Ferrell — who appeared in films such as Zoolander and A Night at the Roxbury during his tenure at SNL — found his movie career taking off soon after the release of Old School in 2003. Starring roles in films he co-wrote, including Anchorman and Talladega Nights — as well as the new Christmas classic Elf — followed. In the mid-aughts, Ferrell also tried his hand at drama, winning critical praise for his performance in Stranger than Fiction. And, while more recent films have met with less success (Land of the Lost, anybody?), Ferrell also branched out in 2007 by co-founding the comedy website Funny or Die — a reliable font of viral videos that regularly nabs appearances from big names like Ryan Gosling and Jerry Seinfeld. Creating classic film roles is good; creating your own comedy empire is better. —Erin Strecker