking one on one with Jon Stewart or teaming up on him with Stephen Colbert, Carell made his mark on the Comedy Central series.