Overview (3)

Mini Bio (1)

Chevy Chase was born Cornelius Crane Chase in Lower Manhattan, New York, to Cathalene Parker (Browning), a concert pianist and librettist, and Edward Tinsley "Ned" Chase, an editor and writer. His parents both came from prominent families, and his grandfathers were artist and illustrator Edward Leigh Chase and admiral Miles Browning. His recent ancestry includes English, Scottish, Irish, and Danish.



His grandmother gave him the nickname "Chevy" when he was two years old. Chase was a part of the Saturday Night Live (1975) cast from its debut until 1976, and then embarked on a highly successful movie career. He scored in the eighties with hits such as Caddyshack (1980), National Lampoon's Vacation (1983) and its sequels, Fletch (1985) and Fletch Lives (1989). All his films show his talent for deadpan comedy. Sadly, his career generally worsened throughout the nineties, starring in disappointments such as the mediocre Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992), and Cops and Robbersons (1994). More recently, Community (2009) marked a return for him, as he played a regular role for the first four seasons.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: David Wilcock <david.wilcock@btinternet.com>

Spouse (3)

Trade Mark (7)



Pratfall during the opening skit of Saturday Night Live (1975)



Saturday Night Live (1975) Weekend Update newscast skit with the opening line, "I'm Chevy Chase, and you're not".

Deadpan delivery



Deep baritone voice



Towering height



Often plays fathers and family men



Looking at his bare wrist and saying "oh, look at the time."



Trivia (104)



Prefers to do family-oriented movies and has turned down roles in several films including the lead in American Beauty (1999).



His now-famous "Good evening, I'm Chevy Chase and you're not" opening line on the "Weekend Update" segments of Saturday Night Live (1975) was a takeoff of New York news anchor Roger Grimsby 's "Here now the news" opening line.



Sat in as drummer with the college band The Leather Canary a couple of times. He refers to it as "a bad jazz band." The band also included Walter Becker and Donald Fagen , later of Steely Dan fame.

Winner of Harvard Lampoon Lifetime Achievement Award 1996.



Convicted of drunk driving. [1995]



His short-lived TV talk show was billed as a Cornelius Production, Cornelius being Chevy's real first name.





Was nearly killed (electrocuted) during the filming of Modern Problems (1981) when, during the sequence in which he is wearing "landing lights" as he dreams that he is an airplane, the current in the lights short-circuited through his arm, back, and neck muscles. The near-death experience caused him to experience a period of deep depression.

Attended Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.



Was valedictorian of his high school class.



Has perfect pitch: a rare ability to identify the pitch of musical notes without a point of reference.



His parents divorced when he was four. His father remarried into the Folger coffee family. His mother's third marriage was to Juilliard School professor/composer Lawrence Widdoes.





Has a son with his ex-wife, Jacqueline Carlin , named Bryan Perkins (born October 24, 1979) and 3 daughters with his current wife, Jayni Chase , named Cydney Cathalene Chase (born January 4, 1983), Caley Chase (born January 19, 1985) and Emily Evelyn Chase (born September 29, 1988).

Chevy was actually a childhood nickname -- possibly based on the Washington, DC suburb -- bestowed by his grandmother. The Chase family was affluent and distinguished, and Chevy was listed in Social Register at early age. His paternal grandfather was painter/teacher Edward "Ned" Leigh Chase; his father, Ned Chase, was a prominent Manhattan book editor and magazine writer. His mother was descended from the Crane plumbing-fixture family.





Paul Simon is one of his best friends. He appeared alongside Simon in the music video "You Can Call Me Al," in which he lip-syncs all of Simon's lines. Due to that video's remarkable success, Chase was asked to return when Simon released his follow-up album. In the music video for "Proof", Chase was accompanied by another of his best friends, Steve Martin



Was a long-time class clown expelled from private schools like NYC's Dalton but did well at Stockbridge School in Massachusetts. Expelled from Haverford College after bringing a cow into the third floor of a campus building. Transferred to Bard College, where he dated actress Blythe Danner and graduated in 1967.

