It's been nearly 50 fabulous years of legendary comedians and actors hitting the Studio 8H stage at 30 Rockefeller Plaza -- making their stage presence known and providing laughs to millions around the world -- on the sketch comedy series "Saturday Night Live".

As the hit show gears up for its 50th season, we're celebrating stars like Will Ferrell, Eddie Murphy and Maya Rudolph ... all of whom got their big break taking on the "SNL" stage, and their careers have since soared into superstardom.

Dating back to the very first episode which premiered on October 11, 1975 ... Host George Carlin emerged on the scene, delivered a stellar monologue and showcased musical guests Billy Preston and Janis Ian.

With more than 250 recurring "SNL" sketches like "The Californians", "Super Showcase Spokesmodels" and "The Spartan Cheerleaders", the comedic material created in the writer's room comes to fruition on stage making "SNL" a viral sensation and a pop culture phenomenon to this day!

And, of course, the "Weekend Update" was (and still is) another popular "SNL" sketch where stars like Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon -- seen here in a 2002 episode -- break down all the top news stories.

And 15 years later, the torch is passed down to millennials and hot "SNL" stars like Pete Davidson and Colin Jost continuing the "Weekend Update" and putting their own comedic flare on the long-running sketch, seen here from a 2017 episode.

Check out all the "Saturday Night Live" cast icons with our "Saturday Night Live" Cast 'Memba Them gallery!