6. Chevy Chase
Everyone who hasn't been living under a rock for the past 40 years knows who Chevy Chase is. He got his start on Saturday Night Live in the 1970s, and he made headlines when he left the show at the height of his popularity to focus on a film career. He did a ton of great films in the 70s and 80s that we all loved (Fletch and Caddyshack a-ringing any bells?). Chase is also responsible for one of the most enduring movie franchises of all time: the National Lampoon Vacation movies. During the 80s and 90s, he churned out another edition every few years (each time with a new set of kids, oddly enough). But putting the Vacation films aside for a moment, by the mid-90s he really wasn't working consistently. Every once in a while he would show up in a cameo capacity, but he was a shadow of his former self. Then Community came along, and offered him the role of Pierce Hawthorne, which seemed tailor-made for Chevy Chase. Pierce is a wealthy older man with hilariously out-dated world views, who is utterly clueless in a more politically correct landscape. t's a role that he was born to play, and it really brings him back into the conversation when we talk about current players in the industry. He's a relevant factor now, something which hasn't been the case for quite some time, and he has television to thank for it.