His middle name, Crane, is from his mother's family. He spent childhood vacations at Crane Castle, his mother's family's vacation home in Ipswich, Massachusetts.



Roasted into the New York Friar's Club on September 28, 2002.



Has a fear of snakes.



Chevy Chase is the name of a 16th century ballad about the battle between Earl Douglas and Earl Percy, as well as the name of a city in Maryland.





He was the first member of the original Saturday Night Live (1975) cast to leave the show (after only one season), a decision he later said he regretted. He was replaced by Bill Murray

Biography in: "Who's Who in Comedy" by Ronald L. Smith. Pg. 102-103. New York: Facts on File, 1992. ISBN 0816023387.



At the height of his career he earned around $7 million per film.



Is a huge jazz fan.



Used to run five miles a day to stay fit and healthy.





Admitted in an interview that making ¡Three Amigos! (1986) was the most fun he has had on a film.



Helped campaign for John Kerry in the 2004 Presidential Election.

Attended Riverdale Country School in New York City.





His big break was performing on Saturday Night Live (1975). Ironically, he was never signed as a cast member. He signed a one year writer contract and became a cast member during rehearsals.



In a 1975 New York magazine cover story, NBC executives referred to Chase as "The first real potential successor to Johnny Carson " and claimed he would begin guest-hosting The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962) within 6 months of the article. It never happened.

His brother roomed across the hall from Ted Kaczynski "The Unabomber" at Harvard.



Has streets named after him in Cochranton, Pennsylvania; Brea, California; Port Charlotte, Florida; and New Orleans, Louisiana.



In 2003, he appeared in two television commercials for Cola Turka, a soft drink developed to be in direct competition with both Coca-Cola and Pepsi, while keeping the money in the Turkish economy. The commercials, which were both comic and nationalistic in theme, feature Chase playing a confused American who notices his friend and family using Turkish idioms and exhibiting Turkish customs after consuming the drink. The commercials, exclusively shown in Turkey, were filmed in New York in English, but have Turkish subtitles.



Wanted to be a doctor when he was younger.





Fans often imitate his famous, straight-faced, "I like it!" (from Modern Problems (1981)).



After joking about Cary Grant being gay in a 1980 television interview, the Hollywood legend sued him for slander, but they later settled out of court.

Before his breakthrough as a comedian, he worked as a cab driver, truck driver, motorcycle messenger, waiter, busboy, construction worker, audio engineer, produce manager in a supermarket, salesman in a wine store and theater usher.



Graduated from Bard College with a bachelor of arts degree in English (1967).



Born to Edward Tinsley Chase, a Manhattan book editor and magazine writer, and his wife Cathalene Parker Browning, who both died in 2005.





Won an amateur orchestral conducting contest in Los Angeles, where he and other celebrities (such as Alan Rachins ) competed to inspire appreciation for classical music.



Was a favorite comedian of the students in Head of the Class (1986).

His mother Cathalene Parker Browning was the only daughter of Capt. Miles R. Browning, Admiral Halsey's Chief of Staff for much of WW2.





Turned down the role of Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story (1995) because his agent greatly advised him against doing the project. He didn't want to turn it down, as he was interested in the project.



Turned down the role of "Peter Venkman" in Ghostbusters (1984), which went to Bill Murray . According to Chase, the finished film is nothing like the script that he read, adding that the script was much scarier than the film. He did visit the set at least once, as a picture of him on the temple steps can be seen in Don Shay 's book "Making Ghostbusters".

Plays piano, drums and saxophone.



Had back surgery shortly after his time with "SNL" as a result of all the comedic falls he had taken on-stage.





Was the first person to say "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!" on Saturday Night Live (1975).

Would say "toy boat" after every time he stumbled over his words during Weekend Update.





Moe's Southwest Grill, a fast-food chain, has menu items named after characters from three of his films: ¡Three Amigos! (1986) (the in-famous El Guapo sauce), Caddyshack (1980) (Billy Barou nachos with chicken), and Fletch (1985) (John Coctostan quesadilla with steak).



