William Bradford Hall (born March 21, 1958) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He appeared on Saturday Night Live from 1982 to 1984. He was also known for manning the Weekend Update (then rebranded as Saturday Night News) anchor desk on the show.

He also created the sitcoms The Single Guy and Watching Ellie.

Hall was a producer, writer, and director on the Golden Globe winning sitcom Brooklyn Bridge, for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. He has appeared in various motion pictures, most notably the 1986 cult classic Troll and as Nancy Allen's boyfriend in 1989's Limit Up. In 2012, he directed Picture Paris, which appeared at the Tribeca Film Festival. He also has guest-starred on series such as Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Early and personal life

Hall was born William Bradford Hall on March 21, 1958 and raised in Santa Barbara, California. He was an avid surfer as a child, saying that he "learned how to surf as soon as I could walk."

Hall is married to actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus, whom he met while both were attending Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. They met in a comedy troupe that Hall started, called The Practical Theater. They both performed on Saturday Night Live from 1982 to 1984, appeared together in Troll (1986), and guest-starred together on two episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm. They have two sons, Henry (b. 1992) and Charles (b. 1997).

Hall serves on the US Board of Directors of SurfAid International.

Filmography

Film
YearTitleRoleNotes
1986TrollWilliam Daniels
1989Worth WinningEric
Limit UpMarty Callahan
1990The GuardianNed Runcie
1995Bye Bye LovePhilAlso writer and producer
1998A Bug's LifegrasshopperVoice
2005Must Love DogsStanleyAlso executive producer
2010Love ShackDr. Alan Rudnick
2012Picture ParisShort film Writer and director
2023First Time Female DirectorMiles Paris
Television
YearTitleRoleNotes
1982–1984Saturday Night LiveHimself/various charactersSeries regular (39 episodes)
19869 to 5DevlinEpisode: "Even Super Women Get the Blues"
1988CBS Summer PlayhouseMontannaEpisode: "Mad Avenue"
1989Empty NestChuckEpisode: "Full Nest"
1989Day by DayCharlieEpisode: "The Music Man"
1990American DreamerWriter Episode: "Flight of the Dodo"
1991–1993Brooklyn BridgeWriter – 32 episodes Supervising producer – 13 episodes Director – 1 episode
1993FrasierWriter Episode: "Here's Looking at You"
1995–1997The Single Guy44 episodes Creator, writer, and executive producer
2000–2001Curb Your EnthusiasmHimself2 episodes
2002–2003Watching Ellie19 episodes Creator, writer, and executive producer
2006Saturday Night LiveAudience MemberEpisode: "Julia Louis-Dreyfus/Paul Simon"
2012Parks and RecreationWreston St. JamesEpisode: "Pawnee Commons"
2016Brooklyn Nine-NineJohn William WeichselbraunEpisode: "House Mouses"
2016VeepDirector – 3 episodes
2019UndoneCharlie3 episodes
2022–2023American AutoRichard Hastings4 episodes

Recurring characters on SNL

  • Mike Phillips, friend of El Dorko (Gary Kroeger)
  • The Human Stapler, a superhero who uses his hands to bind his victims (a member of The Interesting Four)
  • Larry Rolans, the host of Larry's Corner

Celebrity impersonations

External links