Paul Shaffer is a Canadian musician, composer, vocalist, and band leader, among the highlights being the de facto leader of the early Saturday Night Live house band, and serving for 33 years (1982-2015) as the leader of David Letterman's house band.

Filmography

• 2025Spinal Tap II: The End Continues — Artie Fufkin
• 2022My Next Guest with David Letterman and Volodymyr Zelenskyy — Original Music Composer
• 2019My Next Guest with David Letterman and Shah Rukh Khan — Original Music Composer
• The Masked Singer — Self - Video Message, Skeleton (archive footage)
• 2016Sharknado 4: The 4th Awakens — Paul Shaffer
• 2015A Very Murray Christmas — Paul Schaffer
• The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon — Paul Shaffer and the World's Most Dangerous Band, Self - Musical Guest, Music Director
• 2012Bachman & Turner - Live at the Roseland Ballroom — Keyboards
• 2005Disney Heroes Volume 1 — Hermes (voice)
• How I Met Your Mother — Paul Shaffer
• 2005Saturday Night Live: The Best of Dan Aykroyd — Blues Brothers Band (archive footage)
• Law & Order: Criminal Intent — Paul Shaffer
• Primetime Glick
• 2001The Concert for New York City — Self, Music Director
• Ed — Irv Nadler
• 1999Hercules: Zero to Hero — Hermes (voice) (archive sound)
• 1999Man on the Moon — Letterman Band (uncredited)
• 1999Saturday Night Live: 25th Anniversary Special — Writer
• 1998Blues Brothers 2000 — Marco, Music, Original Music Composer
• Hercules — Hermes (voice)
• 1997Hercules — Hermes (voice)
• Flash Gordon — Dr. Zarkov (voice)
• 1996Flash Gordon: Marooned on Mongo — Dr. Hans Zarkov (voice)
• 1992A Spinal Tap Reunion: The 25th Anniversary London Sell-Out — Artie Fufkin
• 1990Look Who's Talking Too — Taxi Businessman
• 1988Scrooged — Street Musician
• 1987Heartbeat — Filmmaker's Assistant
• 1985Nightwatch — Stunts
• 1984This Is Spinal Tap — Artie Fufkin
• 1980Gilda Live — Don Kirshner / Arnie Schnachtman / Student Body President / The Candy Slice Group, Writer, Music, Musician
• 1979Mr. Mike's Mondo Video — Church of Jack Lord Organist
• 1978The Blues Brothers Live at Winterland
• A Year at the Top
• Saturday Night Live — Self - Host, Self - Cameo (uncredited), Igor (uncredited), Self (uncredited), Crowd Member (uncredited), Self - Pianist (uncredited), Musician at Plato’s Cave (uncredited), Don Kirshner / Paul (uncredited), Self - The Blues Brothers Band / Don Kirshner (uncredited), Self - The Blues Brothers Band (uncredited), Don Kirshner / Self (uncredited), Danny Kreutzman (uncredited), Various (uncredited), Self - Musician, Self - Various Characters

Appearances as themselves (58)

• 2026Darlene Love: I Know Where I've Been — Self
• 2026Marty, Life Is Short — Self
• 2026Peter Asher: Everywhere Man — Self
• 2026You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution... — Self
• 2025I'm Chevy Chase and You're Not — Self
• 2025Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music — Self - SNL Band Member 1975 - 1980
• 2025SNL50: The Homecoming Concert — Self
• 2023The Voice That Rocked America: The Dick Biondi Story — Self
• 2022Finding Sandler — Self
• Spector — Self
• 2020Chuck Leavell: The Tree Man — Self
• 2019Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice — Self (archive footage)
• Paul Shaffer Plus One — self
• The Kelly Clarkson Show — Self
• 2018Always at The Carlyle — Self
• 2018Bachman — Self
• 2018Love, Gilda — Self
• 2018Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame: In Concert 2014-2017 — Self
• 2017Night of Too Many Stars: America Unites for Autism Programs — Self
• 2016Todd Who? — Himself
• 2015Being Canadian — Self
• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert — Self - Musical Guest
• 201212-12-12 | The Concert for Sandy Relief — Self
• Running Wilde — Self
• Celebrity Ghost Stories — Self
• 2008Ray Charles: The Legend Lives On — Self
• 2007Bob & Doug McKenzie's Two-Four Anniversary — Self
• 2007Fats and Friends — Self
• Second City: First Family of Comedy — Self
• 2005The Blues Brothers: Transposing The Music — Self
• 2004Rockin' Pianos — Self
• Hope & Faith — Himself
• Jimmy Kimmel Live! — Self
• 2002The N.Y. Friars Club Roast of Chevy Chase — Self - Host
• 200150 Years of NBC Late Night — Self (archive footage)
• 2001America | A Tribute to Heroes — Self
• Mark Twain Prize — Self
• The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn — Self
• Where Are They Now? — Self
• Hollywood Squares — Self - Panelist
• 1998The Stories Behind the Making of 'The Blues Brothers' — Self
• The View — Self
• 1995The Show Formerly Known as the Martin Short Show — Self
• 1995The Weinerville New Year's Special: Lost in the Big Apple — Self
• 1993Friends of Gilda — Self
• Late Show with David Letterman — Self - Musical Director
• 1993The Best of the Blues Brothers — Self (archive footage)
• 1990Night of 100 Stars III — Self
• 1990Seriously... Phil Collins — Self
• 1987The Beach Boys: 25 Years Together - A Celebration In Waikiki — Self
• 1985Martin Short: Concert for the North Americas — Self
• 1985Tears Are Not Enough — Self
• Jeopardy! — Self
• 1981Steve Martin's Best Show Ever — Self / Jo Jo the Dog-Faced Boy
• CBS News Sunday Morning — Self
• The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson — Self
• Tony Awards — Self - Performer
• Say Hello to Our Good Friend Paul Shaffer — Self