If you are a comedy fan you may have heard of the Groundlings. They are a group of improvisers founded in 1974 by Gary Austin, an improvisational theatre teacher from Oklahoma who originally moved to Los Angeles to be a stage manager for the L.A. branch of the San Francisco improv comedy group The Committee (where he worked with The Second City’s famed director Del Close). Gary Austin later founded his own group of improvisers in L.A. called the Gary Austin Workshops in 1972, eventually gaining popularity in the L.A. comedy scene and earning rave reviews in the process.

Two years later, Austin changed the name of his improv group to the Groundlings, a reference to a William Shakespeare line from Hamlet that referred to “groundlings” as lower class audience members who sat on the ground while watching plays and were “capable of nothing but inexplicable dumbshows and noise.”

The positive reputation of the L.A. improv troupe eventually earned them notice from Hollywood, who still scouts talent from the Groundlings to this day. Many well-known actors and comedians got their start at the Groundlings before they went on to become famous, and you will recognize many of them from film and television.

Here are just a few well-known former Groundlings:

J.J. Abrams (Lost, Star Trek, Star Wars: The Force Awakens)

Tyra Banks (America’s Next Top Model)

Jillian Bell (Workaholics, 22 Jump Street)

Adam Carolla (The Man Show, Crank Yankers)

Jennifer Coolidge (Legally Blonde, 2 Broke Girls, The White Lotus)

Mikey Day (SNL)

Abby Elliott (SNL, The Bear)

Jimmy Fallon (SNL, Late Night, The Tonight Show)

Fortune Feimster (The Mindy Project, Bless the Harts, Soul)

Will Ferrell (SNL, Elf, Anchorman)

Chloe Fineman (SNL, Search Party, Big Mouth)

Will Forte (SNL, MacGruber, The Last Man on Earth)

Heidi Gardner (SNL)

Ana Gasteyer (SNL, Mean Girls, Suburgatory)

Kathy Griffin (Pulp Fiction, Suddenly Susan, My Life on the D-List)

Daryl Hannah (Blade Runner, Splash, Kill Bill)

Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: SVU)

Phil Hartman (SNL, The Simpsons)

Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm)

Jan Hooks (SNL, Designing Women)

Chris Kattan (SNL, The Middle)

Lisa Kudrow (Friends, Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion, Web Therapy)

Phil LaMarr (Mad TV, Futurama, Samurai Jack)

Jon Lovitz (SNL, The Simpsons)

Tress MacNeille (Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers, The Simpsons, Animaniacs)

Melissa McCarthy (Gilmore Girls, Mike & Molly, Bridesmaids)

Michael McDonald (Mad TV)

Wendi McLendon-Covey (Reno 911!, Bridesmaids, The Goldbergs)

Pat Morita (The Karate Kid)

Craig T. Nelson (Coach, The Incredibles, Parenthood)

Laraine Newman (SNL)

Conan O’Brien (SNL, The Simpsons, Late Night)

Kaitlin Olson (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Finding Dory, Hacks)

Cheri Oteri (SNL)

Chris Parnell (SNL, Rick and Morty)

Nasim Pedrad (SNL, New Girl, Chad)

Cassandra Peterson (Elvira)

Jim Rash (Community, The Descendants)

Paul Reubens (Pee-wee Herman)

Maya Rudolph (SNL, Bridesmaids)

Dax Shepard (Parenthood, The Ranch)

Sherri Stoner (Animaniacs)

Julia Sweeney (SNL, Pulp Fiction, Work in Progress)

Michelle Thomas (The Cosby Show, Family Matters)

Kristen Wiig (SNL, Bridesmaids)