Daughter Caley Chase is also an actor.

Release of the book, "I'm Chevy Chase - And You're Not" by 'Rena Fruchter'. [2007]



His ancestry includes English, as well as Scottish, Irish, Danish, and a smaller amount of Dutch and German, roots.





He once wrote the back page of a Mad Magazine (issue #134, April 1970.) A satire of Mission: Impossible (1966) titled "A TV Scene We'd Like To See.".



Admitted in an interview that the comments and jokes directed at him during his 2002 roast legitimately hurt him. As soon as the roast was over, he returned to his hotel room and was so depressed about it, he was sobbing most of the night and had to be consoled by roast master Paul Schäfer . Chase's roast was noted by fans and critics alike for being particularly mean-spirited, even by the standards of a roast.



Was considered for the role of Harry Sultenfuss in My Girl (1991), but was known at the time for acting only in comedies, not dramas and the role was given to Dan Aykroyd instead.



Turned down the role of Dave Seville in Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007).



Turned down the lead role in Forrest Gump (1994).



Offered the role of Scott Calvin/Santa Claus in The Santa Clause (1994), but had to turn it down due to scheduling conflicts.



Born on the same day as R.L. Stine



He named Oh Heavenly Dog (1980) as the worst film he appeared in.



He was considered for the role of Cardinal Glick in Dogma (1999).



He was banned from hosting Saturday Night Live (1975) in 1995 due to his abusive behaviour to the cast and crew when he guest-hosted, although he has made cameo appearances since.



He was considered for the role of Jimmy in Thelma & Louise (1991).



He turned down the role of Eddie Valiant in Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) because, due to his rule of appearing in family films, he disliked the idea of him hooking up with a cartoon character.



He was unhappy with how National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985) turned out.



He came tenth in Rolling Stone Magazine's ranking of every castmember of Saturday Night Live (1975).



He was considered for the lead role in Arthur (1981).



He hated making Caddyshack II (1988) so much that after a take, he said to the director, "Let me know when you're going to install a laugh track" before walking away in disgust.



He left Community (2009) due to criticisms of the quality of the show, not getting on with creator Dan Harmon and disliking his character's bigotry.



He was interested in starring in The Player (1992), but was turned down. His father helped get the original book published.



He was considered for the role of Dan Gallagher in Fatal Attraction (1987).



He was considered for the role of Jack Butler in Mr. Mom (1983).



He was the original choice to star in So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993).



He was considered for the role of Ted Stryker in Airplane! (1980).



He named Irwin Fletcher in Fletch (1985) as his favourite role because it allowed him to play several different characters and work with props.



Was great friends with Robin Williams



He was considered for the role of Stan Podolak in Space Jam (1996) that went to Wayne Knight



He was considered for Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005).



He was considered for the lead role in Tootsie (1982).



He was considered for the role of Dr. Leo Marvin in What About Bob? (1991) that went to Richard Dreyfuss



He was considered for the role of Alan Parish in Jumanji (1995) that went to Robin Williams



He was considered for the Master in Doctor Who (1996).



He turned down the role of Gordon Bombay in The Mighty Ducks (1992) that went to Emilio Estevez

Is a descendant of William Brewster (c. 1566-1644), a noted Pilgrim, and wife Mary, who came over to Massachusetts, America, as Mayflower passengers.



He entered Minnesota's Hazelden Clinic in September 2016 for treatment of an alcohol-related issue.





In 1986, he was admitted to the Betty Ford Clinic for treatment of an addiction to prescription painkillers. His use of these drugs began after he experienced ongoing back pain related to the pratfalls he took during his Saturday Night Live (1975) appearances. In 2010, he said that his drug abuse had been "low level".



In 2002, he was criticized by right-wingers for his trip to Cuba and support of Fidel Castro , in which, upon returning, touted "Socialism works".

He has appeared in a number of television commercials, including Dollar Rent-a-Car (1996), Doritos (1996), History Channel (1999), a series of commercials for AAMI Insurance (Australia, 1999), Aflac (2003), Cola Turka (2003), T-Mobile (2009) and Chase Manhattan Bank (2010).



