Date of Birth
8 October 1943,
Woodstock, New York, USA
Cornelius Crane Chase
Height
6' 4" (1.93 m)
Mini Biography
Born Cornelius Crane Chase, he changed his Name to Chevy Chase, joined the Saturday Night Live crew, and embarked on a highly successful movie career. Chase scored in the eighties with hits such as Caddyshack (1980), the National Lampoon movies and the Fletch movies. All his films show his talent for deadpan comedy. Sadly, his career has generally worsened throughout the nineties, starring in flops such as the wholly mediocre Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992), and Cops and Robbersons (1994).
IMDb Mini Biography By:
David Wilcock <David.wilcock@btinternet.com>
Spouse
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.
Trivia
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.
He appeared in the music video and sang in the choir on the song "Voices That Care."
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 musical ability to remember the exact frequency of a note.
Parents divorced when he was four, and his father remarried into Folger coffee family. His mother's third marriage was to Juilliard School professor/ composer Lawrence Widdoes.
He and wife Jayni's three daughters are named Cydney Cathalene, Caley Leigh and Emily Evelyn.
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 Frank Swift 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.
Used to spend his summer and other vacations at a castle on a beautiful beach in Ipswich, Massachusetts.
His middle Name, Crane, is from his mother's family, He spent childhood vacations at Crane castle, his mother's family' vacation home in Ipswich, Massachusetts.
Roasted into the New York Friar's Club on September 28, 2002.
Suffers from 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.
Runs 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.
Has said that he regrets leaving "Saturday Night Live" (1975) after just one year.
Chase is a member of the exclusive Hollywood Gourmet Poker Club. Members included fellow card players Martin Short, Steve Martin, Carl Reiner, Barry Diller, Neil Simon and the late Johnny Carson.
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.
At 6' 4", he was the tallest original "Saturday Night Live" (1975) cast member and was the first "tall guy" on the show. Cast members over 6 feet usually dwarfed the rest of the cast. Among the other tall guys to follow were Dan Aykroyd, Dean Edwards, Will Ferrell, Anthony Michael Hall, David Koechner, Norm MacDonald, Finesse Mitchell, Bill Murray, Kevin Nealon, Randy Quaid, Rob Riggle, Charles Rocket, Damon Wayans, and Fred Wolf. Only Nealon and Quaid equaled Chase in height.
The role of Eric 'Otter' Stratton in National Lampoon's Animal House (1978) was originally written with him in mind, but Due to a scheduling conflict, he had to turn the role down. The role went to Tim Matheson instead.
His brother roomed across the Hall from Ted Kaczynski "The Unabomber" at Harvard.
Has a street named after him in Cochranton PA (NWPA). - Chevy Chase Street
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.
Has a street named after him in New Orleans, Louisiana, possibly Due to the Southern U.S. setting of Fletch Lives (1989); and another street named after him in Cochranton, Pennsylvania.
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.
Is portrayed by John Viener in Gilda Radner: It's Always Something (2002) (TV).
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.
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.
Salary
| Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992) |
$6,000,000 |
| Christmas Vacation (1989) |
$6,000,000 |
Where Are They Now
(2007) Release of the book, "I'm Chevy Chase - And You're Not" by Rena Fruchter.
