Which original SNL cast member was the first performer hired for the show?

Gilda Radner was the first original Saturday Night Live cast member hired for the show.

Radner joined the program's inaugural ensemble in 1975, later known collectively as the Not Ready for Prime Time Players. She was hired before the other performers and chose SNL over an opportunity to appear on The David Steinberg Show in Canada. That decision helped launch a career that made her one of American sketch comedy's defining performers.

Radner became especially famous for creating vivid recurring characters, including the hard-of-hearing editorialist Emily Litella and the outspoken advice giver Roseanne Roseannadanna. Both appeared in or around Weekend Update, linking Radner's character comedy to the show's satirical news format. The original cast also included John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, and Laraine Newman. Laraine Newman is sometimes confused with the answer because she was also an original cast member, but Radner was the first performer hired.