Has gained a reputation for being exceptionally difficult to work with as well as controversial in general.



Personal Quotes (14)



On his reaction upon hearing of the death of Saturday Night Live (1975) co-star John Belushi ): I was so angry I didn't cry for five years.



On the outcome of impersonating former U.S. President Gerald Ford on Saturday Night Live (1975): "I did hear ultimately from one of Ford's sons that some of the things had hurt his feelings, and that was a shocker to me. But I figured, 'Oh well, he's the President, he can take it. I mean, he has to, he's a public figure.' Of course, now my feelings have been hurt so much, I know exactly what he means."

Once I got married and had kids, I moved away from romantic roles, because it seemed wrong to have my three-year-old wondering why Daddy was kissing someone else.



I guess I look so straight and normal nobody expects me to pick my nose and fall.





[on John Landis ] He's a bit of a bully, to say the least, with the wrong people, the easy shots. He's got a crassness about him. Anybody who can pick on a set decorator or an extra in front of everybody else in a very mean way is lacking something. I would think that an experience like Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983) would put some humility into your life. But it didn't.

You can't observe as much if you're observed by others.





[on working on Community (2009)] The hours are hideous, and it's still a sitcom on television, which is probably the lowest form of television. That's my feeling about it. I think the reason I have stuck around is because I love these kids, the cast - they are very good. It's not like I am working with the great innovators of all time, but at the same time, they are my friends.



[on Community (2009)] It was a big mistake! I saw this pilot script, thought that it was funny, and I went into the room where they were casting and said, "I would love to play this guy." Then they mulled it over. Then they hired me and I just sort of hung around because I have three daughters and a wife, and I figured out I might as well make some bread, every week, so I can take care of them in the way they want.



[on his first return to Saturday Night Live (1975)] I'm not sure exactly why or how, but [during that episode] suddenly I got into a fight with Bill Murray . I discovered later it was with the instigation of John Belushi , who apparently was a little bit jealous that I had become the standout guy the first year, when John [felt he] deserved to. And he did; John was our ringer. But television doesn't care too much about ringers who are short and have a beard. Somehow they took to the tall, thin, handsome guy.



[on leaving Saturday Night Live (1975)] It has been portrayed over the years as there being "lucrative deals" awaiting me in Hollywood. But if you look at the record, I didn't make a movie for two or three years. There were no lucrative deals awaiting me. I left because I was in love with a girl in L.A. I missed it very much. I should have hung around for years. And I feel bad about it now.



[on his fight with Bill Murray ] Billy Murray and I came to fisticuffs, but we never really ended up hitting each other. We tried, but Belushi got in the middle and we both ended up hitting John. And if anybody deserved to be slapped in the forehead it was John, for instigating it all.

[re growing up on NYC's Park Avenue] I had to get into fights all the time, because we were at the cusp of Spanish Harlem and they didn't like a crew-cut white kid. They were always chasing me, stealing my wallet. I was sent to the grocery store on Second Avenue by my mother on a Saturday, and these two Spanish kids were walking behind me, and in front of me was a little kid, smaller than me, and he kept punching me in the face the whole way to the grocery store. I came back from the grocery store with a bloody nose, and my mother sent me back for something else! And there they were again. And when we got to the corner, I'd had it. I just took the little kid out, and of course the other two, the big ones, jumped me. I really had a hold on one of them, like a headlock, and the other one yelled, "Hey! No fair! You're choking him!" No fair, he said. What do you mean, no fair? You guys have been kicking the crap out of me! They had these rules. One of those guys stabbed me in the back three times when I was running away. I still have these knife-wound scars.





[on Robin Williams ] Robin and I were great friends, suffering from the same little-known disease, depression. I never could have expected this ending to his life, and to ours with him. I cannot believe this. I am overwhelmed with grief. What a wonderful man/boy, and what a tremendous talent in the most important art of any time - comedy! I loved him.

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