Better Call Saul Actor Michael McKean Had Joined SNL as Regular at the Age of 46: Seven Facts About the Musician-Turned-Actor

Actor, writer, comedian, and musician, Michael McKean, has been associated with dozens of films and television shows in his almost five-decade-long career. After garnering audience praise and significant recognition by playing annoying neighbor Lenny Kosnowski on the sitcom Laverne & Shirley, he went on to appear in numerous movies, taking a lead role in box office hit, Short Circuit 2. 

Currently, McKean plays Chuck McGill on the AMC's Better Call Saul, for which he received a Emmy nomination and won Satellite and Saturn award. Here are seven interesting facts of the veteran actor. 

7. Michael McKean Age & Height

Born on October 17, 1947, Michael McKean is 72 years old as of now. Moreover, McKean stands 6 feet tall (1.83 m). 

Michael's mother, Ruth McKean, worked as a librarian, while his father, Gilbert McKean, is the co-founder of Decca Records, a British record label. Gilbert also worked as a recording executive for RCA and Columbia. As a matter of fact, Michael McKean is a descent of Thomas McKean, one of the signers of the Declaration Of Independence.

McKean began playing the guitar at the age of 14 and can play other musical instruments like the piano and harmonica. He became a member of the baroque pop band, The Left Banke, for a brief period. As a session musician, McKean was on the guitar and played on the "Ivy, Ivy" single of the band. 

6. Was the Oldest Person Ever to Join SNL Cast in the 1990s

McKean joined the cast of Saturday Night Live in 1994 at the age of 46, becoming the oldest man ever to join the cast of SNL. The record was not broken until 2014 when Leslie Jones joined at the age of 47. 

However, McKean is not only the oldest hired SNL cast but also the first member to have gone from SNL musical guest to host to the regular cast. He had appeared as a musical guest in 1984 and became the host to promote This Is Spinal Tap later that year. 

McKean had previously been offered a cast member spot in SNL by the executive producer Dick Ebersol in 1984, but he turned it down. In the SNL, McKean has impersonated almost 20 celebrities including Jeffrey Dahmer, and OJ Simpson defense attorney Robert Shapiro. 

5. Michael McKean Was on Friends

Michael McKean played Mr. Rastatter in the Emmy winning television series Friends. He appeared in episode 8, The One with the List, of season two. 

McKean's character is seen as the HR of a company that produces novel synthetic foods. He hires one of the ensemble characters, Monica Geller, to create Thanksgiving-themed Mockolate dishes. 

Besides, the 72 years old actor also guest appeared in the 22nd episode, The Otto Show, of the third season of The Simpsons. McKean voiced David St. Hubbins' character in the episode. Moreover, Jerry Rude that appeared in season 10 episode 21st, Monty Can't Buy Me Love, was also voiced by Michael McKean. 

4. Had Two Sons With First Wife

Michael McKean married his first wife, Susan Russell McKean, on October 10, 1970. Together they had two sons: Colin Russell McKean and Fletcher McKean. Russell and McKean divorced in 1993 after staying together for 23 years.

Fletcher McKean, born on 1985, is currently 35 years old. Their first son, Colin McKean, was born on February 16, 1976, in Los Angeles, California. Colin died on December 3, 2012, in Ashland, Oregon, due to drug overdose. 

He worked as a production assistant in the movie Temptation and A Mighty Wind in 2003. Colin also had a role in the 2002 movie Vampire Clan. 

3. Has a Net Worth of $10 million

McKean became a household name after he played as Leonard 'Lenny' Kosnowski in the sitcom Laverne & Shirley. Since then, he has appeared in dozens of television shows, most notably Murder, She Wrote, Star Trek: Voyager, Friends, Murphy Brown, The X-Files, Justice League, Good Omens, Better Call Saul. 

Besides working as an actor, the 72 years old actor has also worked as a writer in movies as This Is Spinal Tap and The Big Picture. His works in stage productions, as a musician, composer, and writer, can also be credited to his net worth of $10 million.

2. McKean is Married to Annette O'Toole

The 72 years old actor is married to Annette O'Toole since March 20, 1999. Annette is a film and stage actress, dancer, writer, singer, producer, and composer. She has appeared in television series like Nash Bridges, It miniseries, and Smallville. Annette is also prominent for her role in movies as 48 Hrs, Cross My Heart, and Superman III.

O'Toole and McKean first met when McKean was working on the sitcom Laverne & Shirley. They eventually became friends in 1997 after working together in the lifetime movie, Final Justice. Both have co-starred as a married couple in at least two television shows: Boy Meets World and Law & Order. 

1. His Character in Better Call Saul was Deliberately Misnamed 

Michael McKean plays Chuck McGill in the television series Better Call Saul, a spin-off prequel of Breaking Bad. 

Mckean joined the cast of Better Call Saul in 2014 after being approached by the show's creator Vince Gilligan. Gilligan and McKean had been in touch since McKean appeared in Gilligan's The X-Files episode. And, as an avid Breaking Bad fan, McKean accepted the role without a second thought. 

However, when McKean casting had been announced in April 2014, his character was deliberately misnamed as Dr. Thurber based on the humorist James Thurber. In an interview with the Vulture, McKean exclaimed, 

"It was Dr. Thurber, like James Thurber. I don’t remember where they got that idea. I think I was already signed, and they were telling people, “Yeah, he will be playing a character called Dr. Thurber,” and I thought it was hilarious."

The series also features actors like Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, Rhea Seehorn, Patrick Fabian, Michael Mando, Giancarlo Esposito, Tony Dalton, and many more.